Although still in their early thirties, the Erwin Sisters, Martie and Emily have been performing for more than eighteen years. (Emily was only twelve when they first appeared professionally, as an opening act for Ricky Skaggs at Pikeville, KY, in 1984). The sisters were then part of a young Bluegrass band, Blue Night Express, a foursome which also included Sharon Gilchrist and her brother Troy.
After touring with Blue Night Express for some five years, Martie and Emily formed the Dixie Chicks in 1989, with two other talented musicians, Robin Lynn Macy and Laura Lynch. It was this quartet that produced the Dixie Chicks first two independent albums, 1990's Thank Heavens for Dale Evans, and 1992's Little Ol' Cowgirl. A third album, 1993's Shouldn't 'A' Told You That, was produced by the trio of Laura, Martie and Emily, after Robin had left the group. At the time, these albums had little exposure outside Texas, and they are now generally unobtainable, but retrospective fan interest is high and resale as collectors' items commands high prices. Robert Brooks site has a detailed history of the Dixie Chicks "time line", with track reviews of these earlier recordings.
The version of the Dixie Chicks that is known worldwide today dates from 1995, when Martie and Emily recast the group with Natalie Maines as lead singer. Natalie (who gave up a prestigious music scholarship to join the group) is the daughter of respected record producer and steel guitarist LLoyd Maines (of the Maines Brothers' Band), who had collaborated with the Chicks on earlier projects.
It is this trio of Natalie Maines (lead vocals and guitar), Martie Erwin Maguire - formerly Martie Seidel - (fiddle, mandolin, and higher harmony vocals), and Emily Erwin Robison (banjo, dobro and lower harmony vocals) [although the talented sisters play other instruments too!] that has been responsible for the three (to date) mass-release albums, Wide Open Spaces (1998), Fly (1999), and Home (2002).
Dixie Chick recordings are particularly well documented at these sites (to which I am heavily indebted for the following information). Please visit them for such details as sound samples, pictures of album covers, lyrics, track timings, composer credits, singles taken from the albums, and lesser known releases:
the All-Inclusive Dixie Chicks Pages
Nicole Guappone's site on the original Dixie Chicks, with early photos, biographies and lyrics from the first three albums
and for references to songs not issued on albums:
The Other Dixie Chicks Discography
Thanks also to:
Lady Six String for the note on Emily's first professional appearence
Chickoholic for posting a review of "Honor the Earth"
DIXIE CHICK SONG LIST
Martie, Emily, Robin and Laura
Martie, Emily and Laura
Martie, Emily and
Natalie
Martie and Emily
Natalie and Emily
Natalie
Martie
Emily
The first column gives the main source of each song. (A key to the
abbreviated album titles is given at the end of the list. Several of these are
compilation albums which contain only one or two tracks featuring the Chicks).
Album tracks which also appeared in other forms, e.g as singles, are not listed
twice - see the links to websites above for details of these.
The second
column shows where one or more of the Chicks contributed to the writing of a
song; the numbered footnotes are given at the end of the list.
* indicates an
instrumental track
WOS Am I The Only One (Who's Ever Felt This Way) LOC 1 Aunt Mattie's Quilt * LOC 2 Beatin' Around The Bush * WHI Beyond The Blue THDE Brilliancy * THDE Bring It On Home To Me HRR Christmas Swing F Cold Day In July THDE The Cowboy Lives Forever F 3 Cowboy Take Me Away DD Dancehall Dreamer STYT Desire F 4 Don't Waste Your Heart DD Down To The River HRR The Flip Side WOS Give It Up Or Let Me Go H Godspeed (Sweet Dreams) F Goodbye Earl THDE Green River LOC Hallelujah, I Just Love Him So F Heartbreak Town LOC A Heart That Can F Hello Mr. Heartache F Hole In My Head H A Home H 5 I Believe In Love WOS I Can Love You Better F If I Fall You're Going Down With Me WOS I'll Take Care Of You STYT 6 I'm Falling Again LOC Irish Medley * STYT I've Only Got Myself To Blame KU I Wanna Be Your Man (Forever) THDE I