MARTINA MCBRIDE FAQs

Compiled by John Staten
Last Updated 05/01/07

1. When and where was Martina born?
2. Is Martina married?
3. Do Martina and John have any children?
4. What is Delaney singing at the end of "Valentine" on Evolution?
5. When is John McBride's birthday?
6. Is John McBride a sound engineer?
7. Did Martina really work for Garth Brooks selling t-shirts and hats?
8. How did Martina get started in the music business?
9. What is the "Purple Envelope Story"?
10. Does Martina write any of her own songs?
11. Does Martina wear blue-tinted contacts?
12. Who does Martina‘s hair and makeup?
13. Is Martina left-handed or right-handed?
14. How tall is Martina?
15. Does Martina have a fan club?
16. How can I write to Martina?
17. Did Martina used to be lead singer for McBride And The Ride?
18. Where can I buy Martina's videos?
19. What happens to the mother at the end of "Independence Day"?
20. What happens to the woman at the end of "A Broken Wing"?
21. Where can I find Martina's recording of "Valentine"?
22. Will Martina be making a TV appearance anytime soon?
23. I've heard Martina is a member of the Grand Ole Opry. What's that?
24. When will Martina be on the Opry again?
25. When will Martina be performing near where I live?
26. Do radio station requests really make a difference?
27. Where can I get the lyrics to Martina's songs?
28. Where can I get ticket information for Martina's concerts?

Listing of Martina's Albums and Singles
List of major compilation albums & guest appearances

1. When and where was Martina born?

Martina Mariea Schiff McBride was born July 29, 1966, in Medicine Lodge, Kansas. Her parents, Jeanne and Daryl Schiff owned a dairy farm outside of nearby Sharon, Kansas (pop. 200) where Martina lived until she graduated from high school. Martina has an older brother, Steve; an older sister, Gina; and a younger brother, Martin (known as Marty), who plays guitar in Martina's band. (Martina and Marty were both born on July 29, but Marty's two years younger -- how's that for timing!)

2. Is Martina married?

Yes. In January of 1987, Martina was putting together a band in Wichita and heard about a rehearsal studio for rent, so she called the owner -- a man named John McBride. The band didn't work out very well, but the studio owner did. They became engaged four months later and were married on May 15, 1988.

John is a world-class concert-sound expert, industrial-strength Beatles fan, a Macintosh fanatic and all around great guy. And he has a really wild and crazy sense of humor -- Martina describes it as "warped." If you really want to make his day, collect some good jokes for him.

3. Do Martina and John have any children?

They have three daughters. Delaney Katharine was born December 22, 1994. Emma Justine, was born March 29, 1998. Ava Rose Kathleen was born June 20, 2005. John and the girls almost always travel with Martina when she is on the road. The only exceptions are a few week-day dates during the school year; John stays home with the girls so they don't miss too much school. They catch up with Martina on the weekend.

4. What is Delaney singing at the end of "Valentine" on Martina's album Evolution?

She's singing "With a broken wing." Martina happened to overhear Delaney (at age 3) singing it one day , so they recorded it. (Delaney is also heard laughing at the beginning of the Wild Angels album.) Delaney and Emma also sing on the chorus of "This One's For The Girls."

5. When is John McBride's birthday?

January 15.

6. Is John McBride a sound engineer?

In 1979, John started a concert sound company, MD Systems, in a Wichita warehouse. Within a short time, John and his company earned a reputation as the top concert sound experts in the Kansas area. In 1990 John moved the company to Nashville when he and Martina moved there. Over the next 15 years, he built it into one of the largest and most successful companies of its kind. In 1997, John sold MD Systems to Clair Brothers Audio, but continues to serve as General Manager.

John's goal had always been to own a recording studio and in 2001 that dream came true. He bought a recording studio in the Berry Hill section of Nashville and spent the next year and considerable money turning it into one of the finest recording facilities in the world. He finally decided on the name Blackbird Studio, after the song from the Beatles' White Album.

John also serves as Martina's co-manager. Look for him at the audio console at Martina's concerts; he mixes Front Of House (audience) sound to make sure Martina and the band sound great.

7. Did Martina really work for Garth Brooks selling t-shirts and hats?

Yes. When Martina and John moved to Nashville in January, 1990, Martina initially worked as a waitress while singing demos and trying to get a record deal. But she was lonely, with John being on the road with Garth's tour, so she got a job working for Garth's merchandise department selling t-shirts, hats, etc. in order to be able to travel with John. She continued with that until she signed with RCA and began working on her first album. Two weeks after the album was released, Martina went back on the road with Garth -- as the opening act!

8. How did Martina get started in the music business?

Martina's dad, Daryl Schiff, fronted a band called The Schiffters, playing local dances in small towns in south-central Kansas on the weekends. Martina began singing with the band at about age seven and later also played keyboard until graduating from high school. After attending one semester of college, she decided to go back to making music full-time, so she moved to Hutchinson, Kansas to sing in the band of some family friends. A year later, she moved to Wichita and sang with several local rock bands.

