Natalie Maines the biography

Natalie Maines, Singer, - Biography

Singer

Height. 5' 3" 1.60 m

born on October 14, 1974 in Lubbock, Texas

Natalie Louise Maines is an American country music singer & songwriter who achieved success as the lead singer for the female country music band Dixie Chicks.
Maines is the daughter of country musician & producer, Lloyd Maines. She graduated in 1992 from Lubbock High School in Lubbock, Texas. Maines has described growing up in conservative Texas, saying "...I always rebelled against that. My parents sent me & my sister to public minority schools so I always felt like a hippie & a rebel...As a teenager I always loved not thinking in the way I knew the majority of people thought. I always stood up for minorities...I've always stood up for homosexuals. I just always had these really strong convictions about doing so." Although her hometown may not want to acknowledge it, Maines gives credit to "...Lubbock for who I became." After high school, Maines went on to attend several colleges. She spent two semesters at West Texas A&M, then a year & a half at South Plains College. One of Maines' instructors at South Plains, & a former member of The Maines Brothers Band, Cary Banks, recalled "She was mostly into rock'n'roll, rhythm & blues... alternative rock." When Banks encountered Maines on campus, he noted she usually needed to vent a little steam. "She would get into a lot of political arguments" at the predominantly Republican school, & was a fan of Democratic Texas Governor Ann Richards. "She's always been opinionated & hardheaded like her dad."

In December 1994, Maines auditioned for & received a vocal scholarship to Berklee College of Music. She pursued the diploma program at Berklee & left upon completion of her studies. Additionally, Maines took a summer course, "Introductory Wildlife," at Texas Tech in 1995. Maines' first commercially released work was background vocals on Pat Green's debut album, Dancehall Dreamer, produced by her father Lloyd Maines & released in 1995.

In late 1995, at the age of 21, Maines joined the all-female country music band Dixie Chicks in place of founding lead singer Laura Lynch. The band has been performing since 1989. Maines is the lead singer & also plays acoustic guitar, electric guitar, electric bass, papoose & omnichord.

Maines co-wrote four tracks for the Dixie Chicks' first three albums, including the #1 hit "Without You" & the popular "Sin Wagon." Maines eventually became a primary songwriter on all 14 tracks of her band's 2006 album Taking the Long Way, including "Not Ready to Make Nice," for which the band won the songwriting Grammy award, Song of the Year. Maines considers the songwriting she did for Taking the Long Way "pure therapy."

Maines has continued to sing backup vocals for several songs on other artists' albums including "Snowing on Raton" on Pat Green's 1997 album George's Bar; "Abilene" on Sheryl Crow's 2002 album C'mon C'mon; "El Cerrito Place" on Charlie Robison's 2004 album Good Times; & "How I Go" on Yellowcard's 2006 album Lights & Sounds.

Maines has sung duets with several other artists including "The Wedding Song" with Charlie Robison on his 2001 album Step Right Up; "Too Far From Texas" with Stevie Nicks on her 2001 album Trouble in Shangri-La; & "Mary" with Patty Griffin from the 2005 benefit album Songs for Tsunami Relief: Austin to South Asia.

Maines also sings on Pete Yorn's 2006 album Nightcrawler for the song "The Man." In 1997, Maines married her college boyfriend, bassist Michael Tarabay. Almost two years later, Maines & Tarabay filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Maines married actor Adrian Pasdar in 2000 at The Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada. They have two children, Jackson Slade Pasdar (born March 15, 2001) & Beckett Finn Pasdar (born July 14, 2004). She has referred to herself as "Natalie Pasdar." The family has homes in Los Angeles, California & Austin, Texas. One of Maines' first public encounters, as a Dixie Chick , with a controversial topic came in 1998, the year that the Dixie Chicks' first major-studio album, Wide Open Spaces, became a hit. Maines appeared as a guest on Bill Maher's TV show Politically Incorrect. The topic of the May 15 show was California Proposition 215, legislation which legalized the use of medicinal marijuana in California. Maines spoke against the legalization, citing the need for further research proving that the drug provides medical benefits. Her perspective matched that of guest Dr. Drew Pinsky, addiction medicine specialist, & opposed that of guests Woody Harrelson, actor & activist, & Todd McCormick, histiocytosis patient & medicinal marijuana user.

Maines had a public feud with fellow country music star Toby Keith over the 2002 chart-topping country hit "Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue," as well as a comment Maines made about U.S. President George W. Bush during a March 2003 Dixie Chicks concert.

Maines publicly criticized Keith's song "Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue" in saying, "I hate it. It's ignorant, & it makes country music sound ignorant. It targets an entire culture - & not just the bad people who did bad things. You've got to have some tact. Anybody can write, 'We'll put a boot in your ass'..."

