Robin Macy poses with Big Tex and fellow Cherokee Maidens musicians Monica Taylor and Jennifer Pettersen: courtesy photo
Singer/songwriter Robin Macy’s roots in the local bluegrass music scene run deep. Here in Dallas she’s best known as a founding member of the Dixie Chicks. In the early days the Chicks performed at nearby venues such as Poor David’s Pub and Uncle Calvin’s Coffeehouse.
Just a few years before the band gained commercial success, however, Macy bowed out. She preferred writing and performing traditional bluegrass music, while the band shot to fame with a decidedly more contemporary sound. Meanwhile, Macy performed bluegrass with several other bands and working as a math teacher. She even hosted a weekly music show on KERA before moving to Kansas in 1997.
This Friday, Macy’s coming back down to the Uncle Calvin’s Coffeehouse stage after 17 years, only this time she’s performing with a new group of harmonizing women: the Cherokee Maidens. I caught up with Macy over the phone to learn more about what she’s been up to since the Dixie Chicks days, and what we can expect at the Friday night show:
Tell me more about your Preston Hollow roots.
In the late ’80s I lived on Hollow Way in a garage apartment. I taught math at Hockaday for eight years, and after that I moved into St. Mark’s faculty housing on Orchid Lane and taught math at St. Mark’s for four years.
And that’s where you lived when the Dixie Chicks got started?
Yes. And Uncle Calvin’s hosted the Dixie Chicks’ first album release party for “Thank Heavens for Dale Evans”. [The original band comprised Laura Lynch, Robin Lynn Macy and the Erwin sisters, Martie and Emily. Lynch and Macy later left, and Natalie Maines joined Martie and Emily to form the Dixie Chicks as they’re known today.]
Do you still keep in touch with the Dixie Chicks gals since you left the band?
No, but I wish them the best. A lot of people came knocking on my door, especially when the Dixie Chicks’ star was rising, and I didn’t really want to talk about my history with the band because it didn’t serve much purpose beyond titillation.
You now live in a small town in Kansas. How did that come about?
I stumbled upon this historical garden [Bartlett Arboretum] for sale in Kansas after performing there and fell in love with it. I had to buy it. Leaving Dallas and moving here was like going from yin to yang. Now I live in a community of 1200 people. I can run a tab at the grocery store here. People look out for one another. I guess it’s a lot like Preston Hollow is — which is a lot like a small town within a big city. I’ve recorded three solo records since moving to Kansas 17 years ago. They are folksy, earthy, albums — a call to take care of the planet — that were all inspired by the gardens. [Click here to watch a video about the Bartlett Arboretum and Macy’s restoration efforts.]
The Cherokee Maidens will perform this Friday at Uncle Calvin’s Coffeehouse: courtesy photo
Are those the songs you will sing this Friday?
Friday’s concert at Uncle Calvin’s will be totally different. It will be whimsical, fun, frivolous, and uptempo. My husband, Kentucky White, is also my producer, and he helps us sound as close as possible to 40s and 50s Western Swing.
Tell me more about the Cherokee Maidens.
Cherokee Maidens — me, Monica Taylor and Jennifer Pettersen — have been performing together for six years now. Taylor has performed on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion, and Jennifer’s music videos have garnered more than 10,000 hits online Plus, Jennifer’s my old guitar and math student, so it’s been really fun to perform with her. She’s like family.
What kind of music do the Cherokee Maidens play?
Western swing. It’s pretty authentic — we have two fiddles and we yodel. We wanted to harmonize like the McKinney sisters did for Bob Wills. In fact, Cherokee Maidens is the name of a Bob Wills song. It’s very upbeat and fun music to dance to. The hip young kids will like it, but so will the Bob Wills fans.
Your bands are typically all-female. Is that intentional?
Yes. I’ve been singing with women my whole life. I’ve performed with three all-female bands, Danger in the Air, Dixie Chicks, and The Domestic Science Club. My whole musical career has been about power to the girl. But Cherokee Maidens is even more cool because it’s multigenerational. I’m the old goat corralling the kids in and bringing them down to Big D.
Are y’all performing songs from a new album?
We released a self-titled album in September, so we’re doing a mini-tour showcasing the new songs. Uncle Calvin’s is one of three stops for the Cherokee Maidens. We’re also performing in the hill country and at the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame.
What’s it like to be able to perform at Uncle Calvin’s again after all of this time?
Returning to Dallas, after many moons, is rather surreal. Yet I am very proud of our western swing tribe [Cherokee Maidens] and think we’ve got something unique. Uncle Calvin’s is one of my all-time favorite places to play: I cut my teeth here. The greatest musical experiences I’ve had are playing at places like Uncle Calvin’s where people’s kneecaps are touching the stage — they’re right there in the palm of your hand. I’ve played in huge arenas along with orchestras, but playing in a folk club for people who are on the edge of their seats because they’re excited to hear what you have to sing — there’s just nothing better than that.
The Cherokee Maidens take the stage at Uncle Calvin’s Coffeehouse this Friday at 8 p.m. Butch Morgan opens. Tickets cost $15 in advance, $18 at the door.
Click here to listen to the Cherokee Maidens online.
