Career
Maines born and raised in Lubbock, Texas and is now based in Bulverde, Texas. Arguably best known as a pedal steel player, Maines is a multi-instrumentalist who has also performed and/or recorded playing dobro, electric and acoustic guitar, mandolin, lap steel guitar, banjo and bell tree. Maines began producing some of his own music, branching out beginning with other country artists, early on starting with Terry Allen"s seminal 1979 album, Lubbock (On Everything).
He has produced and worked on recording projects with numerous artists, including the Bad Livers, Richard Buckner, Roger Creager, Pat Green, Butch Hancock, Wayne Hancock, Terri Hendrix, Rita Hosking, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Intocable, Robert Earl Keen, the Lost Gonzo Band, Bob Livingston, Charlie Robison, Owen Temple, Two Tons of Steel, Jerry Jeff Walker, The Waybacks, and Martin Zellar.
He frequently tours with Terri Hendrix throughout the United States, and is a major part of her band and production as an artist. As the father of Natalie Maines, lead singer of the Dixie Chicks, he was instrumental in bringing the current lineup of bandmates together in 1995, which jump-started their sudden popularity and change in sound.
Susan Gibson"s "Wide Open Spaces", which had been sent to Maines, proved to be a hit from their debut album, and has remained their signature song.