On November 12, 1998, I received a letter by certified mail from the Dixie Chicks' attorneys, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP. This bizarre occurence initiated a chain of events that is still unfolding! As newsworthy events occur, I'll document them here.

• November 12, 1998: The Letter
  The Cease And Desist letter arrives by certified mail. Read the letter, with my comments in the margins (of course!)

• November 18, 1998: My Response
  My capitulation to their demands.

• Late November: Online Nashville Insiders take note
  Both Stacy Harris and Angie McIsaac wrote a few paragraphs about the situation in their respective online Insider Reports. Since these reports are transitory -- here one week, gone the next -- I've copied them here for posterity. Go to Stacy's or Angie's archived comments on my Press Clippings page.

  

• December 10, 1998: Dallas Observer Feature Article
  The Dallas Observer has long been known for its brutally honest reporting on the local scene -- whether it be Dallas politics, food, or music. In March, 1998, music editor Robert Wilonsky wrote a prophetic article on the band's success, concluding that "The Dixie Chicks are now Nashville Women, not so different from the other product Music City produces and reduces every day."

  When my legal troubles caught the attention of the Observer, music reporter Zac Crain interviewed me about the situation for the better part of an hour. I expected maybe a small blurb about the letter, or maybe a few paragraphs in the Street Beat column. Instead, Crain wrote five full-length columns spread over three pages, dedicating the entire Street Beat section to what he saw as the Dixie Chicks' rejection of their history... with the legal attack on my site as merely a symptom of a larger problem.

  Even if you skip the letter itself, don't miss this article, which includes responses by attorney John C. Beiter and Dixie Chicks manager Simon Renshaw.

  Ironically, this article was published on December 10, 1998... almost exactly a year after the Chicks put out the final issue of the 3000-subscriber Chick Chat newsletter.

• December 11, 1998: A "New Chicks" Fan's Rebuttal
  Not everone agrees with the Observer's opinion, of course. Stephen, one of the regulars on the Dixie Chicks fan discussion list, sent an insightful rebuttal of many of the Observer's assertions. Check it out!

• December 11, 1998: Dallas' Young Country 105.3
  Katie Pruitt, midday DJ at Dallas' popular Young Country station, put a few paragraphs about the Observer article on the station's home page, in the Gossip section. Like the Nashville insider columns, it's gone now, but I've saved it on my Press Clippings page.

• January 13, 1999: All-Inclusive moves to dixiechicks.com
  Stay tuned for the latest developments! This C|Net Article on domain names may prove to be a valuable reference.

• More to Come!
  I've recieved quite a bit of email from Old Chicks fans interested in the situation. I'll be posting messages specific to the legal situation here in the future, and I'll also be able to add several entries to my Stories Page when I have time.

  If you'd like to be notified when I add this info to the site, sign up for my low-volume announcement-only mailing list! Just send any blank message to originalchicks-subscribe@egroups.com to sign up. No Spam, I promise! Only a note every couple of weeks or so with the latest news about the original Dixie Chicks.

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Last update: 01/15/1999 by Robert Brooks
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