The Dixie Chicks Change Their Name

The Dixie Chicks are no more. But the band lives on as The Chicks. The famous trio changed its name to ditch the Confederate connotations of "Dixie," reports USA Today. "We want to meet this moment," reads a message posted on their rebranded website, thechicks.com, and signed by members Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, and Emily Strayer. To drive home the point, the group released a new song, "March March," whose video includes footage of current and past protests.

The group hails from Texas and has been around for 31 years, notes EW.com. They once courted a world of controversy when Maines publicly dissed then-President George W. Bush in 2002. The name change follows a similar move by the group Lady Antebellum, which changed its name to Lady A. And while Lady A ran into trouble because another artist already held that name, the Chicks say they've already reached agreement with another band named The Chicks. “A sincere and heartfelt thank you goes out to ‘The Chicks’ of NZ for their gracious gesture in allowing us to share their name," says the group. (More Dixie Chicks stories.)