Remember when the Chicks received a death threat?

Chicks singer Natalie Maines was the target of a death threat when the country trio played in Texas in 2003.

Tensions were already high, as reactions to the singer’s comments about President Bush were still more violent than a severe storm. Then came the threat, just before her performance at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on July 6.

“They had a time, a place, a weapon. I mean, everything,” said Emily Robison 60 minutes in 2006 (quote via People). The note read: “You will be shot at your show in Dallas.”

Maines drew the ire of conservative fans when, in the run-up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, she disparaged then-President George W. Bush, saying she was “embarrassed” that he was from Texas. The comment sparked such a backlash that it permanently damaged the career of the then-Dixie Chicks, who were the most successful group in country music before they were virtually banned from radio stations across the country.

In addition to the heightened security, the band walked directly from police cars to the stage and then back into police cars after the show, which thankfully went off without incident. Country music listeners were upset with the group, and apparently one person was willing to take things way too far.

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Billy Dukes is senior editor and executive producer of video content at Taste of Country. He specializes in country music interviews, trend analysis and the secret history of country music. Billy also reports Yellowstone, 1923 and related television programs by the Dutton Rules Podcast. To date, he has written more than 13,000 articles for Taste of Country and produced over 3,000 videos for the Taste of Country YouTube channel.