Dixie Chicks "Fly" High

Trio becomes first country group to debut atop pop charts

By Marcus Errico Sep 09, 1999 1:30 AMTags
Sure they call themselves the Dixie Chicks, but based on their album sales they might as well be called the Fly girls.

The Grammy-winning Texas trio saw their sophomore album soar to the top of the pop album charts in its first week--the first time a country band has accomplished that feat. According to the Chicks' label, Sony Music Nashville, Fly sold 341,000 copies for the week ended September 5; among country artists only Garth Brooks has sold more discs in an opening week.

Fresh off their triumphant Lilith Fair appearances--where they reached a more mainstream audience--the Dixie Chicks have enjoyed the rare kind of crossover success previously known to country stars like Brooks and Shania Twain.

The group's recent sales blitz follows the success of their rookie album, Wide Open Spaces, which has sold 5 million copies since its 1998 debut.

Fly's ascension drops last week's No. 1, Christina Aguilera's self-titled debut album, down a notch. The ex-Mouseketeer still managed a respectable 218,000 units sold.

The Backstreet Boys' bajillion-selling Millennium still won't go away--the quintet held steady at No. 3 with another 185,000 fans serviced. The disc should hit the 6 million mark by month's end.

A good showing by old-school rockers Santana, whose Supernatural continues its impressive chart performance by jumping up three spots to a new high of No. 4. It sold 133,000 in its 12th week, thanks in part to the smash single, "Smooth."

Limp Bizkit's Significant Other moved 130,000 copies to finish at No. 5, one spot ahead of another ex-Mouseketeer record, Britney Spears' ...Baby One More Time.

Kid Rock's Devil Without a Cause climbed one spot to No. 7, followed by Puff Daddy's disappointing Forever, which plummeted from last week's No. 2 debut.

Ricky Martin and Mary J. Blige rounded out the Top 10.

The week's biggest debut belonged to veteran head bangers Megadeth--the band's Risk opened at No. 16 with 72,000 in sales.