Oct. 12: Martie Maguire of the Dixie Chicks is 41 today.

Martie Maguire - born Martha Elenor Erwin - is a Grammy Award-winning American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and a founding member of the all-female country band, Dixie Chicks.

Maguire learned several instruments at a young age, honing her skills with her sister, Emily Robison by playing together with two other schoolmates for over five years as a part of a high school touring bluegrass quartet. She won awards in national fiddle championships while still a teenager.

 

After graduating from high school, the sisters teamed up with two other women they had met in Dallas and formed a bluegrass and country music band, busking and touring the bluegrass festival circuits for six years. After the departure of the other two women, and the addition of singer-songwriter Natalie Maines, the band's popularity grew. The trio produced a number of hit songs, albums, and awards that have set records in the music industry.

Maguire is accomplished on several other instruments, including the mandolin, viola, acoustic bass, and guitar. She has written and co-written a number of the band's songs, some of which have become chart-topping hits. She also contributes her skills in vocal harmony and backing vocals, as well as orchestrating string arrangements for the band.

in January 2010 Emily and Martie formed a side project called the Court Yard Hounds, with Robison as lead vocalist. The band released an album in May, 2010.

Dixie Chicks Site

Court Yard Hounds Site

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