The Grammys - Dixie Chicks

Who would've thought that 4 years after the now infamous statement, Natalie Maines and the Dixie Chicks would walk off with grammys for Record of the year, Song of the year, Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal, Best Country Album, and Album of the Year. I guess all the people who said they couldn't come back and be as strong as they were before were wrong.

It's ironic that they won for best country album of the year when you stop to think about the fact that country radio has all but abandoned the Dixie Chicks. Country radio, although very 'American' and family oriented, has this annoying thing about it. They believe in free speech as long as you say something they agree with. Country radio didn't like it when Natalie Maines spoke out against the president, like most non-celeb americans. They destroyed DC cds in the streets, enacted full fledged boycotts of their musics and concerts. DC became personae non-gratae.

The chix weren't detered... they couldn't be held back. They went on tour to sold out crowds, they went on with their lives and came back to record probably one of the best albums of their careers. Emily Robson described it as "recording without a genre" and I really think that it was the most creative they've ever been because they weren't in a box. They could record the music they wanted to play and they were able to touch their listeners in a very special place in the process.

Four years ago after Natalie Maines made her now imfamous statement about our president, I wore a necklace to school that said "Dixie Chicks Rule". I remember walking by the Vice President of my area and he said to me, "Are you trying to get beat up?". I didn't understand why said that until I found out our administration (the college's that is) is headed up by a republican who appreciates republican values and republican dollars. So any talk or dissension against our country's president was probably not appreciated. But I wasn't saying anything about the political situation at the time. I was showing my love for the Dixie Chicks.

For me, it's always been about the music, never the politics. At the end of the day, Natalie, Emily, and Marti are artists and the world is better for having them in it.