The Chicks’ 2003 George Bush controversy that changed country music
The Dixie Chicks
Ron Wolfson/Getty ImagesThe Chicks sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry when they took a public stand George Bush – and changed the course of country music forever.
Formerly The Dixie Chicks, Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire And Emily Robinson were at the top of their game in the early 2000s, having sold more than 25 million records since their debut album, Large open spacesappeared on the shelves in 1998. Their sixth LP was released in 2003. At home, had passed the one million mark, and their single ‘Travelin’ Soldier’ rocketed to No. 1 Billboards Hot Country Songs Chart.
However, things quickly changed for the Texas trio when they flew to London for a promotional concert just a week before President Bush confirmed that the United States had joined the war in Iraq. While on stage during the March 12, 2003 performance, Maines openly revealed that the band disagreed with Bush’s decisions.
“Just to be clear,” she said between songs, “we don’t want this war and this violence, and we are ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas.”
Sometimes America’s sweethearts turn sour. From Morgan Wallen to The Chicks, country music’s biggest names have been at the center of some major controversies. Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer found themselves in hot water in the early 2000s after sharing their personal politics on a public stage. During the performance about the […]
Two years after the attack on the World Trade Center, the country music scene embraced patriotism more than ever — and the Chicks’ comments were perceived as radical by comparison. The backlash was immediate, and Maines quickly released a statement in hopes of explaining himself.
“We have been abroad for several weeks reading and following the news reports on the positions of our governments,” she wrote via the bands website, per The guard. “The anti-American sentiment that has developed here is astonishing. While we support our troops, there is nothing more terrifying than the idea of going to war with Iraq and the prospect of all the innocent lives that will be lost.”
She continued, “I feel like the president is ignoring the opinions of many in the US and alienating the rest of the world. My comments were made out of frustration and one of the privileges of being an American is having the freedom to express your own point of view.”
The statement achieved little at the time, and country music stations across the United States began using The Chicks’ music amid listener complaints and accusations of “anti-American” rhetoric. In Kansas City, a party called “Chicken Toss” was reportedly hosted by a radio station, where fans threw away the band’s tapes, CDs and concert tickets.
“Kansas City is absolutely the heart of the Midwest,” Dale Cartertold program director and morning host KFKF Kansas City Billboard in June 2022 as we look back on the moment. “KFKF is a very patriotic radio station and the calls immediately came in: ‘Take that off the air.’ At the time, there were nine titles of them testing for gold [in our rotation]so it took a big bite out of our library.”
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Mitch Mahanwho was then the program director at WIRK in West Palm Beach, told the station that their station was simply listening to “some listeners [wanted]when they decided to take The Chicks off the air. “And they told us they don’t want the Dixie Chicks,” he claimed. “Any company where you have a product that is extremely popular, and one day it makes everyone sick, well, you take that product off the shelves.”
“I’ve heard the conspiracy theories that we banned the Dixie Chicks,” he continued. “No, we didn’t do that. The public just didn’t want to hear them anymore.”
Two days after Maines’ comments made headlines, she publicly apologized to the president. “As a concerned American citizen, I apologize to President Bush because my comment was disrespectful,” she said in a statement shared on The Chicks’ website. “I believe that whoever holds that office should be treated with the utmost respect. We are currently in Europe witnessing tremendous anti-American sentiment due to the perceived rush to war. While war may remain a viable option, as a mother I simply want to see every possible alternative exhausted before the lives of children and American soldiers are lost. I love my country. I am a proud American.”
Despite the apology, the Chicks continued to receive backlash from the country music scene. Toby Keithwho released “Courtesy of Red, White and Blue (the Angry American),” inspired by the victims of September 11, posted Maines’ photo next to an image of Saddam Hussein at his concerts. The Chicks in turn responded by posing nude on the cover Entertainment weekly while covered in graffiti phrases including ‘big mouth’ and ‘traitors’. Maines later wore a T-shirt with the letters “FUTK” on stage at the 2003 ACM Awards, with many believing the “TK” stood for Keith’s initials.
Although country music backed The Chicks, they sold nearly 900,000 tickets on the first weekend of their 2003 tour. They were explained months later Billboard’s best-selling country artist. Their seventh album, Taking the long waywas released in 2006 and sold 526,000 copies in its first full week, earning them five Grammys.
Since that fateful day in 2003, The Chicks have continued to express their political views. In 2020, the trio sang the national anthem at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.
“I think we were one of the first people to feel like ‘cancel culture’ and I think what we said then – or what I said – wouldn’t even be a thing today because it was very mild compared to what people are saying today,” Maines said during a 2020 episode Watch what happens live with Andy Cohen. “On the one hand, everyone has this forum where they can say whatever they want to say, but on the other hand, this platform can move very quickly and ruin people’s lives.”
While you’re talking to To tempt Later that year, Maines recalled how shocked she and her bandmates were that fellow countrymen were so quick to exclude her and her bandmates at the time.
“When we started making this music, I liked the people in our industry. We always waved the country’s flag when people said it wasn’t cool. And then to see how quickly the entire industry turned against us,” she said. “I wanted the public to know who we were and what we stood for. I don’t like it when artists get on their soapbox; that’s not what people are there for; they are there to listen to your music — [but] the politics of this band are inextricably linked to the music.”
Country music’s biggest names over the years haven’t been afraid to go head-to-head, trading blows on social media, making out at awards shows and more. In 2015, several female artists came together to fire back at radio personality Keith Hill, amid his comments about why he plays more male artists on air. The controversy was dubbed ‘Tomato-gate’. […]
While the moment remains infamous in country music history – Taylor Swift told The guard in 2019 that the “No. The one thing they teach you as a country artist is… ‘Don’t be like the Dixie Chicks!’” — the trio paved the way for more progressive artists to speak their truth. During the past years, Kacey Musgraves, Kelsea Ballerini And Maren Morris are just a few musicians pushing for more diversity in the genre.
“I don’t care if it’s uncomfortable [with them] sit next to you in the row at the next awards ceremony. Summon them!” Morris said in a February 2021 interview about the responsibility of country artists to have difficult conversations with their peers. ‘If this is a family and you love it, call it out when it’s bad so you can get rid of the sick part [and] we can move forward. All of us – people of color, LGBTQ+ and all – feel like we are part of this family. This whole ‘We’re a family, we protect our own’ thing [idea] protects white people. It doesn’t protect Black people, and that’s both the long and the short of it.”