Her mother Jeanne ran the soundboard. Her father Daryl led the band, played guitar and sang. Martina played keyboards and sang. Her brother Marty played guitar and steel. Martina played with the band every Saturday night until she graduated from high school. After high school she gigged around Kansas with several different bands. Her small-town upbringing was highlighted by her high school graduating class only having nine other students.
On May 15, 1988 She married sound engineer John McBride. She and her husband then moved to Nashville in 1990 where they both took jobs touring with Garth Brooks (Martina sold T-shirts). Eventually she got a recording contract with RCA Records.
Family life
McBride is the mother of three daughters: Delaney Katharine (Born Dec. 22, 1994), Emma Justine (Born March 29, 1998), and Ava Rose Kathleen (born June 20, 2005). She currently resides in Nashville with her family.
Career success
McBride released her honky tonk-flavored debut album The Time Has Come in 1992. Her first big hit was the single "My Baby Loves Me" from her more pop-oriented second album, 1993's The Way That I Am. She became even more visible in 1994 with the crossover success of her anti-domestic violence anthem "Independence Day", also from this album.
In 2005, she released an 18-track CD of classic country music standards ("Timeless"), which landed at #1 on the Billboard Country Album Chart in its opening week and received much critical acclaim for its authenticity towards traditional country.
She is a four-time Country Music Association Female Vocalist of the Year winner (a record she holds with Reba McEntire), three-time Academy of Country Music Female Vocalist of the Year winner and a Grammy Award nominee. She performed The Star-Spangled Banner at Game 3 of the 2004 World Series.
"Independence Day" is used as the introductory music for Sean Hannity's popular talk radio show. McBride has appeared at benefit events organized by Hannity, but has declined to take an active political stance. McBride has performed free for fans, such as in a July 3, 2004 show in Owensboro, Kentucky to celebrate the grand opening of the new Independence Bank headquarters.
McBride gained additional visibility during the 2005 season of American Idol, as eventual winner Carrie Underwood declared McBride to be her favorite singer, performing several of her hits in the competition and putting "Independence Day" on her first single.
In 2006, she embarked on her first headlining tour, the Timeless Tour.
On August 21, 2006, she appeared as a guest coach on Canadian Idol, and announced on its finale of September 17 that the season winner, which turned out to be Eva Avila, would be invited to join her on her Canadian tour in the spring of 2007. This caused some spark from fans of runner-up Craig Sharpe and previous idol winner Melissa O'Neil due to Sharpe saying in an interview that he'd love to work with McBride again, and O'Neil openly admitting that McBride is her idol.
McBride's ninth studio album, "Waking Up Laughing," was released on April 3, 2007. The album, led by the single "Anyway," was solo-produced and co-written by McBride - A first for McBride, as previously she did not write her own songs. She kicked off her Waking Up Laughing Tour on April 12, 2007 in Kansas City and is scheduled to play nearly 50 dates through August. Special guests Rodney Atkins and Little Big Town will be joining her on the tour.
American Idol
McBride appeared on American Idol, season 6 on April 17. Martina is one of nine celebrity coaches who will work with the contestants. She also performed her hit "Anyway".
