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Biography
Martina was born Martina Mariea Schiff in Medicine Lodge, Kansas on July 29, 1966. She has a sister, Gina, and two brothers, Steve and Marty. Marty is in her current band. She grew up in Sharon, Kansas on a dairy farm, in a country music-loving family. She joined the family band, The Schiffters, at age 7, where she played keyboards and sang. After she graduated from high school, she went to a junior college for one semester, then moved to Wichita where she formed a band, The Penetrators. When renting a rehearsal space, she met her future husband, John McBride. They later got married, and moved to Nashville. A couple years later, she landed a record label and her professional singing career started. Since then, she's had two daughters, Delaney, 8, and Emma, 5. She's also a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and has won numerous awards, most recently, ACM Top Female Vocalist Of The Year, 2003. (photo at top right)
Martina is also the National Celebrity Spokesperson for the National Network To End Domestic Violence. Visit the Favorite Links page for links to DV websites.
Also...did you know that when Martina was younger, her Younger brother Marty stabbed her between the eyes with a ballpoint pen! And that the first concert she ever attended was Ozzy Osbourne's! |
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Important Events In Martina's Life
- May 15, 1988 - Married soundman, John McBride
- 1991 - Signed for a record deal with RCA
- May 15, 1992 - Released debut album "The Time Has Come"
- 1993 - Released sophomore album, "The Way That I Am"
- landed her 1st top five hit with "My Baby Loves Me"
- 1994 - won CMA Video of the Year for "Independence Day"
- CMA Song of the Year for "Independence Day"
- Dec. 22, 1994 - Birth of daughter, Delaney Katharine
- 1995 - Released 3rd album, "Wild Angels"
- 1st Number One hit with "Wild Angels"
- Nov. 30, 1995 - Inducted into the Grand Ole Opry by Loretta Lynn
- 1996 - Receives a TNN Music City News award for Album of the Year for Wild Angels
- 1997 - Released "Evolution," her 4th album
- 1998 - March 29, 1998 - Birth of second daughter, Emma Justine
- Release of "White Christmas"
- 1999 - Released 5th album, "Emotion"
- Wins CMA Female Vocalist of the Year
- Re-release of "White Christmas" with two more songs
- Sept. 18, 2001 - Releases 1st Greatest Hits Album
- 2002 - Wins Flameworthy Award for Female Video of the Year
- Wins ACM Top Female Vocalist Award
- Wins CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Award
- 2003 - Wins Flameworthy Award for Female Video of the Year
- Wins ACM Top Female Vocalist Award
- June 16 - Fastest Charting Single Since "I Love You," "This One's For The Girls," Is Released
- Receives a Mother's & Shaker's award from Redbook Magazine
- September 30 - Releases eighth album, Martina, which sells over 120,000 copies in its first week
- October 11 - Receives the Minnie Pearl Humanitarian Award
- October 16 - tapes CMT Crossroads with one of her all-time idols, Pat Benatar
- November 5 - Wins 2nd consecutive Female Vocalist Award from the CMA
- December - Receives two Grammy nominations
Magical Martina Moment
This is what happened after she sang "I Love You" as her encore song, on the 4th of July, 2002, at the Greeley Independence Stampede, in Greeley, Colorado.
As the band exits stage left, Martina begins to tell us about how much she loves our country and how proud she is to be an American. "America." Never have I heard this song sung as lovely as Martina sings it. You know its coming, and you hope and pray you can hold back the tears. She puts so much emotion into this that you know she truly does love America. Now, little did we know as she began singing that night, that it would be our turn to do something incredibly special for her. During the last half of the first chorus, it was obvious to Martina that we were singing along with her. So she stopped and listened. And with the piano in the background, we, all 10,000 of us, continued singing. When the chorus was over, the music stopped, and there was silence. A deafening silence. Martina just stood there, and with her hand on her heart she looked out at the crowd and said, "That was beautiful." She was touched and moved so deeply by this that it took her a moment to regain her composure. It was one of those once in a lifetime experiences that I wish everyone could've experienced. In the words of Martina, it WAS beautiful. She finished the song and, while wiping tears from her eyes, she said, "I will never ever forget that. Thank you all so much. God bless you and goodnight."
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