PLAIN FOLK
by Les Pearson

Seeing Double: The Dixie Chicks, Then and Now

When do folk musicians become pop stars? How much public adoration before fans create less-than-critical mass? How many recording deals, how much promotion, does it take? Listening to the Dixie Chick's latest CD, Live, makes me wonder.

The double CD set is like any other "live" recording you have heard. But after the crowd's initial roar, the end-of-song screams, the ditzy introductions, and Natalie Maines'  trite, now-expected, political statement about voting, there is solid harmony, great pickin' and the big production sounds of stardom.

One thing is certain. When stars hatch, they get big worms!

The Chicks were and are legitmate country, bluegrass and roots musicians. Witness Martie Maguire's Cowboy Take
Me Away, Natalie Maines' Tortured, Tangled Hearts, or Emily Robison's White Trash Wedding. But this tour recording
features--besides all their usual top hits--some written by other stars like Bob Dylan and Stevie Nicks. Do these folks let just anyone record their songs? Think hard.

The Dixie Chicks' official web site steers clear of the very early years when there were other names and faces. But the "All-inclusive" unoffical web page (http://www.dixie-chicks.com/) revels in revealing old pictures of the early years. (No, not that kind of picture!)  There are golly-gosh stories of festival appearances and personal chat messages to fans. Back then a Dixie Chicks' concert ticket was $15 in halls and free at malls!

The current Chicks--Natalie Maines, Emily Robison, and Martie Seidel--were not the Dixie Chicks of the past. The originals were Laura Lynch and Robin Macy, together with sisters Emily and Martie Erwin. Of the four, only Emily and Martie remain. The quartet is now a trio.

Like any folk group you can name, the original Dixie Chicks played with a variety of other groups. Emily and Martie teamed up with a teen bluegrass group, Blue Night Express, from 1984 to 1989. And in 1990, when the originals formed, Robin Macy continued to sing with another group, Danger in the Air.

1995 was a pivtoal year. Laura Lynch decided to leave the group as Robin Macy had done earlier. Recording producer Larry Seyer, facing a commercial loss, turned to steel guitarist Lloyd Maines. Maines had recorded with the Chicks and had a daughter studying music in Boston. When the chance came, Natalie dropped college and came running.

No, the Dixie Chicks no longer sing Home on the Radar Range. They have probably forgotten Little Ol' Cowgirl too. But the hen tracks on this latest CD revert to new and original, sweet and pure, sounds of bluegrass, honky tonk, and country. They are songs that scratch barnyard roots.

Yes, the screams and applause linger around the edges to remind us they are stars. No one can say when they became full-feathered divas or whether they have flown the folk coop. It may concern a purist. But does it matter? It is great music. And beyond that, who cares?