22 Years Ago Today: The Chicks Hit #1 With ‘Fly’ Album
It was October 22, 1999, and the world was locked in with the Chicks. Their 5th studio album, Fly, went #1, not only on the country albums chart, but also on the pop chart.
The Chicks: Fly
The album was anything but pop, with heavy fiddle, steel guitar, banjo, and story songs like “Goodbye Earl,” the all-female trio made country music off-the-charts cool. Lead singer Natalie Maines’s vocals soared on every track, while sisters Martie Maguire (Erwin) and Emily Strayer (Robison, Erwin) provided perfect harmonies and masterful musicianship.
And the hits…kept…coming. So many hit singles on this gem, like Ready to Run”, “Cowboy Take Me Away”, “Without You”, “Goodbye Earl”, “Cold Day in July”, “Heartbreak Town”, “Some Days You Gotta Dance” and “If I Fall You’re Going Down with Me.” The raucious”Sin Wagon” was played on this station and even charted without officially being released. The song, “Some Days You Gotta Dance” was originally recorded and released by Keith Urban’s former band the Ranch. Keith helped out the Chicks on their rendition, providing guitar licks.
Fly went on to win a Grammy Award in 2000 for Best Country Album. It was also nominated in the all-genre category of Album of the Year. And there were plenty of other awards for this groundbreaking, fan favorite album. In 2020, Fly ranked at #224 on Rolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.
#WaybackWednesday to 2000 when the Chicks racked up 4 CMA Awards for Best Entertainer, Vocal Group, Album (Fly) & Music Video (Goodbye Earl) pic.twitter.com/ujuj7bfqXI
— The Chicks (@thechicks) November 2, 2016
This album was the soundtrack to our 1999, 2000…
The dixie chicks Fly album is the soundtrack of my life
— shelby stillman (@shelbystillman_) January 8, 2020
— The Chicks (@thechicks) July 23, 2021
“The Dixie Chicks were making such interesting music and doing it in such an unapologetically feminine, imaginative way. I was very inspired by the album Fly and the aesthetics, cause it was clear they’d really put a lot into the artwork.” - Taylor on the @dixiechicks [@EW] (1/2) pic.twitter.com/5WzPRU4CZh
— Taylor Swift News 🤍 (@TSwiftNZ) May 14, 2019
https://twitter.com/bananalise/status/1012080616236560385
