The Dixie Chicks rose from relative obscurity in 1998 to become one of the most popular acts in contemporary country music, as well as the highest-selling female group of all time. The band's genesis dates back nearly a decade earlier to 1989, when fiddler Martie Seidel and her banjo-playing sister Emily Erwin formed the group in Dallas, Texas. Bassist Laura Lynch and guitarist Robin Lynn Macy also populated the original lineup. After getting their start on local street corners, the female foursome graduated to clubs and received an enormous boost when Seidel earned third place honors at ~the National Fiddle Championships.