9. What is the "Purple Envelope Story"?

Martina heard through a friend that RCA was looking to add another female artist to their roster. Neither Martina nor John had any contacts at RCA and they knew that record labels don't accept unsolicited material. So they got a big purple envelope and wrote "Requested Material" on it, enclosed a bio, some photos and two demo tapes* that John had produced, and dropped it off at RCA. The "bogus requested-material trick" doesn't usually work, but about three weeks later RCA called and asked her to come in for an interview. Naturally, they were impressed and asked her to do a showcase at a local club to see her perform live. The result was a record deal with RCA-Nashville. Her first album, "The Time Has Come", was released on May 15, 1992 (the McBrides' fourth wedding anniversary). On June 2, 1992 -- in Denver, Co. -- Martina started her first gig as a recording artist as Garth's Brooks' opening act.

* (The songs on the demo tapes were: "I Can't Sleep", "Regular As Clockwork", "I Put You Behind Me", "Wild Side Of Life", "When You Leave Me" and "You Win Again.")

10. Does Martina write any of her own songs?

Martina finally got around to trying her hand at songwriting, and has been working with some of the writers in Nashville. In fact, the leadoff single from her new album, Waking Up Laughing, will be a song called "Anyway," which she wrote with the Warren Brothers. She also co-wrote two other songs on the album: "How I Feel" and "Beautiful Again."

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11. Martina has such fabulous blue eyes - does she wear blue-tinted contacts?

Nope, those are Martina's very own blue eyes. She does wear contacts, but they're clear.

12. Who does Martina‘s hair and makeup?

Martina's hair stylist is Earl Cox, owner of Trump's Salon in Nashville. Mary Beth Felts of Nashville does her makeup.

13. Is Martina left-handed or right-handed?

Martina is left-handed.

14. How tall is Martina?

Martina is 5' 4" tall.

15. Does Martina have a fan club?

Yes. The Martina McBride Fan Club (MMFC) has over 3,000 members. It is headed by Tracy Weaver, Martina's Director of Fan Relations.. The easiest way to get information is to click on Fan Club at the top of the page.

Or write to:

Martina McBride Fan Club
P.O. Box 291627
Nashville, TN 37229-1627

E-mail: fanrelations@martina-mcbride.com

Fax: 1-615-754-5584

16. How can I write to Martina?

You can send Martina mail to the Fan Club address. Martina does NOT have an e-mail address at this time. Also, please note that due to the large amount of fan mail that Martina gets we can not guarantee she will personally read every letter sent to her.

17. Did Martina used to be lead singer for McBride And The Ride?

Martina has no connection with the group or lead singer Terry McBride. (If there were a relation, it would be to John McBride -- Martina's maiden name was Schiff.)

18. Where can I buy Martina's videos?

RCA released a compilation of 11 of Martina's videos in conjunction with the September, 2001 release of her Greatest Hits album. It's available on VHS & DVD and contains exclusive interview footage plus the following video clips:

My Baby Loves Me
Life #9
Independence Day
Safe In The Arms Of Love
Wild Angels
A Broken Wing
Whatever You Say
Love's The Only House
When God-Fearin' Women Get The Blues
The Time Has Come
Cheap Whiskey

A second video compilation was released in conjunction with her current album, "Martina":

This One's For The Girls
Concrete Angel
Where Would You Be
Blessed
When God-Fearin' Women Get The Blues
Independence Day

19. What happens to the mother at the end of "Independence Day"?

The mother could have died in the fire, accidentally or deliberately, or she could have been taken away by the authorities. The songwriter, Gretchen Peters, deliberately left that question unanswered. But the point of the song is to illustrate what can happen when a woman finds herself in a desperate situation as a result of domestic violence and feels she has to take desperate action. Martina wanted to record the song to warn women in abusive or violent relationships to get help or get out before they find themselves in a tragedy like the woman in the song. Martina says her interpretation is that the mother does NOT die and that she couldn't have recorded the song if she felt that the mother dies.

20. What happens to the woman at the end of "A Broken Wing"?

This is what Martina had to say in the fan club newsletter: "And if anybody asks, you can tell them that no, she didn't jump out the window!! That thought never crossed my mind until someone asked me that after they had heard the song...to me the song is about this woman's unbreakable spirit, and I always thought she just left, and the window and the curtains were symbolic of her "flying away" and finding her freedom. I talked with the writers and that's definitely what they had in mind when they wrote the song."

