Tuesday, February 13, 2007 Dixie Chicks win 5 Grammys
LOS ANGELES - The Dixie Chicks completed a defiant comeback at the Grammy Awards, winning five trophies after being shunned by the American country music establishment over the group’s anti-Bush comments leading up to the Iraq invasion.
The Texas trio won record and song of the year for the no-regrets anthem “Not Ready to Make Nice.” They also won best country album, which was ironic considering that the group says they do not consider themselves country artists anymore.
“I’m ready to make nice!” lead singer Natalie Maines exclaimed as the group accepted the album of the year award. “I think people are using their freedom of speech with all these awards. We get the message.”
Mary J. Blige’s comeback also was richly rewarded: She received three trophies for her double-platinum album “The Breakthrough.”
The Red Hot Chili Peppers won three as well for their double-disc “Stadium Arcadium.”
Country singer and former “American Idol” winner Carrie Underwood is best new artist, besting out teenage R&B singer Chris Brown, and British performers Corinne Bailey Rae, James Blunt and Imogen Heap.
The Dixie Chicks won all five awards they were nominated for, sweet vindication after the superstars’ lives were threatened and sales plummeted when Maines criticized President George W. Bush at a London concert on the eve of the Iraq war in 2003. Almost overnight, one of the most successful groups of any genre was boycotted by Nashville and disappeared from country radio.
More rock
With “Taking the Long Way,” the women relied on producer Rick Rubin’s guidance for an album that was more rock and less country. (Rubin, who also produced “Stadium Arcadium,” was honored as producer of the year.)
The standing ovations the Chicks received Sunday (Monday in RP) illustrated how much the political climate has changed regarding the Iraq war, and even Bush.
“That’s interesting,” Maines crowed from the podium after the country award was handed out earlier in the night.
All the trophies collected by the Dixie Chicks (who shared song of the year honors with songwriter Dan Wilson), Blige and the Chili Peppers contributed to the evening’s old-school feel.
The show is often derided as The Grannys embraced its baby boomer status on its 49th year. Maybe the Recording Academy was trying to relieve the industry’s glory years—2006 saw a sharp downturn in record sales, a decline that seems to grow each year as fans flock to the Internet and even ringtones to experience their tunes.
The Grammys tried to tap that new technology with its “My Grammy Moment” contest, in which three unknown singers vied for the chance to perform on stage with Justin Timberlake. Viewers determined the winner by voting on the Internet and text messaging, but the winner’s performance was forgettable.
Though the show featured a medley with bright new stars such as John Mayer, John Legend and Bailey Rae, it relied heavily on the classics: Nominee Lionel Richie sang his ’80s hit “Hello” and Smokey Robinson sang the Motown classic “The Tracks of My Tears” in a tribute to R&B. Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Police, who split in 1984, reunited to kick off the show with their rendition of “Roxanne”—even though they were not nominated for anything.
Soon afterward, Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder’s duet on a remake of Wonder’s “For Once In My Life” beat out two of the year’s biggest songs—Nelly Furtado and Timbaland’s “Promiscuous” and Shakira and Wyclef Jean’s “Hips Don’t Lie”—for best pop vocal collaboration.
Joan Baez, Ornette Coleman, the Doors and the Grateful Dead were recognized with lifetime achievement awards. (AP)
