American Country Band Drops Dixie From its Name

The Dixie Chicks changed its name last week, over concerns that it is offensive.

"We want to meet this moment" read a statement on the country music group's website.

Now known as The Chicks, Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines and Emily Strayer are the best-selling female band in the United States. That information comes the Recording¹ Industry Association of America. They have won the Recording Academy's top award – a Grammy -- 13 times.

Dixie is a traditional name for the southern part of the country, especially the rebel states during the Civil War. They fought to defend slavery and states' rights.

The band said it recognized that the new name was already in use by a band in New Zealand.

"A sincere and heartfelt thank you goes out to ‘The Chicks' of NZ" the newly named Chicks said in a statement. "We are honored to co-exist together in the world with these exceptionally talented sisters," the group added.

Next month, the Chicks are to release Gaslighter, their first new record album in 14 years. They just released a music video of their new song, March March. It includes video and images from the recent Black Lives Matter demonstrations².

The name change follows a decision by another group, Lady Antebellum, to change their name earlier this month. They are now known as Lady A. The word antebellum means existing before a war and is often used to describe things before the Civil War.

The former Dixie Chicks formed in Texas in 1989. They have sold more than 33 million albums. Some radio stations stopped playing their music because of an incident in 2003 when lead singer Natalie Maines criticized then-President George W. Bush for the Iraq War. The band was performing overseas at the time. They answered the criticism with the song Not Ready to Make Nice and had a big win at the 2007 Grammys, winning three of the top awards.

I'm Caty Weaver³.

Words in This Story

band -n. a usually small group of musicians who play popular music together

sincere -adj. having or showing true feelings that are expressed in an honest way

talented -adj. having a special ability to do something well

1 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

2 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

3 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。