21. Where can I find Martina's recording of "Valentine" and who is Jim Brickman?

If you don't listen to Adult Contemporary (A/C) radio, you might not be familiar with Jim Brickman. He's a very popular New Age pianist on the Windham Hill label. When he heard Martina's "Wild Angels" album, he realized hers was the perfect voice for a song he and Jack Kugell had written called "Valentine." He contacted Martina and sent her a tape of the song. Martina loved the song and thought it would be interesting to do something a little different. "Valentine" spent two weeks at #1 on the Adult Contemporary (A/C) charts and even got to #68 on Billboard's Country singles chart although it wasn't released or promoted to country stations. The song initially appeared on Brickman's "Picture This" album (Windham Hill 11211), and is also on Martina's album, "Evolution", as well as the "B" side of the CD single of "A Broken Wing." It was later re-mixed for country and released to country radio by RCA.

A number of people have asked about an instrumental version of "Valentine" for weddings. An instrumental version can be ordered directly from Jim Brickman's office. For more information, call 1-888-274-2562 or e-mail them at BrickPiano@aol.com.

22. Will Martina be making a TV appearance anytime soon?

Martina makes TV appearances from time to time. Some shows she has appeared on are the Tonight Show, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, The View, Today Show, Good Morning America (five times), The Road, Regis & Kathie Lee (twice), Entertainment Tonight, Crook & Chase, Prime Time Country, General Hospital, and guest-starred on an episode of Baywatch ("Western Exposure")! Her first hosted special, "Full Speed Ahead," with guests Garth Brooks, Lee Roy Parnell and Levon Helm, originally aired on TNN. And Martina did a limited series on TNN called "Celebrity Homes And Hideaways," as well as a Christmas Special, "A Classic Christmas with Martina McBride" (1998). Martina's appearances on CMT (including videos) can also be searched through http://www.country.com.

Upcoming TV appearances will be announced here on the Web site as well as the e-mail list, Infolist.

23. I've heard Martina is a member of the Grand Ole Opry. What's that?

The legendary Grand Ole Opry, presented live from Nashville each Friday and Saturday night, is the world's longest-running radio program, and it is also an American institution. The Opry began in 1925 as the WSM Barn Dance and is still going strong. The Opry occupies an important place in country music today because of its history and tradition and because it is virtually the only place that regularly brings together all types of music in the country genre. Most country singers starting in the business cite appearing on the Opry as one of their career goals (not to mention becoming a member). You can hear the Opry live from Nashville on WSM-AM at 650Khz every Friday and Saturday night over much of the U.S. and Canada. (Your car radio may be your best bet if you don't have a really good indoor AM radio.) The Saturday 7:00 p.m.--8:00 p.m. (Central) segment is also telecast live on the GAC cable network. If you're going to be in Nashville on a Friday or Saturday night, you should plan to attend in person. See the Opry's Web site at http://www.opry.com.

One of the major milestones of Martina's life and career occurred on November 30, 1995, when she was inducted into the Opry as its 72nd regular member during the Opry's 70th Anniversary Special, which was telecast on CBS. Martina chose one of her idols, Loretta Lynn, to make the presentation, and sang Willie Nelson's song "Crazy" for the occasion.

24. When will Martina be on the Opry again?

Martina appears several times a year as her schedule permits, but the dates are not usually available very far in advance. Opry members are expected to commit to at least four appearances a year. The Opry's lineup is available on Wednesday or Thursday of each week at http://www.opry.com. An announcement is issued through Infolist as soon as we learn that Martina will be on.

25. When will Martina be performing near where I live?

Martina tours all over the U.S. and Canada and she has also done several European tours. The tour schedule is available on the Tour page at martina-mcbride.com.

26. Do radio station requests really make a difference?

Yes. Calling stations to request Martina's singles is one of the most important things you can do to support her. The influence of requests varies from station to station; some pay more attention to them than others. Many stations use requests to gauge the listeners' interest in single - especially a new one when a lot of singles are competing for just a few new spots on the playlist. And don't forget to request the videos on CMT and GAC. The videos spur interest in a song, which spreads to radio, and that drives album sales.

27. Where can I get the lyrics to Martina's songs?

See the Music page at martina-mcbride.com. Scroll down to the song and click on it.

28. Where can I get ticket information for Martina's concerts?

Neither martina-mcbride.com nor the fan club has any details about ticket prices, on-sale dates, etc., for Martina's concerts. We list onsale dates on the Tour page if we have that information. If the venue has a contract with Ticketmaster, they will have information at <http://ticketmaster.com>. There may be venue information at http://tickets.com but they also scalp tickets. Otherwise, lookup the venue's phone number in one of the online phone directories and call the venue.

