caption website associated_acts years_active alias birth_place label name background birth_date instrument genre image article_title birth_name occupation
maguire & accusations tour 2006 performing in austin , texas during the accidents -lsb- http://www.dixiechicks.com dixiechicks.com -rsb- -lsb- http://www.courtyardhounds.com courtyardhounds.com -rsb- dixie chicks , court yard hounds 1989 -- present martie seidel york , pennsylvania , united states sonybmg , open wide , columbia martie maguire non_vocal_instrumentalist 12 october 1969 violin , mandolin , backing vocals , viola , acoustic guitar , double bass alternative , folk country , country , bluegrass , country rock martie maguire in austin , texas.jpg martie maguire
 martha elenor erwin musician , songwriter , record producer , arranger
martie maguire

martie maguire -lrb- born martha elenor erwin , october 12 , 1969 -rrb- is an american musician who is a founding member of the female alternative country band , dixie chicks .
she won awards in national fiddle championships while still a teenager .
maguire is accomplished on several other instruments , including the mandolin , viola , double bass and guitar .
she has written and co-written a number of the band 's songs , some of which have become chart-topping hits .
she also contributes her skills in vocal harmony and backing vocals , as well as orchestrating string arrangements for the band .
maguire learned several instruments at a young age , honing her skills with her younger sister , emily robison -lrb- born emily erwin -rrb- and two schoolmates -lrb- a brother and sister team , troy and sharon gilchrist -rrb- for over five years as a part of a touring bluegrass quartet while in high school .
after graduation , the sisters forged an alliance with two other women they had met through the dallas music scene , laura lynch and robin lynn macy , forming a bluegrass and country music band , busking and touring the bluegrass festival circuits for six years .
after the departure of macy , and the replacement of lynch with singer natalie maines , the band widened their musical repertoire and appearance .
the result was a trio so commercially successful that it took the country music industry by surprise , with a number of hit songs , albums , and awards that have set records in the music industry .
maguire subsequently stood by her bandmates as they were engulfed in political controversy .
