Song "I Can't Stop Loving You" Recorded By Martina McBride Written By Don Gibson

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 studios anyplace. 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 has not written any of the songs she has recorded--yet. She has always said she prefers to use her creative energy to co-produce her albums and leave the songwriting to the people who have a special gift for it. But she has begun writing with some of the songwriters around Nashville.

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.

Biography Courtesy  of Martina's Official Web Site. We take NO credit for it's contents.

 
View My Guestbook

Sign My Guestbook

Lace & Denim Music Home Page

Disclaimer: These pages are solely for the entertainment of the fans and not official web pages. Credit for material used on these pages has been credited to the sources. If the owner of the copyrighted material has objections, please contact the Web Master of this web site. Thank you.

Contact Web Master

L And D Music@aol.com