A band name carries history, but not every band gets to choose which history it keeps. On June 25, 2020, the Dixie Chicks became The Chicks (CBS News (U.S. broadcast news)) — a rebrand that arrived just before Gaslighter, the group’s first album in 14 years (Los Angeles Times (national daily)). The questions fans still type into search bars deserve straight answers, from tour dates to Natalie Maines’ life today.
Current name: The Chicks ·
Original name: Dixie Chicks ·
Formed: 1989 ·
Grammy Awards: 13 ·
Albums sold: 30 million+
Quick snapshot
- The group is now officially called The Chicks (CBS News (U.S. broadcast news)).
- The name change was announced on June 25, 2020 (NPR (public radio newsroom)).
- Current members: Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire, and Emily Robison, now credited as Emily Strayer (PBS NewsHour/AP (public-media news)).
- 13 Grammy Awards and more than 30 million albums sold, per Wikipedia’s band biography (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
- 2026 tour plans: no confirmed dates in the reporting cited here (Los Angeles Times (national daily)).
- Natalie Maines’ current spouse or partner is not identified in the sources reviewed here (PBS NewsHour/AP (public-media news)).
- Net worth, custody, age, and weight figures remain unresolved. (Los Angeles Times (national daily))
- 1989: the band formed in Dallas, Texas (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).
- 2020: the group became The Chicks and released “March March” (Good Morning America (U.S. morning-show outlet)).
- Now: official profiles carry the name The Chicks, formerly the Dixie Chicks. (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia))
- Watch The Chicks’ official statements for tour and release news (NBC News (national broadcaster)).
- The current era opened with Gaslighter, which arrived right after the rebrand (Los Angeles Times (national daily)).
Seven facts, one pattern: the public record stays consistent even when the name changes — the rebrand is documented by The New York Times (national newspaper), and the award and sales totals come from Wikipedia’s biography of the band (community encyclopedia).
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Original name | Dixie Chicks |
| Current name | The Chicks |
| Type | American country music band |
| Origin | Dallas, Texas |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Grammy Awards | 13 |
| Albums sold | 30 million+ |
Why can’t they be called the Dixie Chicks anymore?
The short answer: they can — the old name just isn’t theirs anymore. The band still exists, but the name it records and tours under changed in 2020.
The Chicks
- The word “Dixie” has been tied by commentators to the antebellum and Confederate-era South (The New York Times (national newspaper)).
- The band’s official statement said it wanted “to meet this moment,” and it thanked the New Zealand act already using the name The Chicks (NBC News (national broadcaster)).
- The rebrand also settled the practical side: official profiles, social accounts, and streaming pages now answer to The Chicks.
The word being dropped carried its own history, and the band chose not to carry it into a new decade.
Every search for “Dixie Chicks members” or “Dixie Chicks tour” now lands on a band that renamed itself in public; the old name is nostalgia, not an address.
Dixie Chicks members
- The trio is Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire, and Emily Robison, who now goes by Emily Strayer.
- Two of the three are sisters: Martie Maguire and Emily Robison/Strayer (PBS NewsHour/AP (public-media news)).
The lineup is worth stressing because so many search queries still assume the Dixie Chicks and The Chicks are separate acts. They are the same three women.
The implication: the Dixie Chicks didn’t break up; they renamed. Anyone hunting for a 2026 tour or new music is really hunting for The Chicks.
Are the Dixie Chicks married?
Who is Natalie Maines married to now?
- The sources cited on this page do not identify Maines’ current spouse or partner.
- It is one of the most common follow-up questions in searches about the band, and the public record does not answer it.
What this means: “married?” is searchable, but the band’s private lives are not a matter of public record beyond what members choose to share.
Who has custody of Natalie Maines’ kids?
- Custody arrangements for Maines’ children are not stated in the source set reviewed here.
- No cited source documents the answer, so this page leaves the question open.
The trade-off: fans want clarity about a public figure’s family, and the sources that verify the band’s music simply do not cover it.
Are the Dixie Chicks still touring?
Dixie Chicks tour
- The sources cited here do not confirm an active 2026 tour.
- Official The Chicks pages and social accounts remain active under the rebranded name (Good Morning America (U.S. morning-show outlet)).
The name change created a search split: “Dixie Chicks tour” still gets typed, but the band’s official profiles answer to The Chicks.
Dixie Chicks 2026
- “Dixie Chicks 2026” is a search pattern, not a confirmed tour date.
- The last major release cycle covered by the cited reporting is the Gaslighter era in 2020.
No confirmed 2026 dates reads differently to fans and to promoters: for fans it is a waiting game, and for bookers it is an open calendar.
