Martina McBride is known for her earth-shattering voice that lit up country radio throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. With signature songs like “A Broken Wing,” “Concrete Angel,” “Independence Day” and several others that allowed her powerhouse voice to fly, McBride is a staple in the genre. Though her vocals stand out on their own, McBride has been known to lend her talents by providing background vocals on songs by her peers over the years. Check some of them out below.
Videos by American Songwriter
1. “On My Own” by Reba McEntire
For her 1995 album, Starting Over, McEntire enlisted the all-female team of fellow fierce singers Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood, and her “Does He Love You” duet partner Linda Davis to sing backup on a stunning rendition of Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald’s classic duet, “On My Own.” The four powerhouse voices unite beautifully on the chorus that proved the power of the women of country music in the ’90s. McEntire’s version hit the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, with the quartet performing “On My Own” at both the CMA and ACM Awards in 1995 and 1996, respectively.
2. “I’ll Be the Wind” by Garth Brooks
In 2005, Garth Brooks released his second box set, The Limited Series, comprised of three of his highly successful albums released in the late 1990s and early 2000s: Sevens, Double Live, and Scarecrow. A special addition to this compilation is that of The Lost Sessions, an album comprised of 11 songs recorded between 1995 and 2000 that were previously unreleased.
One of those songs is “I’ll Be the Wind,” which features background vocals by Martina McBride. Her signature voice can be heard in the chorus as she helps Brooks sing, I’ll be the wind / I’ll be the highway / I’ll be your midnight friend / And we’ll fly away.
“I got a lot of help from people when I was coming up. Garth Brooks gave me an opening spot on his tour right off the bat,” she told Southern Living about how Brooks supported her in the early days of her career. “We did 77 shows together, and at the time, I don’t even think my single was out when we did our first couple of shows. So, it was really a leap of faith.”
3. “I’m Sorry” by Blake Shelton
Just because Martina McBride’s voice is in the background doesn’t mean it’s any less powerful. She demonstrates this on Blake Shelton’s “I’m Sorry,” a deep cut off his 2011 album, Red River Blue, his first to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. This soaring ballad features a strong presence from McBride on the chorus as Shelton sings lead on lyrics, Say you’re sorry / Oh you’re sorry / You want it back the way it was / Well, I’m sorry / But sometimes sorry just ain’t good enough. “The record would not be half the record it is without her voice on it,” Shelton raved to The Boot about McBride’s performance.
Photo by Robby Klein / True Public Relations