Martina's Albums and Singles (In chronological order)

ALBUM The Time Has Come (RCA 66002)
The Time Has Come/The Rope
That's Me/Losing You Feels Good
Cheap Whiskey/I Can't Sleep

ALBUM The Way That I Am (RCA 66288)
My Baby Loves Me/A Woman Knows
Life #9/Ashes
Independence Day/True Blue Fool
Where I Used To Have A Heart/Heart Trouble
Heart Trouble/That Wasn't Me

ALBUM Wild Angels (RCA 66509)
Safe In The Arms Of Love/Life #9 Dance Mix
Wild Angels/Two More Bottles Of Wine
Phones Are Ringin' All Over Town/Beyond The Blue
Swingin' Doors/Phones Are Ringing All Over Town
Cry On The Shoulder Of The Road (Radio mix) /A Great Disguise

Valentine/Valentine Instrumental (Album cut) - A/C mix Released to A/C radio
From Jim Brickman's album Picture This (Windham Hill 11211)

ALBUM Evolution (RCA 67516)
Still Holding On/Still Holding On (Different versions)
A Broken Wing/Valentine (CD single)
Valentine (Country Re-mix) -- album cut
Happy Girl/Wrong Again
Wrong Again
Whatever You Say

Chances Are - with Bob Seger (released to A/C radio)
From Hope Floats soundtrack album (Capitol 93402)

ALBUM White Christmas (RCA 67654)

ALBUM Emotion (RCA 67824)
I love You (Also on Runaway Bride soundtrack)
Love's The Only House (radio mix)
There You Are (Country & A/C mixes)
It's My Time

ALBUM White Christmas (RCA 67842) Re-released 10/12/99 w/two new songs)

ALBUM Greatest Hits (RCA 67012)
When God-Fearin' Women Get The Blues
Blessed
Where Would You Be
Concrete Angel

ALBUM "Martina" ((9/03)
This One's For The Girls
In My Daughter's Eyes
How Far
God's Will

Trip Around The Sun
(duet from Jimmy Buffet's License To Chill)

ALBUM Timeless (10/18/05)
(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden
I Still Miss Someone
You Ain't Woman Enough

Album Waking Up Laughing (04/03/07)
Anyway
How I Feel

Compilation Albums & Guest Appearances

Martina's recordings also appear on numerous compilation records. For a more complete list, go to http://www.cddb.com and do a search on Martina. Another good source of information is The All-Media Guide at http://www.allmusic.com. Some of the major compilations with Martina's recordings are:

The Mercy Project (Sony 85146)
"You'll Get Through This"

Backstage At The Grand Ole Opry (Reissue) (Bmg/RCA)
"Wrong Again" w/interview

Where The Heart Is - Original Movie Soundtrack (RCA 67963)
"There You Are" (new mix)

Matraca Berg; Sunday Morning To Saturday Night (Rising Tide 53047)
"Back In The Saddle"

Country Music Cares For Kids II (BMG/BNA)
"Wrong Again" - acoustic version
(All tracks are acoustic versions of the songs.)

Runaway Bride - Original Movie Soundtrack (Sony/Columbia 69923)
"I Love You"

Girls' Night Out (BNA 67791)
"‘Till I can Make It On My Own"
"Independence Day"
"Happy Girl"

Touched By An Angel - TV show soundtrack (Sony 68971)
"Little Bits of Lightning"

Hope Floats - Original Movie Soundtrack (Capitol 93402)
"Chances Are" - Duet with Bob Seger

Tribute To Tradition (Sony 68073)
"Till I Can Make It On My Own"

Switchback - Original Movie Soundtrack (RCA 07863 66993 )
"Safe In The Arms Of Love"
"Where I Used To Have A Heart"

Amazing Grace - A Country Salute To Gospel (Sparrow 51445)
"How Great Thou Art"

Mother & Child (Christmas) (Gai Saver/I.R.S. 35173)
"O Holy Night"

Country Music Cares For Kids (BMG/BNA)
"O Holy Night"

The Muppet Christmas Carol Soundtrack (Jim Henson Records/BMG 7 4860-30017-2 )
"When Love Is Gone"

Farm Aid: Keep America Growning Volume 1 (Redline 75003)
"Safe In The Arms of Love" (Live)

The Chieftans; Down The Old Plank Road: The Nashville Sessons
"I'll Be All Smiles Tonight"

My Favorite Things: A Richard Rodgers Celebration (RCA 63835)
Keith Lockhart & the Boston Pops Orchestra
"My Favorite Things"

Freedom - Andy Griggs
"Practice Life" (harmony)

Remembering Patsy Cline
"Sweet Dreams (of You)"

Patriotic Country
"God Bless America"

LIcense To Chill - Jimmy Buffet
"Trip Around The Sun" (duet)

Horse of a Different Color - Big & Rich
"Live This Life"

Martha Stewart Living Music: The Holiday Collection,
Traditional Songs For The Holidays
"Silver Bells"

Desperate Housewives TV Soundtrack Album
"Harper Valley PTA"

Bambi 2 Original Sountrack Album
"Through Your Eyes"

Christmas With Dino
"Baby, It's Cold Outside" (duet)