County music radio stations and fans are boycotting the Dixie Chicks because of lead singer Natalie Maines' negative comment during a March 10 concert in London.
The boycott caused a significant decrease in record sales and bumped the Dixie Chicks' current single, 'Travelin' Soldier,' from number one to seven. Their album dropped four spots and sits at number five on the sales chart.
During the London concert, the Texas native reportedly said, 'Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.'
Her comments significantly hurt the Chicks' pocket books and image.
'People are calling them the Baghdad Babes or Ditzy Chicks,' said K-Bull 93 disc jockey Pat Garrett. 'Some stations around the nation are still not playing them, but here the boycott is over.'
K-Bull boycotted the Dixie Chicks for two days. Whenever a Dixie Chicks song appeared in the play list, the disc jockey would play a patriotic song instead.
Garrett said a radio station in Louisiana asked listeners to bring their Dixie Chicks CDs to a rally. They scattered the CDs along a road and ran over them with pick-up trucks.
Country.com reports the Dixie Chicks controversy has reached the South Carolina state legislature. The South Carolina House voted 50-35 calling on the Chicks to perform a free concert for South Carolina troops and their families.
Garrett said Maines' comment resulted in a 15 percent decrease in airplay and loss of 235,000 units.
In a prepared statement, Maines said, 'My comments were made in frustration and one of the privileges of being an American is you are free to voice your own point of view. As a concerned American citizen, I apologize to President Bush because my remark was disrespectful. I feel that whoever holds that office should be treated with the utmost respect. I love my country. I am a proud American.'
The Dixie Chicks are scheduled to appear in concert at the Delta Center July 9.