- Born Martina Schiff in 1966 in Sharon Kansas. McBride is her married name.
- As a child, she loved singing country music songs from the popular stars of the time. When she was 8, she began singing with her father’s band, The Shiffters, and later, she played keyboards in the band.
- Later, she performed with a rock band in Wichita, The Penetrators. When she was 21, she formed a band called Lotus, and she met her husband-to-be, a studio engineer.
- The couple moved to Nashville in 1989, hoping to break into country music. Her husband joined Garth Brooks’ sound crew, and Brooks was impressed with McBride, offering to have her open for him in concerts, if she could get a recording contract. Her husband helped with a demo tape, and she was signed in 1991.
- Her debut album, released in 1992, was The Time Has Come. Three singles were released, with modest success. The album had more of a honky tonk/country folk sound compared to the country pop sound that her later albums had. Her next album, The Way That I Am, had greater success – My Baby Love Me was her breakthrough hit, reaching #2, and Life No. 9 hit #6 on the country charts.
- She has continued recording during the 90s, 00s and today. Of her 13 studio albums, 4 reached #1 on the country chart – Martina, Timeless, Shine and Everlasting. These records also had crossover success – all were top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 chart. She also had a greatest hits album that charted at #1 on the country chart, and #5 on the Billboard 200 chart – this record sold more than 3 million copies. Her 5 #1 country singles are Wild Angels, A Broken Wing, Wrong Again, I Love You, and Blessed.
- Most of the songs she sings are written by other writers, though some songs on her later albums were co-written by McBride. Her 2005 album Timeless features covers of classic country songs originally by legends like Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, Buddy Holly and Tammy Wynette. Her 2014 album Everlasting features covers of classic soul and R&B songs.
- She has been nominated for 14 Grammy awards, but has not won.
- Her songs usually tell a story, often about a woman or child who is dealing with some difficulty, but ultimately comes through it a better person. Here’s a great example – her video on women who survive cancer and their caretakers, I’m Gonna Love You Through It. Watch this – and be ready to cry….
Martina is such a beautiful storyteller! I cried during the video “I’m gonna love you through it”……