Laura Lynch, a founding member of the US country band Dixie Chicks, died at 65 on December 22, 2023. The iconic band member passed in a head-on car crash on a Texas highway, according to law enforcement. According to reports, she passed from injuries sustained in the accident.
Following the news of her tragic accident, Lynch’s “Dixie Chicks” bandmates confirmed her death in a statement on social media. “We are shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Laura Lynch,” the band, renamed “The Chicks” in 2020, wrote on social media.
An upright bass player, Lynch founded the popular band alongside three other women in 1989. The other co-founders are Robin Lynn Macy and sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer. The group recorded three albums together before Macy left, making them a trio.
As a three-piece, the Dixie Chicks with Lynch recorded one more album, 1993’s “Shouldn’t a Told You That.” The album featured steel guitarist Lloyd Maines, who introduced them to his daughter Natalie Maines, who later replaced Lynch. Five years later, the then-Dixie Chicks released their breakout 1998 album “Wide Open Spaces.”
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Lynch played the upright bass and later became the band’s lead singer. They recorded three albums, “Thank Heavens for Dale Evans,” “Little Ol’ Cowgirl,” and “Shouldn’t a Told You That.” However, Lynch left the Dixie Chicks in 1995, and the band veered from bluegrass to mainstream country.
In a 1992 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Lynch told director Jim Ruddy the band was a group effort. Also, she said she “hopes female harmony” makes a big comeback. In addition, Lynch discussed how they named the all-female country music band known for its intense harmonies and guitar playing.
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She said the group was driving around listening to Little Feat, and the lyrics had Dixie Chicken. Lynch said that was the defining moment, and they suggested the band call themselves the Dixie Chickens. However, everyone responded, “Ooh, I don’t know about being called chickens,” so the girls shortened it to “Dixie Chicks.”
Several years later, in June 2020, the band changed its name to “The Chicks.” The decision came during the wake of the killing of George Floyd. According to the band members, “Dixie” is in tune with the slavery era. Hence, they renamed the band because of the history of racial injustice associated with the name.
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In a statement following Lynch’s tragic death, the band described her as a “bright light.” They wrote that “her infectious energy and humor gave a spark” to the band’s early days. “Laura had a gift for design, a love of all things Texas,” they wrote. “And she was instrumental in the early success of the band.”
“Her undeniable talents helped propel us beyond busking on street corners to stages all across Texas and the Midwest,” the statement, which Maines, Maguire, and Strayer signed, added. “Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones at this sad time.”
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