Local station joins other, bans Dixie Chicks from airwaves

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, March 26, 2003

The Dixie Darlins have turned into the Dixie Dump.

Radio stations across the nation have banned popular country band the Dixie Chicks for statements they made against President Bush during a London appearance, and Demopolis country station WIN 98.5 FM has done the same thing.

WIN 98.5 actually discontinued playing Dixie Chicks’ music about 10 days ago.

Email newsletter signup

During a March 10 appearance in London, Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines told an audience that she was ashamed to be associated with President Bush.

Radio stations and country fans went ballistic after the comments. One radio station in Greenville, S.C. &045;&045; where the Dixie Chicks are scheduled to appear on May 1 &045;&045; has decided to offer an alternative concert in the city at the same time the Dixie Chicks are in concert.

Maines offered a brief apology on the band’s Web site.

The apology hasn’t done much to appease fans or radio station owners.

Shepherd believes the ban will last until the war is over; saying country music fans are a "different breed" who are very patriotic.

Whether or not this will affect the Dixie Chicks in the long run is anybody’s guess.

While the band works to clean up its image among faithful fans, it appears they’ve already taken a closer look at the projects they endorse.

According to one story out of Nashville, management for the Dixie Chicks has squelched an advertisement the band shot for the animal rights group PETA.

Apparently, band members Maines, Emily Robison and Martie Maguire posed for PETA’s "I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign. In that advertisement, the Dixie Chicks were clothed only in strategically placed instruments, according to MSNBC.