I've been watching Power Picks on CMT for nearly a year. I noticed they would put the Dixie Chicks up from time to time, but I had never seen them win....

Until today!

They were up against the King, George Strait and Seashores of Old Mexico, and they won!

So country fans do have forgiveness in their heart.

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That's awesome! I have always hated what happened to them.

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OK, you've got me started...

It's not about the album, it's about Natale's big mouth. It's a long story, documented in the film, Shut Up and Sing. Here is a brief synopsis of the film:

Directed by Barbara Kopple (of Harlan County, U.S.A. fame), this documentary centers on country music's The Dixie Chicks and their nationwide vilification over critical statements they made about President Bush in 2003. Over a three-year period, the singers went from darlings of the industry to political targets, receiving constant death threats and being demonized by the national media and denounced by their fans. Cecilia Peck co-directs.

The song "Not Ready To Make Nice" was two years in the making and is their answer to critics. This is one of the only songs of the Chicks that I really like (my not being a fan is due to their music, not their politics), and in my opinion is a nearly perfectly written song as to purpose, construction, lyrics, emotion, etc. The complex bridge of this song is one of the most powerful I have ever heard. (Kellie's I Wonder bridge is much simpler but almost as powerful...."Forgiveness is a simple word.....").

Here's the bridge:

It’s a sad sad story when a mother will teach her
Daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger
And how in the world can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they’d write me a letter
Sayin’ that I better
Shut up and sing or my life will be over

The easiest place to read about the controversy is Wikipedia. Here's the link: Dixie Chicks - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Go to the section on Political Controversy.

The really facinating part of this whole thing is the stark contrast between the 2006 ACMs and CMAs versus the Grammys. The Chicks won nothing (not even nominated) for any country music award, but took practically every award at the 2006 Gramys for their album and the song.

The bridge to "Not Ready To Make Nice" is probably my favorite set of lyrics from a song ever. Its a shame that they were blacklisted by country music due to something that has nothing to do with music, and in my opinion wasn't even that bad. Jimmy Carter's comments regarding the president were far worse and I've yet to see him be vilified in the same way (of course I do recognize that Jimmy Carter's career has much more to it than the Dixie Chicks")

More specifically Amanda. They had a concert in England and Natalie was talking to the crowd and she said something like "We're ashamed that President Bush is from Texas". Nothing more, nothing less. I've heard far worse things said by the late night talk show hosts, but it blew up and the major complaint was that they chose to make this comment in England. I've never been able to figure that one out, but I assume the argument is freedom of speech is only granted within our country's borders outside it is simply not allowed.

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The Dixie Chicks are awesome and I have a huge amount of respect for them.. so congrats to them.

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How was she not allowed freedom of speech? She spoke without being censored, didn't she? The fact that we all have access to what she said is evidence of that.

The people who spoke out against her statement also used their freedom of speech. The ones who threatened her broke the law.

Freedom of speech doesn't mean everyone has to like what anyone has to say. We just have to let them say it -- and they have to let others respond.

You aren't granting her freedom of speech when you say that she had no right to say what she said in a foreign country.

I understand the term, but the argument used to condemn her was that she had no right to say such a thing in a foreign country, I have heard many people say that if she said it in the States then they would have no problem with it. Thats how they are restricting her freedom of speech, by saying she had no right to say what she did. Everyone has a right to express an opinion as long as it is not overly violent and hurtful to a person as to be deemed harassment.

But people didn't think it was enough to stop buying their cds (which is a part of capitalism and naturally the right of everyone who deemed it so necessary) they had to demean her as a person for exercising freedom of speech and then saying she didn't have the right to express her sentiments.

I'm fully aware of what freedom of speech means, and I've made decisions to stop supporting certain people due to comments they have made, but I have never tried to say that another person did not have a right to say something they felt compelled to say regardless of how much I disagreed with the statement in question.

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I liked them long before "the incident" and I still like them today. I have a strong respect for them in both their music and their personal values.

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