Martina McBride

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Martina McBride has proven time and again that being little doesn’t mean you can’t be loud and have an incredibly powerful, beautiful voice. Standing at 5’ 4” tall, McBride creates a presence unlike any other performer in her time. Topping the charts, running a family and standing up for victims of domestic violence are just a few things McBride has added to her resume over the past 16 years that she’s been involved in the Country Music business. She has won multiple awards for her charity work and musical talents
Martina McBride
 
Small Town Life Leads To Big Dreams
 
Born Martina Mariea Schiff on July 29, 1966, near Sharon, Kansas, a small town in south-central Kansas, McBride wasn’t exactly thrown into the thick of the music business or anything other than farmland for that matter. Her parents, Daryl and Jeanne Schiff, owned a dairy farm. Father Daryl led a band called The Schiffters and Martina began singing with them at the age of 7 and played keyboard in the band until she graduated from high school.
 
After one semester of college, McBride decided to return to music and moved to Hutchinson, Kansas; and then Wichita, to sing in different bands. It was during her time in Wichita that she met husband John McBride. John owned a rehearsal studio that Martina was interested in using for her band; so they met and the rest is history. They got married May 15, 1988 and moved to Nashville in 1990 to pursue both of their dreams. The McBrides have three daughters: Delaney Katharine, Emma Justine and Ava Rose Kathleen.
 
How a Purple Envelope Changed Country Music
 
Martina and John were both looking to get ahead in their careers in Nashville. John owned a sound company, MD Systems, and traveled the country with different artists doing the sound for their tours. He even toured with Garth Brooks at one point, during which Martina sold t-shirts on the tour to keep from having to be separated from her husband on the road. They heard that RCA records was looking for a new female artist, but also knew that record companies don’t accept unsolicited material. The McBrides decided to take a chance at fooling the record company. They took a purple envelope, labeled it “Requested Material,” included a bio, photos of Martina and a demo tape. Luckily for them the record company was impressed and after asking her to do a showcase at a local club, gave her a record deal. Martina’s first album The Time Has Come was released May 15, 1992 and she opened on tour for Garth Brooks the following June.
 
“My Baby Loves Me” Breaks Out of the Gate
 
While The Time Has Come didn’t produce any big singles, Martina’s next project The Way That I Am produced enough for the both of them. “My Baby Loves Me” was her first single to reach the Top 5 on the charts, peaking at #2. Both “Life #9” and “Independence Day” reached the top 15 on the charts. “Independence Day” also won Video of the Year at the CMAs in 1994. This was Martina’s first step toward speaking out for victims of domestic violence and neglected children.   Her next album Wild Angels produced her first #1 hit, also titled “Wild Angels.” “Safe in the Arms of Love” was also a top 5 song off the album. Wild Angels was certified Gold by the RIAA after selling over 611,000 copies.
 
An Evolution Brings On More Success
 
Recording Evolution in 1997 produced more success for Martina than she had ever imagined. It produced two #2 singles with “Happy Girl” and “Whatever You Say” and two #1 singles “A Broken Wing” and “Wrong Again.” Her duet with Jim Brickman, “Valentine,” reached the top ten on the country charts but also crossed over to the adult contemporary charts. The album has sold over 3 million copies to date. 1999’s Emotion also brought her great success in the form of a #1 single, “I Love You.” The song also appeared on the soundtrack for the Julia Roberts, Richard Gere movie Runaway Bride. “Love’s The Only House” and “There You Are” were also popular singles from the album, reaching the Top Ten on the country charts.
 
Martina’s Greatest Hits Reach Out To More Fans
 
Greatest Hits was Martina’s first album to get to the top of the charts in the country world. It included fourteen songs that had already been released and four new singles. “Blessed” made it to #1 on the country charts, while “When God-Fearin Women Get The Blues” and “Where Would You Be” made it to the top ten. In 2003, Martina came out to rave reviews. “This One’s For The Girls” and “In My Daughter’s Eyes” both achieved great success on both the country and adult contemporary charts.
 
