Aimee Walker
Dixie Chicks’ founding member Laura Lynch has died aged 65.
The American country music band consisted of Natalie Maines and sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer, with Lynch as bassist and Robin Lynn Macy as vocalist and guitarist.
They were known for songs such as ‘Cowboy Take Me Home’ and ‘Travelin’ Soldier’.
Over the years the band, now known as The Chicks, have won 12 Grammy Awards from 22 nominations and it’s estimated they’ve sold over 30 million records.
Sadly, it has been confirmed that its founding member has died.
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Lynch died in a car crash and her fellow band members have since spoken out, saying they are ‘shocked and saddened’ by the tragic news.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, The Chicks pen: “Laura was a bright light… her infectious energy and humour gave a spark to the early days of our band.
“Laura had a gift for design, a love of all things Texas and was instrumental in the early success of the band.
“Her undeniable talents helped propel us beyond busking on street corners to stages all across Texas and the mid-West.
“Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones at this sad time.”
The Texas Department of Public Safety said that Lynch died after being involved in a collision between two vehicles near the city of El Paso on December 22.
TV news station KTSM reports that the band member was driving a pickup truck when she was struck head-on by the driver of another pickup.
The public safety department said that the driver who struck Lynch was trying to pass another car along the two-way.
Thousands of Lynch’s fans have taken to social media and paid tribute.
One fan writes: “So sorry to hear about the loss of Laura. She will be greatly missed.”
Another adds: “Thoughts go out to her loved ones, and her contribution to music will be remembered.”
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Lynch was one of the founding members of The Chicks in 1989 and she featured in their first three albums: ‘Thank Heavens for Dale Evans’ (1990), ‘Little Ol’ Cowgirl’ (1992) and ‘Shouldn’t a Told You That’ (1993).
The bassist left the band in 1995 and was replaced by Natalie Maines – the group wouldn’t achieve worldwide success until the release of ‘Wide Open Spaces’ in 1998.
The band changed their name from The Dixie Chicks to The Chicks in 2020 in response to urgings to drop ‘Dixie’, as per Entertainment Weekly.
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The group’s name was reportedly inspired by the 1973 album and song ‘Dixie Chicken’ by Little Feet.
As they’re from the South, many people associate their name with the popular nickname for the Confederacy.
While ‘Dixie’ can refer to the South in general, technically it’s a term for the 11 states south of the Mason-Dixon Line (the eventual division line for legal slavery) that made up the Confederate States of America.
As pointed out by Paper magazine, The Chicks never intended to have any association with this.
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