| Contemporary country singer Martina McBride rose to stardom in the late '90s, starting out with a more traditionalist approach and moving into pop-friendlier territory. She was born Martina Mariea Schiff in Sharon, KS, in 1966, and discovered country music through her father, who led a local band called the Schifters. By her teen years, she was singing and playing keyboards with the Schifters, and after high school she gigged around Kansas with several different bands. ... |