“I think [the Dixie Chicks] will go down as one of the biggest acts in the format, and by doing so–by staying true to their country roots and to country music–they will be a turning point for the industry. They’re showing what can work and be country and have its own identity and not have to cross over to another format to sell records.” –Sony Music Nashville’s Allen Butler, December 18, 1999

THE DIXIE CHICKS, you may have heard, have decided that they are no longer a country music band. Member Martie Maguire told the German magazine Der Spiegel, “We don’t feel part of the country scene any longer, it can’t be our home any more.. . . . So we now consider ourselves part of the big Rock ‘n’ Roll family.”