Dixie Chicks: Down-Home and Backstage
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Overview
In Dixie Chicks: Down-Home and Backstage, James L. Dickerson tells the behind-the-scenes story of the band, drawing from interviews with former band members, scores of insiders, and the band's enormous Internet fan base. This book recounts the early struggles to make it in the male-dominated country music world, the sometimes-fun and sometimes-wild adventures of life on the road, and the intimate details of the Chicks' evolution from bluegrass purists to country-pop divas.
Synopsis
The Dixie Chicks hold a prominent position in the music business as one of only two female bands that have succeeded in the pop charts in the 1990s. Today, their sassy attitudes, funky style of dress, and updated bluegrass/country music attract fans like bees to honey, not unlike their past days of playing on the streets.
Library Journal
With an amazing amount of pluck, the Dixie Chicks made it to the top in ten years with their major-label debut, Wide Open Spaces (1998). Over the past two years, they have received a blitz of awards (including "Top Duet or Group" from the Academy of Country Music and two Grammys for "Best Country Album") and are showing signs of crossover success la Garth Brooks and Shania Twain. Dickerson, a music journalist and author of two books nominated for the Ralph J. Gleason Award (Goin' Back to Memphis; That's Alright, Elvis), follows the career of the Dixie Chicks from buskers on the streets of Dallas to nursing-home giggers to A-list performers at Radio City Music Hall. Interestingly, the trio's former lead singer, Laura Lynch, who was kicked out when fiddler Martie Seidel and guitarist Emily Robison wanted to change musical direction, offered commentary--but not the Chicks themselves. This doesn't, however, result in bad-mouthing. Dickerson also interviewed many fans whose web sites greatly fostered the Chicks's popularity. With sensitivity, Dickerson writes about a group of singers earnest in their love of music. Recommended for all public library collections.--Kathleen Sparkman, Baylor Univ., Waco, TX Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\