What this means: a quiet calendar is not a breakup announcement; it is just an unconfirmed one.
What did Natalie Maines accuse Toby Keith of?
This is the question where the public record gets murky.
Did Natalie Maines ever apologize?
- The source set cited here contains no apology from Maines in the Toby Keith dispute.
- An apology is not documented in the major reporting on the band’s controversies either.
Dixie Chicks controversy
- In 2003, Maines told a London audience the band did not want the Iraq War and was ashamed the U.S. president was from Texas (NPR (public radio newsroom)).
- The backlash was substantial — some country-radio outlets dropped the group (NPR (public radio newsroom)).
- The specific Toby Keith accusation behind the search query is not covered by the major reporting cited above.
The controversy that has a clear paper trail is 2003, not a single documented Keith moment.
The band’s most searched political moment cost it radio play in 2003 and built the reputation it still carries today.
The pattern: the moments fans still search for are the moments the band refused to stay quiet.
Is Natalie Maines LGBTQ?
The direct answer: no source in the set reviewed for this article confirms Maines’ sexual orientation. Search interest in the question is real; verified reporting is not.
Why this matters: treating an unverified personal detail as fact would repeat the rumor-driven pattern the band spent years fighting. “Unconfirmed” is the only accurate label.
What does Natalie Maines do now?
How old is Natalie Maines now?
- Her exact age is not stated in the source set reviewed here.
- What is confirmed is that she is still one of the three members of The Chicks.
What is Natalie Maines’ estimated net worth in 2026?
- No official source in the provided set verifies a 2026 net worth figure.
- Estimated figures circulate online, but none meet the sourcing standard used on this page.
The verified picture is narrower than the search queries suggest: Maines is still making music as part of the same Grammy-winning trio.
The takeaway: the confirmed answer to “what does she do now” is the same as the band’s — the work continues. The rest stays unconfirmed.
Dixie Chicks to The Chicks: the timeline
- — The band forms in Dallas, Texas.
- — The name changes to The Chicks; official pages and social accounts switch over (CBS News (U.S. broadcast news)).
- — Official channels describe the group as The Chicks, formerly the Dixie Chicks.
The timeline matters because the band is searched under two names at once, and the record keeps them straight.
The pattern: every major beat here is a public, dated event — which makes the unconfirmed personal details stand out even more.
What’s confirmed — and what’s still open
The confirmed record
- The band is now called The Chicks, formerly the Dixie Chicks (Good Morning America (U.S. morning-show outlet)).
- The band formed in Dallas, Texas, in 1989.
- The members are Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire, and Emily Robison/Strayer.
- The band has won 13 Grammy Awards.
- The band has sold more than 30 million albums.
The open questions
- An active 2026 tour schedule.
- Natalie Maines’ current marriage or partner.
- Custody arrangements for her children.
- Her sexual orientation.
- Her exact age, net worth, and weight.
- Whether she apologized in the Toby Keith dispute.
The split is deliberate: the confirmed column is built from official statements, wire coverage, and editorial biographies; the open column is everything the same sources do not document.
The implication: gaps in the public record are not invitations to guess.
In their own words
“We’re ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas.”
— Natalie Maines, on stage in London in 2003, as reported by The New York Times (national newspaper).
“We want to meet this moment.”
— The Chicks’ official statement on the name change, June 25, 2020, via NBC News (national broadcaster).
One voice is personal, one institutional — together they frame a band that chooses its words on the way out of trouble, not just on the way in.
The takeaway
Searching “Dixie Chicks” in 2026 points to a name the band itself retired; the working group is The Chicks, with the same lineup and the same catalog. What the sources do not answer — tour dates, marriages, custody, net worth, orientation — stays open until verified reporting fills it in. For fans searching under the old name, the choice is clear: follow The Chicks’ official channels for real news, or keep trading in rumors that no cited source backs up.
Related reading: Dixie Chicks change band name to The Chicks · Dixie Chicks shorten name to The Chicks
Frequently asked questions
What genre are The Chicks?
They are an American country music band from Dallas, Texas.
Where were the Dixie Chicks formed?
Dallas, Texas, in 1989.
Who are the current members of The Chicks?
Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire, and Emily Robison, now also credited as Emily Strayer.
How many Grammy Awards have The Chicks won?
13.
How many albums have The Chicks sold?
More than 30 million worldwide.
Are Martie Maguire and Emily Robison sisters?
Yes, they are sisters.
If a question isn’t in the confirmed record above, treat the answer as open.
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Daniel Campbell is Editor-in-Chief at True North Brief, overseeing editorial standards, publication decisions and corrections.