Want To Be A Cowboy's Sweetheart STYT I Wasn't Looking For You SRU John O'Reilly GB John Wayne And Jesus LOC 7 Just A Bit Like Me H Landslide WOS Let 'Er Rip F Let Him Fly H 8 Lil' Jack Slade * LOC Little Ol' Cowgirl THDE Long Roads H Long Time Gone WOS Loving Arms ARC Merry Christmas From The Family TOTW Mississippi H More Love WOS Never Say Die K Northern Rail WOS Once You've Loved Somebody STYT One Heart Away HNV Panhandle Jane LOC Past The Point Of Rescue LOC 9 Pink Toenails STYT Planet Of Love/Boo-Hoo F,RB 10 Ready To Run THDE Rider LOC A Road Is Just A Road RWB Roly Poly THDE Salty * LOC She'll Find Better Things To Do STYT Shouldn't a Told You That F 11 Sin Wagon GB Snowin' On Raton F Some Days You Gotta Dance DDDD Somewhere Down The Road TT Stand By Your Man LOC Standin' By The Bedside DIH Storm Cellar Songs THDE 12 Storm Out On The Sea LCP Strong Enough THDE 13 Thank Heavens For Dale Evans STYT There Goes My Dream WOS There's Your Trouble THDE This Heart Of Mine STYT 14 The Thrill Is In The Chase THDE 15 Thunderheads LCP Tombstone Blues WOS Tonight The Heartache's On Me TSL Too Far From Texas H Top Of The World H 16 Tortured, Tangled Hearts H Travelin' Soldier H Truth No. 2 LOC Two Of A Kind BM Walk Softly SRU The Wedding Song THDE West Texas Wind STYT Whistles And Bells H 17 White Trash Wedding CG White Women's Clothes WOS Wide Open Spaces THDE Who Will Be The Next One F 18 Without You RB You Can't Hurry Love LOC You Send Me WOS 19 You Were Mine
Abilene Live in Central Park with Sheryl Crow (Natalie) Amazing Grace Mysterious Ways, 2000. Natalie sings on Adrian's TV show. At Last Women Of Rock, 2001 (Natalie w/ Mary J.Blige) Bloody Mary Morning with Willie Nelson, 2000 Carolina In My Mind CMT Crossroads, 2002/Vote For Change, 2004 (w/ James Taylor) Closer To Fine Honor the Earth, 2003 (w/ the Indigo GIrls & Ben Folds) Country Roads performed in concerts, mid 1990s Desperado Recording Artists' Coalition, 2003 (Natalie & Don Henley) Dixie Chicken * performed in concert medleys Far Cry From Goodbye performed in concerts, mid 1990s Fire and Rain Vote For Change, 2004 (w/ James Taylor) Heartbreaker Women Of Rock, 2001 (w/Pat Benetar, Sheryl Crow, & Shea Seger) Hey Dixie Live on the BBC, 1999 Honky Tonk Women Women Of Rock, 2001 (ensemble number) How Sweet It Is Vote For Change, 2004 (w/ James Taylor) In My Life Women Of Rock, 2001 (in medley, ensemble number) It Don't Hurt Women Of Rock, 2001 (w/ Sheryl Crow) Live It Up Vote For Change, 2004 (w/ James Taylor) Love Me Like A Man Live on the BBC, or Austin City Limits, 1999 The Love Police Texas Connection, or Nashville Now!, 1993 Mary Women Of Rock, 2001 (w/ Emmylou Harris, & Beth Nielsen Chapman) October Road CMT Crossroads, 2002/Vote For Change, 2004 (w/ James Taylor) The Price I Pay Thanksgiving Feast, 1998, or Live on the BBC, 1999 Roanoke Live on the BBC, or Austin City Limits, 1999 Roses In The Snow Willie Nelson Special (w/ Emmylou Harris) Shower The People CMT Crossroads, 2002/Vote For Change, 2004 (w/ James Taylor) Sing Sesame Street, 2002 Slap Leather Vote For Change, 2004 (w/ James Taylor) Something in the Way She Moves Vote For Change, 2004 (w/ James Taylor) Star Spangled Banner Superbowl, 2003 Strong Enough Women Of Rock, 2001 (in medley, ensemble number) Sweet Baby James CMT Crossroads, 2002/Vote For Change, 2004 (w/ James Taylor) Take It Easy Recording Artists' Coalition, 2003 (w/ The Eagles) Take it to the Limit Women Of Rock, 2001 (in medley, ensemble number) That Lonesome Road Austin City Limits, 2001 That’s Alright Mama Divas Las Vegas, 2001 There’s No Better Letter Than B Sesame Street, 2002 Til I See You Again performed in concerts, mid 1990s You Can Close Your Eyes Vote For Change, 2004 (w/ James Taylor)
Album Titles
ARC: Another Rosie Christmas (2000),
Rosie O'Donnell & Friends, Chicks perform one song with
Rosie
BM: Big Mon: The Songs of Bill Monroe (2000),
Ricky Skaggs & Friends, Chicks perform one song with Ricky
CG: Charlie Goodnight: His Life In Poetry & Song (1994), by Andy
Wilkinson. Lead vocals on one track (before Natalie was a Dixie
Chick)
DD: Dancehall Dreamer (1999), backup vocals to
two Pat Green songs
DDDD: Deryl Dodd (1998).
