Protests and Patriotism: A Primary Source Analysis of the Country Music Community’s Backlash against the Dixie Chicks during the 2003 Iraq War

In March 2003, just days before the imminent invasion of Iraq, the Dixie Chicks, an American country music band made an anti-Iraq War comment at a concert in London. The group told the crowd they were not proud that President Bush was from Texas, and these comments ignited a fierce public backlash against the band. The backlash was also expressed in the press through letters, articles, and op-eds.

This paper utilizes an op-ed titled “Dixie Chicks Misjudged Fan Base,” by Steve Booher from the St. Joseph News—Press, a conservative-leaning newspaper in St. Joseph, Missouri, as a primary source that was representative of published criticisms of the band. Through analyzing the social, political, and corporate backlash expressed in the article towards the Dixie Chicks, similar demographics of St. Joseph, Missouri, and average country music listeners, I argue this op-ed mirrored some of the general opinions of the conservative country music audience about the band’s protest of President Bush’s decision to invade Iraq.

Additionally, this paper’s contextualization explores how ingrained rural values coupled with an ‘us versus them’ grievance narrative contributed to the conservative country music community’s public outcry against the Dixie Chicks. Finally, the Dixie Chicks were the most popular performer in the country genre in 2003, and due to their criticism of President Bush, along with the backlash, the band became ostracized from the industry, and this paper also examines the insider-outsider status the band experienced during the controversy.