After Lady A, Grammy-winning group The Dixie Chicks drops second word from its name

Grammy-winning country group The Dixie Chicks have dropped the word Dixie from their name, and is now going by The Chicks. The band’s social media accounts and website were changed on Thursday to refer to the new name for the band, which is made up of Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, and Emily Strayer. The band, which is releasing its first new album in 14 years next month, also shared a video previewing their new song, ‘March March,’ displaying images from the recent Black Lives Matter rallies as well as historical photographs from the Civil Rights Movement. Here is the video

The Chicks also recognised that the name was already in use by a band in New Zealand. “A sincere and heartfelt thank you goes out to The Chicks of NZ for their gracious gesture in allowing us to share their name. We are honored to co-exist together in the world with these exceptionally talented sisters,” the band said in a statement. The word “Dixie” is associated with the US southern states where chattel slavery was legal and which seceded from the union and fought as the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. The move follows a decision by country group Lady Antebellum to change to Lady A after acknowledging the word’s association to slavery. A statement on The Chicks’ website said “We want to meet this moment.” Lady A received criticism with their name switch after a Black singer revealed she’d been performing as Lady A for years. The Chicks are the best selling female group in America with more than 33 million albums sold in the United States, according to Recording Industry Association of America. Formed originally in Texas as a bluegrass group, the band hit commercial fame with their breakthrough album Wide Open Spaces. The band has won 13 Grammys. Musicians, television shows, and movies have all been forced to re-examine the messages they are sending out in the wake of a national reckoning over systemic racism in the United States triggered by mass protests against police brutality against Black people. The classic Civil War movie Gone with the Wind returned to the HBO Max streaming platform on Wednesday, accompanied by an introduction acknowledging the brutality of slavery. (With inputs from agencies)