Martina took a more traditional step with her next album in 2005. Timeless contained 18 different country classics including “(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden” and “I Still Miss Someone,” a duet with Dolly Parton. The album received a great deal of critical acclaim due to McBride’s return to her roots in traditional country music.
 
Festivals And Tours Galore
 
Martina has been a part of some of the biggest selling country tours to date and has performed with many of the biggest stars. Even in the beginning, opening for Garth Brooks was a big step for someone new in the country business. One of her biggest tours was in 2000 with the George Strait Music Festival. Strait was the obvious headliner with McBride, Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, Lee Ann Womack and several others opening the show for him. Next was the “Girls Night Out” tour that brought together some of the biggest female names in the business like Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Jamie O’Neal, Sara Evans and Reba McEntire. McBride then toured with Alan Jackson in 2004. In 2005 her “Timeless Tour” was her first as a headliner. The “Waking Up Laughing Tour” has carried over into 2008 and included opening acts like Little Big Town, Rodney Atkins and Diamond Rio. She always tries to plan her touring schedule around her daughters’ school schedules. When they are out of school, the whole family usually goes out on the road.
 
Martina Still Waking Up Laughing After Nine Studio Albums
 
Martina McBride released her ninth studio album Waking Up Laughing on April 3, 2007. The album was the second that she produced and also co-wrote three songs on the album, including the first single “Anyway.” It was her first since 2004 to reach the top 5 on the country charts. Martina also made a couple appearances on television in 2007 including a spot on American Idol and her own show on ABC. Six Degrees of Martina McBride challenged people to connect themselves to Martina using only six different ways. Martina released a CD/DVD combo in 2008 titled Martina: Live in Concert. McBride continues her work with several different charities including the YWCA of Middle Tennessee, the National Domestic Hotline and the National Network to End Domestic Violence. She’s reached out to millions of country and fans of music in general over the past sixteen years. Martina McBride has many more years to continue wowing us with her musical talents.
 
 
Martina McBride Hit Albums & Singles
 
(Album name: “Song Title”)
 

  • The Way That I Am: “My Baby Loves Me”
  • The Way That I Am: “Life #9”
  • The Way That I Am: “Independence Day”
  • Wild Angels: “Safe In The Arms Of Love”
  • Wild Angels: “Wild Angels”
  • Evolution: “A Broken Wing”
  • Evolution: “Valentine”
  • Evolution: “Happy Girl”
  • Evolution: “Wrong Again”
  • Evolution: “Whatever You Say”
  • Emotion: “I Love You”
  • Emotion: “Love’s The Only House”
  • Emotion: “There You Are”
  • Emotion: “It’s My Time”
  • Greatest Hits: “When God-Fearin Women Get The Blues”
  • Greatest Hits: “Blessed”
  • Greatest Hits: “Where Would You Be”
  • Greatest Hits: “Concrete Angel”
  • Martina: “This One’s For The Girls”
  • Martina: “In My Daughter’s Eyes”
  • Martina: “How Far”
  • Timeless: “(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden”
  • Waking Up Laughing: “Anyway”
  • Waking Up Laughing: “How I Feel”

 
Martina McBride Awards & Recognition
 

  • 1994 CMA Music Video of the Year - “Independence Day”
  • 1995 TNN/Music City News Music Video of the Year
  • 1999 CMA Female Vocalist of the Year
  • 2001 ACM Top Female Vocalist
  • 2002 CMT Flameworthy Female Video of the Year – “Blessed”
  • 2002 ACM Top Female Vocalist of the Year
  • 2002 CMA Female Vocalist of the Year
  • 2003 CMT Flameworthy Female Video of the Year – “Concrete Angel”
  • 2003 ACM Top Female Vocalist
  • 2003 CMA Female Vocalist of the Year
  • 2003 AMA Favorite Female Country Artist
  • 2004 CMA Female Vocalist of the Year

Martina McBride Discography:
 
