posted February 12, 2007 02:06 PM            

The victory for their work on the chart-topping album "Taking the Long Way" marked a stunning validation for the female Texan trio almost four years after their dream run as the darlings of Nashville came to an abrupt end.

Singer Natalie Maines told fans during a 2003 concert in London she was ashamed to come from the same state as Bush.

As news of the off-the-cuff comment spread, the group was transformed into pariahs. Country radio stations stopped playing their songs, while album and ticket sales suffered.

"I think people are using their freedom of speech tonight with all of these awards," Maines said, as the group accepted the final award of the ceremony, album of the year.

Bandmate Emily Robison said: "We wouldn't have made this album without everything we went through, so we have no regrets."

Backstage, Robison's sister, Martie Maguire, shied away from declaring vindication, saying it ran counter to artistic principles.

The Dixie Chicks' tally included best country album, as well as record of the year, song of the year and group country vocal performance for the appropriately wry single "Not Ready To Make Nice." Their career Grammy haul stands at 13.

The last time an act won the album, record and song categories was in 1993, when Eric Clapton led the field. The last country act to win album of the year was Glen Campbell in 1969 with "By the Time I Get to Phoenix."

It was a good night for Nashville, as former "American Idol" champion Carrie Underwood took the closely watched honor for best new artist, further enhancing the star-making power of the hit TV talent show.

Underwood, the winner of the fourth season of "American Idol" in 2005, also clinched the Grammy for best female country vocal performance.

"This is absolutely unbelievable! I love country music," the 23-year-old Nashville star said.

POLICE REUNION, MULTIPLE WINNERS

A sentimental highlight came as reunited rock band The Police opened the televised ceremony by playing their first major public show in more than 20 years, dusting off a jazzy version of their breakthrough hit "Roxanne."

R&B singer Mary J. Blige had led the field going into the show with eight nominations. She went home with three awards but said backstage that the wins were icing on the cake after the thrill of being nominated.

Blige won best R&B album for "The Breakthrough," as well as R&B song and female R&B vocal performance, both for the tune "Be Without You."

The Red Hot Chili Peppers ended up with four statuettes from six nominations, including best rock album for their double set "Stadium Arcadium." The flamboyant surf-funk quartet has now won six Grammys.

Double winners included Bob Dylan, soul-pop duo Gnarls Barkley, rock crooner John Mayer, veteran balladeer Tony Bennett, R&B singer John Legend, rock troubadour Bruce Springsteen, gospel star Kirk Franklin, late jazz soloist Michael Brecker, jazz pianist Chick Corea, film composer John Williams, classical conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and rapper Ludacris.

Motown icon Stevie Wonder won a Grammy, and his career tally of 25 statuettes now makes him No. 4 on the all-time list, tied with late classical pianist Vladimir Horowitz. The record of 31 is held by late conductor Georg Solti.

Two artists with five nominations each going into the telecast, James Blunt and Prince, went home empty-handed.

Other losers included Neil Young, hoping for the first Grammys of his career with three nominations. After two consecutive years of clean sweeps, Irish rock band U2 failed to turn their two nominations into Grammy gold.

R&B singer Beyonce won one Grammy from four nominations.

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Ludacris' shout out to Bill O'Reilly was pretty amusing as well.

posted February 12, 2007 03:08 PM            

Which only proves the American public did not vote in this self congratulatory epiphany of leftist drooling.

The American public told the Dixie Chicks to take a hike. They voted their disgust with this trio of twits by refusing to buy their concert tickets. That prompted the Dixie Chicks to cancel concerts all over America...and come up with the excuse they were soooo popular elsewhere they had to go there and service their foreign fans. Good riddance.

To show what kind of twisted carnival the Grammy awards ceremony really are, they awarded the brain dead incompetent boob, the enemy of civilization and America..Jimmy Carter too.

Dixie Chicks' concert sales fail to take wing
Updated 6/8/2006 9:42 PM ET

By Brian Mansfield, Special for USA TODAY

Buying a Dixie Chicks CD, that's one thing. Buying a concert ticket, that's another matter — at least in some places.
While the Dixie Chicks roost atop the album-sales charts for a second week, plans for the trio's North American Accidents & Accusations Tour, set to begin July 21 in Detroit, suddenly are up in the air. "There is a reshuffling of the tour based on market sales," spokeswoman Kathy Best says.

Shows announced for St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Indianapolis and Memphis have been pulled from the schedule. The public on-sale date for a September show in Houston has been canceled as well.

A message on the website for St. Louis' Savvis Center reads, "Due to the overwhelming demand for the Dixie Chicks in Canada, England and Australia, this concert date must be rerouted and the on-sale date will be postponed until the fall."

Sales for fall shows are strong in Canada, where the band hasn't been subjected to a three-year political firestorm and a battle with onetime fans. A concert at Toronto's 19,000-seat Air Canada Center sold out in eight minutes, prompting the addition of a second date.

Not every U.S. show is having trouble selling: The best available pair of tickets Thursday to the August 18 Minneapolis show were for limited-view, upper-level seats. But demand isn't coming close to the Chicks' 2003 tour, which sold more than 860,000 tickets in its first weekend and ultimately earned $62 million, the year's top-grossing country tour.

The band's new album continues to sell well. After selling 526,000 units its first week out, Taking the Long Way sold 271,000 copies last week.

The "reshuffling" on the Chicks' tour hasn't been finished. Neither the Chicks' manager, Simon Renshaw, nor their booking agent, Rob Light, could be reached for comment. Short of postponing the entire U.S. tour, the group could choose to leave some cities off the tour, move underperforming dates to smaller venues or reconfigure seating at arenas to theater-like settings.