Natalie Maines Lead vocalist of the all-female alternative country group "Dixie Chicks" Date of Birth: 14.10.1974 Country: USA

1. Biography of Natalie Maines
2. Education and Early Career
3. Joining Dixie Chicks
4. Personal Life and Controversy
5. Comeback and Activism

Biography of Natalie Maines

Natalie Louise Maines Pasdar was born on October 14, 1974, in Lubbock, Texas, USA. She grew up in a family of country musician and producer Lloyd Maines and his wife Tina May Maines. From an early age, Natalie showed a passion for music and a desire to become a star.

Education and Early Career

Maines attended Williams Elementary School, where she confidently declared to her math teacher in the second grade, "I don't need to learn this material because I'm going to be a star." She was a cheerleader in high school and sang in the school choir. Despite growing up in conservative Texas, Maines always felt like a rebel and a hippie at heart.

After high school, Natalie spent two semesters at Texas A&M University, focusing on radio, and then attended South Plains College for a year and a half. One of her college professors, member of the country group "The Maines Brothers Band," Kerry Banks, described her as stubborn and self-confident, just like her father.

Joining Dixie Chicks

In December 1994, Maines auditioned and received a full scholarship to the Berklee College of Music. However, she dropped out in 1995. Her first commercial experience was as a backup vocalist on Pat Green's debut album "Dancehall Dreamer," produced by her father.

When she turned 21, Maines joined the female country group Dixie Chicks, which had been performing since 1989 but had not achieved national fame. Maines became a co-writer of four tracks for the group's first three albums, including the number one hit "Without You." She wrote 14 songs for their 2006 album "Taking the Long Way," which topped the Billboard chart and helped the group overcome the backlash they faced due to their anti-Bush sentiments.

Personal Life and Controversy

Maines married her college boyfriend and South Plains bassist Michael Tarabay in 1997. They lived in Nashville, Tennessee, but divorced after two years, citing personality differences. Later, on June 24, 2000, Maines married actor Adrian Pasdar in a Las Vegas ceremony. They have two children together, Jackson Slade Pasdar and Beckett Finn Pasdar.

Maines faced controversy and backlash for her outspoken opinions. In 1998, after the release of Dixie Chicks' first studio album, she debated the legalization of marijuana as a medical treatment, opposing it until further research could prove its benefits. During a concert in London before the invasion of Iraq, Maines expressed her shame for being from the same state as President Bush, a vocal opponent of the war. The Dixie Chicks lost radio airplay, support from the entertainment industry, and even received threats as a result.

Comeback and Activism

In 2006, the group made a comeback with their album "Taking the Long Way," which featured the anti-Bush anthem "Not Ready to Make Nice." The album won five Grammy Awards, showing that freedom of speech was valued in the country. Maines celebrated the victory, seeing it as a testament to how her country values the freedom of expression.