Martina McBride, who gained a following on the ’90s country music scene with hits like “Independence Day” and “A Broken Wing,” is mourning the loss of her father. The four-time CMA vocalist of the year penned a touching social media tribute to Daryl Schiff, who died Tuesday (Jan. 14) at age 86.
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“Our hearts are broken,” McBride wrote in the caption. She described her father as a man with “the kindest blue eyes and a great laugh.”
Daryl Schiff Was Also a Country Singer
Daryl Schiff, a third-generation dairy farmer in Sharon, Kansas, introduced his daughter to country music at a young age.
“Always, since I can remember, he had a band,” Martina McBride said during a 2021 interview at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. “And when I was real little, they would rehearse in the living room. He was always playing guitar and singing. He’d come in from the field and play.”
At age 7, McBride started singing in her father’s band, The Schiffters. “I’m so grateful… that he did include us kids in that, because he could have just gone out and played dances,” she said. “But they did include us, and it was a great way to have experience performing as a kid.”
As she grew older, the “Wrong Again” singer graduated to playing keyboard. In 1989, she moved to Nashville with new husband John McBride to make their country music dreams a reality. After performing as the opening act for Garth Brooks, McBride scored a contract with RCA Nashville Records in 1991. A year later, she released her debut studio album, The Time Has Come.
[RELATED: Behind the Meaning of “In My Daughter’s Eyes” by Martina McBride]
Martina McBride Produced Her Father’s 2021 Record
The father-daughter collaboration didn’t end when Martina McBride’s career took off. In fact, she produced Schiff’s 2021 record Satisfied, which also featured her brother, Marty Schiff.
They even shared the stage together a time or two, including for this medley of Hank Thompson’s “The Wild Side of Life” and Kitty Wells’ “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky-Tonk Angels,” below.
“It’s a really special night for me tonight, because I am able to bring someone out here on this stage who I have heard sing since I was a baby, and who really taught me how to sing,” McBride said. “Please welcome my dad, Daryl Schiff.”
Featured image by Paul Zimmerman/Shutterstock
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