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Dixie Chicks: The Chick Chat Archive

Before they hit the big time -- and one time after -- the Dixie Chicks sent a newsletter to their loyal fans. The irregularly published Chick Chat was a facinating stream-of-conciousness look into the lives of a group of talented young ladies (and gentlemen) struggling with life on the road.

These are all of the issues of Chick Chat I can find! If you have one at home, please send me a note so I can add it to this archive. A big "thank you" to the long-time fans whose contributions have helped make this archive more complete!


  • Chick Chat, Summer 1992
    Issued shortly after Little Ol' Cowgirl was released, this is the last Chick Chat issued before Robin Lynn Macy left the group. For this edition, I transcribed the entire Concert Update page. Anyone living in Dallas/Ft. Worth in the summer of '92 could have seen the Dixie Chicks three times for free!

  • Chick Chat, Autumn 1992
    The one with Robin's farewell note. It's at the very end... and very classy, just like Robin Lynn Macy herself.

  • Chick Chat, Winter 1992
    This first issue after Robin's departure isn't particularly eventful. The trio just keeps on trucking. But the note about Laura's daughter Asia is interesting. She "doesn't want to be a cowgirl," and at 11 she's going to be more and more affected by her mom's absence.

  • Chick Chat, December 1993
    Shouldn't A Told You That is released, and the Chicks prepare to tour Europe!

  • Chick Chat, Spring 1994
    With the well-received Shouldn't A Told You That on the shelves at Wal-Mart, the Dixie Chicks take a whirlwind tour of Europe. Don't miss the inside "joke" about the upcoming film, Poultrygeist.

  • Chick Chat, Fall 1994
    After taking a brief vacation in summer of '94, the Dixie Chicks are about to embark on a grueling fall concert series. Travelling in their battered RV, they'll be playing nearly every small town west of the Mississippi, and will even start getting a bit of the spotlight with appearances on TNN. But are there hints of future trouble?

  • Chick Chat, Spring 1995
    The Dixie Chicks "play famous", and Martie Erwin is about to become the new Mrs. Seidel. But other changes are on the horizon...

  • Chick Chat, Fall 1995
    The Chicks recap their second European tour. Guitarist Tommy Nash joins the group. This is the last issue of the Chick Chat before Laura's departure, but it includes no hints of the changes to come -- not even a word about the negotiations with Sony Nashville.

  • Chick Chat, Spring 1996
    Farewell Laura... hello, Natalie! This one-sheet Chick Chat includes Laura's brief farewell note... but for the rest of the story, I've also included an article from The Dallas Morning News columnist Helen Bryant. The official word was that "the baton had been passed". Helen got the feeling that Laura was kinda fond of that old baton... Also in this issue, the Chicks visit Japan.

  • A Postcard, June 1997
    Just when things were looking slow -- and a year after the last Chick Chat -- a postcard came in the mail. On the front were Chicks in transition, plus Tommy Nash. On the reverse was the concert schedule for June through September, including one line that may have gone unnoticed:
    June 1-17: In the studio (yee haw)

  • Chick Chat, Winter 1997
    Four years to the month after the issue that announced the release of their final indie disc, the Chick Chat announces the pending arrival of the new CD, Wide Open Spaces. Riding the wave of a quickly rising single, the Chicks are able to publish a four-color issue of Chick Chat on slick glossy paper -- a far cry from the hand-composed black-and-white manila paper of the old issues. But can the label handle the Chicks' honesty?

  • The Final Mailing, January 1998
    An invitation to the album release party/concert at Dallas' Cowboy's Red River Opry.


The Last Hurrah

The Winter 1997 edition of Chick Chat was the last.

The honesty in its pages was just the sort of reminder of the past that Sony has been working so hard to eliminate -- and no corporate marketing maven is going to allow their hot property to talk about growing their "musical boobies"! Perhaps someone in Sony's marketing machine should watch "Coal Miner's Daughter" -- especially the part where a young, inexperienced Loretta Lynn talks on the air about "eating bologna and getting horny."

Here's the note from the Chicks' new Office Manager announcing the bad news:

From: Dixiechks@aol.com
Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 13:31:41 EDT
To: (several recipients' emails omitted for privacy)
Subject: Thanks!

Hi y'all,

Thanks for asking about the DIXIE CHICKS. The girls are out on the road right now exploring the "Wide Open Spaces". This is a great, but busy year for the CHICKS. Natalie, Emily and Martie would love to answer all your inquiries, but they just don't stay in one place long enough. However, they do read their email, and it sure helps them pass the hours they spend on that tour bus. You are their inspiration.

We are no longer continuing with the Chick Chat Newsletter and don't have a fan club at this time. We do still have order forms available for T-shirts, autographed photos, and other merchandise. If you are interested in ordering merchandise, please request an order form, and we will mail you one.

If you are interested in concert dates, check out this website: www.Pollstar.com, or call our Concert Hotline @ 972/233-9124. DIXIE CHICKS fans are the coolest and have created some terrific websites with tons of info on the CHICKS. "Chick" out these unofficial websites for all kinds of interesting facts and photos:

The Unofficial Dixie Chick Page
http://geocities.com/Nashville/9426/index.html

Liz's Dixie Chick Page
http://geocities.com/Nashville/7402/index.html

Sony Website
www.sony.com

Thanks for your support of the DIXIE CHICKS!

Chari Short
Office Manager

P.S. If you already sent us $5 with an order, we'll be sending out gifts instead of Chick Chat. If you'd rather have your $5 refunded, please email me right away, and we'll be happy to do so. If you sent us a check for Chick Chat only, we'll be sending it back to you instead of cashing it...unless you want a gift. Please let me know which you prefer. THANKS!!!

By early 1999, the Dixie Chicks' offices had moved from Dallas to Nashville. While the concert hotline at 972-233-9124 remains a valid number, it is seldom updated and refers "you computer buffs" to Pollstar.com. And dixiechks@aol.com, once operated by Emily herself, is no longer a valid e-mail address.


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Last update: 10/11/1999 by Robert Brooks
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