Natalie Maines is a singer/songwriter who is best known as the lead vocalist for The Chicks, but has since established herself as a solo performer. She replaced original singer Laura Lynch in 1991. The group won 13 Grammy and 10 Country Music Association awards before going on hiatus in 2007.

Maines is the daughter of near-legendary producer, multi-instrumentalist, and musician's musician, Lloyd Maines, one of the true architects of Americana music. After high school she attended several colleges, most notably the Berklee School of Music, where she earned a scholarship to pursue Voice Studies; she left before completing her degree, opting for a professional career instead. Her vocals have appeared on recordings from Texas songwriters Pat Green and Charlie Robison, as well as pop and rock artists including Stevie Nicks, Sheryl Crow, Neil Diamond, Pete Yorn, and Yellowcard, to name a few.

Always outspoken on political and social justice issues including the Iraq war, Maines made comments in 2003 at a concert in England about then-president George W. Bush. They were vindicated, however, when their 2006 album, Taking the Long Way, debuted at number one on the Billboard Top 200, and sold over two million copies -- an album for which Maines wrote all the songs.

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