The Dixie Chicks have won several Grammys:
After death threats, boycotts and a cold shoulder from the country music establishment, the Dixie Chicks gained sweet vindication Sunday night at the 49th annual Grammy Awards, capturing honors in all five of the categories in which they were nominated.
They were the top winners during a night when the Recording Academy spread the wealth, even handing out ties in two categories, as it bestowed four awards on the Red Hot Chili Peppers and three on Mary J. Blige. Carrie Underwood, Justin Timberlake, Tony Bennett, John Mayer, Ludacris and the late jazz musician Michael Brecker were among those who also received multiple awards.
The Dixie Chicks took home Grammys for the top three awards: record, song and album of the year. Their “Taking the Long Way� (Open Wide/Columbia) won best country album and “Not Ready to Make Nice� also captured best country performance by a duo or group with vocal. That song is an unapologetic response to the furor set off in 2003 when the band’s lead singer, Natalie Maines, made an off-the-cuff antiwar remark to London concertgoers: “Just so you know, we’re ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.�
But Sunday’s awards were the Recording Academy’s rejoinder to the country music radio establishment, which ignored the album. Accepting the award for song of the year, Ms. Maines joked, “For the first time in my life, I’m speechless.� But she found her voice on later trips to the stage. “I’m very humbled and I think people were using their voice the same way this loudmouth did,� she said, self-referentially, after “Taking the Long Way� was named album of the year. The Dixie Chicks’ sweep of the major Grammy categories served as a sharp counterpoint to their shut-out at the Country Music Association awards in November. The Recording Academy consists of members across the nation who work in all genres of music. The Country Music Association’s membership is concentrated among artists, engineers and executives tied to the Nashville establishment.
Personally, I am not exactly a fan of the Dixie Chicks. Not because of anything political, but because I simply do not enjoy listening to their music / songs. However, this is a special case. Being faced with death threats because of one’s political opinions is unacceptable and frustrating (I know). They deserve one’s sympathy and support just for that.
Also, I wanted to point out winners in other categories: Mary J. Blige and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Both deserved to win. Both are innovative and… simply great at what they do.
As the NYT article points out:
Ms. Blige and her unvarnished, hip-hop-tinged brand of rhythm and blues led with eight nominations, but her album “The Breakthrough� did not receive a nod for album of the year. Ms. Blige, who has previously won three Grammys, has made the demand for respect a recurring songwriting motif. She emerged more than a decade ago with a style that departed from the slick R&B in vogue at the time, making her survival of a rough childhood and abusive relationships an integral part of her songs. But her nominated song in the record of the year category, “Be Without You,� testifies to a resilient relationship and perhaps a more hopeful state of affairs.
Ludacris, the rapper, also won. Personally I am not a big fan of Ludacris either: I listen a lot to Kanye West and Eminem.
More on the Dixie Chicks / the Grammys at:
Wizbang
Liberal Values
Eschaton (good videos for those who do enjoy listening to the Dixie Chicks)
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