The Time Has Come (released May 15, 1992) RCA Records.
1. Time Has Come
2. That’s Me
3. True Blue Fool
4. Losing You Feels Good
5. Walk That Line
6. Cheap Whiskey
7. I Can’t Sleep
8. Woman Knows
9. Rope
10. When You Are Old
 

 
The Way That I Am (released September 14, 1993) RCA Records
1. Heart Trouble
2. My Baby Loves Me
3. That Wasn’t Me
4. Independence Day
5. Where I Used To Have A Heart
6. Goin’ To Work
7. She Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
8. Life #9
9. Strangers
10. Ashes
 

 
Wild Angels (released September 26, 1995) RCA
1. Wild Angels
2. Safe In The Arms Of Love
3. Phones Are Ringin’ All Over Town
4. A Great Disguise
5. Swingin’ Doors
6. All The Things We’ve Never Done
7. Two More Bottles Of Wine
8. Cry On The Shoulder Of The Road
9. You’ve Been Driving All The Time
10. Born To Give My Love To You
11. Beyond The Blue
 

 
Evolution (released August 26, 1997) RCA
1. I’m Little But I’m Loud
2. Happy Girl
3. Be That Way
4. A Broken Wing
5. Wrong Again
6. Keeping The Distance
7. Still Holding On (with Clint Black)
8. Whatever You Say
9. I Won’t Close My Eyes
10. I Don’t Want To See You Again
11. Some Say I’m Running
12. Here In My Heart
13. One Day You Will
14. Valentine (with Jim Brickman)
 

 
Emotion (released September 14, 1999) RCA
1. Do What You Do
2. Anything’s Better Than Feelin’ The Blues
3. I Love You
4. Make Me Believe
5. Love’s The Only House
6. There You Are
7. It’s My Time

8. I Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere
9. Anything And Everything
10. From The Ashes
11. Good Bye
12. This Uncivil War
 

 
 
White Christmas (released October 12, 1999) RCA
1. Do You Hear What I Hear
2. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
3. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow
4. O Come All Ye Faithful
5. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)
6. O Holy Night
7. Silver Bells
8. Away In A Manger
9. White Christmas
10. What Child Is This
11. I’ll Be Home For Christmas
12. Silent Night
 

 
 
Greatest Hits (released September 18, 2001) RCA
1. My Baby Loves Me
2. Life #9
3. Independence Day
4. Strangers
5. Safe In The Arms Of Love
6. Wild Angels
7. Valentine
8. A Broken Wing
9. Happy Girl
10. Wrong Again
11. Whatever You Say
12. I Love You
13. Love’s The Only House
14. There You Are
15. When God-Fearin Women Get The Blues (Intro)
16. When God-Fearin Women Get The Blues
17. Where Would You Be
18. Concrete Angel
19. Blessed

 

 
Martina (released September 30, 2003) RCA
1.  So Magical
2. She’s A Butterfly
3. City Of Love
4. This One’s For The Girls
5. How Far
6. Reluctant Daughter
7. Wearing White
8. When You Love Me
9. In My Daughter’s Eyes
10. Learning To Fall
11. God’s Will
12. Over The Rainbow (Live)
 

 
Timeless (released October 18, 2005) RCA
1. You Win Again
2. I’ll Be There
3. I Can’t Stop Loving You
4. (I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden
5. Today I Started Loving You Again
6. You Ain’t Woman Enough
7. Once A Day
8. Pick Me Up On Your Way Down
9. I Don’t Hurt Anymore
10. True Love Ways
11. Til I Can Make It On My Own
12. I Still Miss Someone
13. Heartaches By The Number
14. Satin Sheets
15. Thanks A Lot
16. Love’s Gonna Live Here Again
17. Make The World Go Away
18. Help Me Make It Through The Night
 

 
Waking Up Laughing (released April 3, 2007) RCA
1. If I Had Your Name
2. Cry Cry (Til The Sun Shines)
3. Tryin’ To Find A Reason
4. For These Times
5. Anyway
6. How I Feel
7. I’ll Still Be Me
8. Beautiful Again
9. Everybody Does
10. House Of A Thousand Dreams
11. Love Land