I couldn’t tell you the last time I watched the Grammy’s but for some reason I found myself in my living room snuggled up in my favorite chair in front of a cozy fire, watching the Grammy Awards on CBS last Sunday night. I knew the evening was off to a good start when Sting and the rest of the original line up of The Police reunited to sing one of their biggest hits “Roxanne.” You would be amazed how many people still ask me if I’ve ever heard that song. Get a grip, I began my career in radio as a rock & roll DJ in the late ‘70’s…round about the time that song was a number one hit for The Police, think about it. Anyway, I’m a big Mary J. Blige fan so I was thrilled that she did well in all of her categories and I loved seeing my man Prince in all his glory so things were going along really great when we got to the song of the year category in which one of my favorite groups The Dixie Chicks were nominated for their (in your face-I ain’t backing down-what doesn’t break us makes us stronger) “Not Ready to Make Nice” single was nominated. When they won I whooped and hollered so loud that my husband shouted from the other room, “Honey, did you win?” I shouted back, “In a way, I did win.” In a way, everyone who ever thought President Bush lied us into war won last Sunday night.

Turns out, The Dixie Chicks swept all five of the Grammy categories in which they were nominated, including album, record and song of the year. Quite a comeback for the country music group that were driven off the radio airwaves in 2003 after their outspoken lead singer Natalie Maines made a flip remark on-stage during a concert in London, shortly before the invasion of Iraq, that the band was ‘ashamed that the president was from their home state of Texas.’ In the media hailstorm that followed, radio stations led by Clear Channel and other mega chains banned their music from the airwaves and record and ticket sales plummeted. Some death threats were even sent to the group. A war of words broke out between hard-core country music artists like Toby Keith and the Chicks but the girls never backed down and rather than turn on each other closed ranks during the storm. The details of what the group endured are chronicled in the documentary “Shut up and Sing.” The remarkable thing about the entire affair is that even though the incident obviously was a setback for the group’s collective career and has continued to affect album and concert sales, the group has seemed to pull together rather than apart as a result of the controversy and there truly doesn’t seem to be any lingering hard feelings or individual blame placed on Natalie Maines for the harmful effects of her remark.

One of the most poignant moments for me personally was during one of their trips to the podium to collect another award, when the ladies paid tribute to there long suffering husbands. That truly struck a cord with me. I’ll never forget what my husband once said to me during one of my many traumas over my vocal opposition to the Iraq war and my subsequent dismissal from my radio job and the resulting litigation, he turned to me and said, “When you suffer, we all suffer.” How true that is, my actions had a ripple effect on my husband and my son. My decision to speak out cost me my career, a lucrative salary, and health insurance benefits for my family, peace of mind, security and on and on. But like The Dixie Chicks I was blessed with a husband who stood by me and never wavered in his support for me and although he was saddened at times by the reaction to my decision he never stopped loving me for being the person that I am. I’m sure that when those words left Natalie’s lips that day, she had no idea how it would come to haunt her band mates or her family. It was truly inspirational for me to see how gracefully these three young women have handled this controversy and themselves. They truly turned a media farce into a time of personal growth and creative triumph. Yes, they lost some fans and money over this mess but they also learned exactly who they’re fans really are. At one point, according to the NY Times, “Ms. Maquire, who plays the fiddle said the group would rather have fans “who get it” instead of people that have us in their five-disc changer with Reba McEntire and Toby Keith.” While the Country Music Association shut out the Dixie Chicks at their annual awards ceremony in November, The vote by the Recording Academy which is comprised of more than 11,000 performers, producers, engineers, executives and others from across the country obviously felt quite differently about The Dixie Chicks latest recording. “Taking the Long” way has managed to sell 1.9 million copies and was one of the year’s top 10 best sellers.

The Dixie Chicks sweep of the Grammy’s was a combination of political back lash, a tribute to a fine piece of work and a pat on the back for standing up for what you believe in when it’s easier to go along to get along. The Chicks make me proud to be a woman who says what she means and means what she says.