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JUDY WOODRUFF: They remain
the bestselling female band
of all time in the U.S.,

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and the bestselling country
group since Nielsen SoundScan
started tracking in 1991.

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But the group formerly
known as the Dixie Chicks
may be best known for a

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single comment the lead singer
made in London in 2003 during
the lead-up to the Iraq War,

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which led to death threats and a
virtual ban from country radio.

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Fourteen years after their last
album, The Chicks are back,
with new music and a new name.

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Jeffrey Brown has our story.

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It's part of our ongoing arts
and culture series, Canvas.

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JEFFREY BROWN:

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A gaslighter is someone who
sows seeds of doubt to make
others question their own

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perceptions or sanity.
And The Chicks are back
to call out a few, this
time without the Dixie,

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but still with all the trappings
of the group that once dominated
the country music charts,

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three-part harmony, powerhouse
vocals by Natalie Maines,

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backed by sisters Martie
Maguire on fiddle and
Emily Strayer on banjo.

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This is the first album in
14 years, and I wonder why.
I mean, what took so long?

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NATALIE MAINES, The Chicks:
Well, we have nine kids
between the three of us.

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EMILY STRAYER, The
Chicks: And then once
they got to be teenagers,

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I think we were all like,
I think it's time to go on
the road, do music again.

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(LAUGHTER) MARTIE MAGUIRE, The
Chicks: Then we finally had

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some more baggage to write
about, I guess you could say.

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JEFFREY BROWN:

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Much of "Gaslighter" is a deeply
personal reflection on life,

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loss and resilience
after divorce, which all
three have experienced.

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EMILY STRAYER: We found
that, almost the more
personal you are with a song,

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the more it relates to
more people, because you
think your story might
just be your own. But

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most things that people go
through in life are universal to
everybody in one way or another.

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JEFFREY BROWN: With the help
of producer Jack Antonoff,

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The Chicks stretched
well beyond their country
and bluegrass roots.

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Maguire is still on the fiddle,
Strayer still on the banjo, but:

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MARTIE MAGUIRE: There are a lot
of layers in there, and they're
not as, like, up-front. And

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so that is hard for me, because
I certainly love to -- a good
fiddle solo up in the spotlight.

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But I definitely am a
believer that you do
what's right for the song.

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JEFFREY BROWN: The new sound is
the latest twist in one of the
wildest rides in music history.

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The Dixie Chicks formed back
in 1989, when Maguire and
Strayer, still teenagers,
played Western swing

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and bluegrass in Dallas with
two other women. Maines, also
from Texas, stepped in as lead

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singer six years later,
as the group shifted to
mainstream country and
climbed the charts with a

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long string of hits,
including "Wide Open
Spaces," "Goodbye Earl,"
and "Cowboy Take Me Away."

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They sold out stadiums
and sang the national
anthem at the Super Bowl.

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And then, in 2003, as they
began a tour called "Top
of the World," it all came

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crashing down with one statement
at a London concert made amid
the run-up to the Iraq War.

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NATALIE MAINES: We're ashamed
that the president of the
United States is from Texas.

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(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

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JEFFREY BROWN:

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After that, their number
one song "Travelin'
Soldier" was pulled

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from country radio nationwide,
as seen in the 2006 documentary
"Shut Up and Sing."

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WOMAN: Good morning, 61 Country.

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MAN: They should send
Natalie over to Iraq, strap
her to a bomb and just
drop her over Baghdad.

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JEFFREY BROWN: Does that bother
you, that that is always the

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lead, and will probably
be in the obituary? Not
that I'm trying to put
you there anytime soon.

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(LAUGHTER)

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NATALIE MAINES: No, no, I mean,
I'm proud of how we handled it,

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for the most part. I'm proud
that we stuck to our guns. I
think it freed us up musically.

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JEFFREY BROWN: In the
years that followed,

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country radio shifted toward
so-called bro country,
drinking and party anthems.

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Do you ever think that
country radio would have
been -- would be better

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today if The Chicks were
played and if you had
stayed really in that world?

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MARTIE MAGUIRE: That's a --
that's a loaded question.

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I am a country fan. You know,
it really has not grown over
the years and broadened itself.

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And I think that's
-- it's important

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for that to happen. I want that
to happen, because I do love it.

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JEFFREY BROWN: This summer,
as the group prepared
to release "Gaslighter,"

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they came under new pressure,
this time for their name,
evoking the Confederate South.

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As the Black Lives
Matter protest grew,

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they announced the name
change, and release
their song "March March."

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EMILY STRAYER: As time
went on, we did get
uncomfortable with it.

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It's like a huge weight
off my shoulders, our
shoulders, really.

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JEFFREY BROWN:

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Most recently, Maines
has been plenty vocal on
social media about her
views of President Trump.

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NATALIE MAINES: Do you care
about the foundation of
America and what it means

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to be free in this country?
Because it will be taken from us
if Donald Trump gets reelected.

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JEFFREY BROWN: In August,
they performed at the
Democratic National Convention.

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MARTIE MAGUIRE: Band or
individual, I feel like
we have a responsibility
to be engaged in

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what's happening in our
world, in our country.

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JEFFREY BROWN: So what's
next, and for how long?

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NATALIE MAINES: I'm open
to doing it as long as
it stays fun and we have
something to say, and

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we're not hobbling up
there with a walker.

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(LAUGHTER)

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JEFFREY BROWN: For a band
that's always refused to
just shut up and sing,

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finding something to say
hasn't been an issue so far.

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For the "PBS NewsHour,"
I'm Jeffrey Brown.

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JUDY WOODRUFF:

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Still making beautiful
music, The Chicks are.

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Thank you, Jeff.