Keith responded by belittling Maines' songwriting skills: "I'll bury her. She has never written anything that has been a hit..." & "That's what I do -- I write songs..." Keith further stated, "...she said anyone can write 'We'll put a boot in your ass', but, you know...she didn't."

After Maines commented at a March 2003 Dixie Chicks concert that the Chicks didn't want the Iraq War & were ashamed President Bush was from Texas, Keith's 2003 "Shock'n Y'all" tour began displaying a backdrop showing a doctored photo of Maines with Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

On May 21, 2003, Maines wore a t-shirt with "F.U.T.K." written on the front while performing for the Academy of Country Music Awards broadcast. The Dixie Chicks website stated that the acronym stood for "Freedom, Understanding, Truth & Knowledge." However, many people, including awards host Vince Gill, took it to be an insult directed at Keith, presuming the acronym stood for Fuck You Toby Keith.

In August 2003, Keith publicly declared that he was done feuding with Maines, explaining, "You know, a best friend of mine...lost a two-year-old daughter to cancer... [Recently] I saw...a picture of me & Natalie & it said, 'Fight to the Death' or something. It seemed so insignificant. I said, 'Enough is enough'." However, Keith continues to refuse to say Maines' name & claims that the doctored photo was intended to express his feeling that Maines' criticism was tyrannical & a dictator-like attempt to squelch Keith's free speech.

During the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, the Dixie Chicks performed on March 10, 2003 at Shepherd's Bush Empire theatre in London, the first concert stop on their "Top of the World Tour." Prior to performing their song Travelin' Soldier, the band gave an introductory monologue during which Maines said:

“ Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence, & we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.”

A review of the concert by The Guardian abbreviated Maines' comment to read, "Just so you know...we're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas." This abbreviated statement became widely circulated by the media.

Maines' comment, as abbreviated, provoked controversy & anger from some country music fans, & the Dixie Chicks were subsequently denounced by Bush supporters. Country music radio stations boycotted Dixie Chicks' music. Scattered protests at which people destroyed Dixie Chicks' CDs occurred. Concerns arose that the Dixie Chicks impending US leg of the "Top of the World Tour," slated to start May 1 in South Carolina, would see a lack of fans.

On March 14, Maines issued a statement: "As a concerned American citizen, I apologize to President Bush because my remark was disrespectful. I feel that whoever holds that office should be treated with the utmost respect." Maines continued by expressing her discontent regarding the impending war, "We are currently in Europe & witnessing a huge anti-American sentiment as a result of the perceived rush to war. While war may remain a viable option, as a mother, I just want to see every possible alternative exhausted before children & American soldiers' lives are lost. I love my country. I am a proud American."

At the first US concert after Maines' comment, she is quoted as saying from the stage, "They told me that you may not come, but I knew you'd come because we have the greatest fans in the whole wide world."

Following US circulation of Maines' comment, the Dixie Chicks began receiving death threats. Subsequently, security was heightened at all concert venues & metal detectors were installed where possible. A particularly "scary" threat came prior to their July 6, 2003 concert in Dallas, Texas; Maines received a death threat from "somebody who obviously thought they had a plan." Security was heightened for the trip to & from the concert venue as well as at the arena.

On May 21, 2006, while promoting the release of the album Taking the Long Way, Maines reconsidered her 2003 apology to President Bush, saying, "...I don't feel that way anymore. I don't feel he is owed any respect whatsoever...If people are going to ask me to apologize based on who I am...I don't know what to do about that. I can't change who I am."

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph on June 15, 2006, Maines again stirred up controversy by stating "The entire country may disagree with me, but I don't understand the necessity for patriotism; Why do you have to be a patriot? About what? This land is our land? Why? You can like where you live & like your life, but as for loving the whole country... I don't see why people care about patriotism."

Two 2006 documentaries, Protesting the Dixie Chicks & Shut Up & Sing, deal with the controversy surrounding Maines' comment & the ensuing fallout.

In 2007, the Dixie Chicks won three Grammys for "Not Ready to Make Nice" & two Grammys for Taking the Long Way, sweeping all five Grammys for which they were nominated. This was seen by some as vindication for the Dixie Chicks, who were shunned by country radio programmers after Maines' remarks about President Bush. As the Dixie Chicks accepted the album of the year award, Maines' said, "I think people are using their freedom of speech with all these awards. We get the message."

Written in April 2007

Pictures of Natalie Maines, her name is not spelt Natali Maines, Natalie Mains, or Nattalie Maines, or Nataly Maines,

And her name is not spelt the Dixi Chicks, or the Dixy Chicks, or the Dixy Chickens,

Picture of herself

Herself a singing a song

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