Fiddle part on one track
DIH: Deep In The Heart
(1992), by Andy Wilkinson. Backing vocals on one track (before Natalie was a
Dixie Chick)
F: Fly, (1999), the second mass-release
album
GB: George's Bar, Pat Green; Duet on Snowin' on
Raton, and backing vocals on John Wayne And Jesus
H:
Home (2002), the third mass-release album
HNV: Hey
Nash Vegas (2001), by Jesse Dayton. Chicks sing back-up on one
track
HRR: Home On The Radar Range (1991), a 45 rpm
single
K: KERA 90.1 Sound Sessions (1993) One track,
seemingly the only recording by the original Chicks that may still be
available!
KU: Keith Urban (1999) Backup vocals on
one song
LCP: Live from Central Park (1999), Sheryl
Crow & Friends, Chicks perform two songs with Sheryl
LOC: Little Ol' Cowgirl (1992), the second independent
album
RWB: Ride With Bob (1999) Tribute to Bob Wills,
by Asleep At the Wheel; Chicks perform one song
RB:
Runaway Bride (1999). Film soundtrack, two Chicks' songs
STYT: Shouldn't 'a' Told You That (1993) the third independent
album
SRU: Step Right Up (2001), Charlie Robison.
On "Wedding Song" Natalie sings with Charlie, and Emily plays banjo on two
tracks
THDE: Thank Heavens For Dale Evans (1990),
the first independent album
TOTW: Top of the World
Tour (2003). Double CD of Live performances of 21 songs from albums, plus 1
(Mississippi) not on a studio album
TT: Tribute To
Tradition (1998). Chicks perform one song
TSL:
Trouble In Shangri-La (2001), Stevie Nicks. One duet with Stevie
WHI: Where The Heart Is (2000) A film soundtrack;
an instrumental backing to a song by Emmylou Harris & Patty
Griffin
WOS: Wide Open Spaces (1998), the first
mass-release album
Writing credits
1. Lisa Brandenburg & Robin Lynn Macy
2.
Martie Erwin & Matthew Benjamin
3. Martie Seidel & Marcus
Hummon
4. Emily Robison & Natalie Maines
5. Martie Maguire, Natalie
Maines & Marty Stuart
6. Martie Erwin, Emily Erwin, Laura Lynch &
Matthew Benjamin
7. Robin Lynn Macy
8. Emily Robison, Martie Maguire,
Lloyd Maines & Terri Hendrix
9. Laura Lynch & Martie Erwin
10.
Martie Seidel & Marcus Hummon
11. Natalie Maines, Emily Robison &
Stephony Smith
12. Mary Neal Northcut & Robin Lynn Macy
13. Martie
Erwin, Robin Lynn Macy & Lisa Brandenburg
14. Laura Lynch & Dave
Peters
15. Lisa Brandenburg & Robin Lynn Macy
16. Martie Maguire,
Natalie Maines & Marty Stuart
17. Emily Robison, Martie Maguire &
Natalie Maines
18. Natalie Maines & Eric Silver
19. Emily Erwin &
Martie Seidel
(Besides these Chicks' songs, Emily co-wrote "Please Be San
Antone" on Jim Lauderdale's Onward Through It All, 1999; and Martie co-wrote
"Anyone But Me", on Bruce Robison's Country Sunshine, 2001)
Note that the list above does not include Robin Lynn Macy's recordings without the other Chicks. She had recorded with the band Danger in the Air, before joining the Chicks, and, after leaving, with the trio The Domestic Science Club. Details of these recordings are available at the All-Inclusive Dixie Chicks Pages. The two Domestic Science Club albums may be bought internationally from the website of a fellow member of that trio, Sara Hickman, (as can many of Sara's other recordings).
The third member of The Domestic Science Club, Patty Mitchell Lege was also a part of the Dixie Chicks' early story. When they won their first festival prize, as best band at Telluride in 1990, she appeared with them, and her website includes a rare picture of the Dixie Chicks as a quintet, with Patty on mandolin. Patty has also been a member of Red Oak, and the Mitchell-Little Band, and (in the USA) her recordings may also be bought from her site.
In the late 1990s, Robin Macy appeared at the Walnut Valley Festival with Blue Plate Special, and more recently with Big Twang (an ensemble which also included one of Martie and Emily's former bandmates, Troy Gilchrist). Big Twang issued one album, Pastures of Plenty, but have since disbanded. The Walnut Valley website has pages on Blue Plate Special and Big Twang. (The latter page also carries a link to a review of the Pastures of Plenty album). Robert Brooks' site includes a copy of Big Twang's former web page.
Read about talented musician Sharon Gilchrist, an early associate of the Dixie Chicks, and her work with the progressive Bluegrass trio, Mary and Mars.