Martina McBride — Quick Facts about the Country Music Singer's Life

Martina McBride has been recording hits for the last 28 years, and has a devoted following of millions -- but there may still be some things her fans don't know.

There's a lot more to Martina McBride than her amazing voice, her superb songwriting, and the hit after hit she keeps recording in a career that spans nearly 30 years.

The 54-year-old has been married to John McBride since 1988, and the couple shares three daughters -- and it was John who helped Martina break into country music.

Martina's iconic song, "Independence Day" ...was so controversial that some radio stations wouldn't play it.

THE FAMILY BUSINESS

As a 9-year-old, Kansas-born Martina started singing with her father Daryl Schiff's band "The Schiffs," but when she became a teen her tastes turned from country to rock, and she idolized singers, Linda Ronstadt and Pat Benatar.

Martina formed a band called Lotus and went looking for a recording studio -- and met her fate in the shape of sound engineer John McBride. The two married, and John joined country legend Garth Brook's team. Brook was so impressed by Martina that he promised her the opening spot on his show -- if she could score a recording contract.

32 years later, John and Martina are still making sweet music together, and the "family business" has expanded to include two of her siblings, Martin and Steve Schiff, who play in her band -- just like she once sang and played in her dad's.

A GLASS OF RED

Any fan who's lucky enough to have Martina over for a drink, can't go wrong by offering her a glass of red wine -- she's partial to a Napa Valley Cabernet and has even partnered with Napa Valley's Blackbird Vineyards to launch a limited signature series.

MARTINA MCBRIDE GOURMET COOK

If Martina is particular about her wine, she's even more so about her food. The country singer has written two cookbooks, "Martina's Kitchen Mix: My Recipe Playlist for Real Life," published in 2018; and "Around the Table," published in 2014.

In fact, Martina has her own show on the Food Network, "Martina's Table" which debuted in November 2018.

In the show, Martina put together killer menus for family gatherings, together with a series of celebrity guests from the music industry, which included Sheryl Crow, Kimberly Schlapman, and Faith Hill.

The country singer's show was a hit with audiences and critics and scored great ratings, but due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, Food Network has yet to announce if it will be renewing "Martina's Table" for a second season.

FAVORITE SONG

While Martina happily shares her favorite recipes, fans may not know that she has a favorite among her own songs, which happens to be "Broken Wing," a song about a woman living with emotional violence. She revealed:

"The crowd really loves it. I can feel the connection. The fact that I'm singing what they came to hear or that the song means something to them makes it more special."

But if "Broken Wing" is her favorite song to perform, "Independence Day" holds a very special place in her heart and her life.

Martina's iconic song, which tells the story of a woman who escapes domestic violence by burning down her house, was so controversial that some radio stations wouldn't play it.

Martina is an activist against domestic violence, and is a spokeswoman for the National Domestic Violence Hotline, and supports the National Network to End Domestic Violence.

Martina is also involved in the project Love is Respect, which calls attention to the increase in violence among dating teens.

MARTINA MCBRIDE -- MOTHER AND DAUGHTER

But Martina is above all a mom. She shares 3 daughters with husband John, Delaney, 25, Emma, 22, Ava, just 15. When she became a mother, Martina reduced her touring drastically in order to be there for her daughters. Now that they are older, the girls frequently accompany mom on her road tours.

Martina is still reeling from the loss of her own mother, Jeanne Schiff, who passed away in January 2020 after undergoing emergency heart surgery at the age of 84.