Happy birthday wishes go out to Natalie Louise Maines Pasdar of the Dixie Chicks who turned 37 years old yesterday. Ms. Maines was born in Lubbock, Texas. She is married to actor Adrian Pasdar and they have two sons.

Ms. Maines joined the Dixie Chicks in 1995, which also features sisters Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Rogison.  Ms. Maines plays the guitar and bass, and has written or co-written many of the groups songs. The Dixie Chicks have won 10 Country Music Awards and 13 Grammy Awards.

In 2003, the Dixie Chicks were performing at the Shephard's Bush Empire in London.  Before performing their song "Travelin' Soldier" Ms. Maines said, "just so you know, we're on the good side with y'all.  We do not want this war, this violence, and we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas," referring to the invasion of Iraq.

The Dixie Chicks experienced a real shit storm, including boycotts of their music on country music stations, and demonstrations where their CD's were burnt.

As is typical of musicians, Ms. Maines wrote "Not Ready to Make Nice," a song of their experience which is on the video above.  The lyrics to the song include:

And how in the world
can the words that I said,
Send somebody so over the edge,
that they'd write me a letter saying that I better
Shut up and sing or my life will be over.