Dixie Chicks

David Grissom returns as band leader for the second tour with the Dixie Chicks. The guitarist and songwriter has also toured with John Mellencamp, Joe Ely, the Allman Bros., Chris Isaak and others, and his songs have also been recorded by the likes of Trisha Yearwood and Lee Ann Womack. And no, no one associated with the Dixie Chicks is at all ashamed that David Grissom is from Texas.

Multi-instrumentalist/songwriter is also a fine Texan and and has also played with some of the Dixie Chicks’ biggest musical heroes including James Taylor, Ricky Skaggs, Jerry Douglas and Sam Bush. Knowing that you’ve got a guy in your band that has played with so many of your musical heroes no doubt gives the Chicks a regular reminder to stay on top of their musical game.

Guitarist Audley is either blessed or cursed (you can decide which) to periodically attach himself to bird-bands. Before hooking up in 2006 with the Dixie Chicks, he’s been a member of the Black Crowes (not to mention Cry of Love and has also toured with Government Mule.) While with the Black Crowes, he played a tour with Jimmy Page which makes him a musical god in the eyes of the talking crows that live on the phone lines in the “underground” section of this website.

If you are cooler than the average Nashville cat, chances are good that Pete Finney may have played on your record. Foster & Lloyd, Allison Moorer, the Derailers, Josh Rouse, and Patty Loveless are but a few of the fine artists he has worked with prior to the Dixie Chicks dragging him down the road in 2006.

Larry’s resume is a history lesson in great American music all unto itself. The term “legendary musician” isn’t an overstatement when talking about a multi-instrumentalist who can be heard on some of music’s most legendary recordings by Simon & Garfunkel, The Beach Boys, the Byrds, and many of producer Phil Spector’s “wall of sound” hit records. Oh, and he played on the latest album by a little group you may have heard of called the Dixie Chicks too.

Also making the jump from the studio sessions of Taking the Long Way to the 2006 tour is bassist Sebastian Steinberg. A member of the 90’s group Soul Coughing, Sebastian is now an in-demand session player with some of music’s most credible performers including Neil Finn, Suzanne Vega, Tracy Bonham and Beth Orton…and how he ever ended up in the studio with William Shatner is something that we’ll never quite understand.

The Chicks’ Sticks man for the 2006 tour became the drummer for The Wallflowers in 2003 and he’s also recorded and toured with Tears for Fears, Tracy Bonham, Juliana Hatfield, Ben Kweller and the Gigolo Aunts. After a year touring as the man behind the Dixie Chicks, if any of them ever ask him if their butt looks big in any particular outfit, Fred will no doubt be qualified to give an honest answer.

After being a violinist with rock icon Rod Stewart for seven years and watching him wiggle and prance around as only Rod can, it might be little bit of a letdown to sit on a stage fronted by an all female group, but hopefully J’Anna is adjusting. This fine violinist (or fiddler if you’re more country-inclined) also recently tour as the conductor with the handsome global quartet Il Divo.

L.A. cellist John Krovoza spends a lot of time in the recording studio where he’s played on over 100 albums of all musical flavors and on TV shows, videos and films. His previous touring experience, however, includes two world tours with Yanni and Michael Crawford. Might be safe to predict he is having the most culture-shock of anyone on the current Dixie Chicks’ tour…wonder if he’s been asked yet to tune the banjo?