Geoff Boucher, a Los Angeles Times staff writer notes the Dixie Chicks center of gravity has moved westward.
The Dixie Chicks are now officially an L.A. band.
The trio started in Texas and soared to fame in Nashville but, after their well-documented odyssey through partisan politics, they were frozen out of the country music establishment, which denied them radio airplay and awards.
The Grammys stepped in Thursday to embrace the genre refugees in dramatic fashion, giving them five nominations, including album, record and song of the year for the music of “Taking the Long Way,” an album recorded in Los Angeles with rock musicians and a rock sensibility.
[UPDATE 2/12/07: Dixie Chicks won five Grammy’s last night, sweeping each category they were nominated in.]