Martina was born in Medicine Lodge, Kansas, where her parents, Daryl and Jeanne Schiff, owned a dairy farm. She is the third of four children. McBride's three syblings are an older brother, Steve, a younger sister, Gina, and a younger brother Martin. Martin, called Marty, plays in her band. She gravitated toward music, partly because of an innate ability to sing and partly because she knew it would get the attention of her father, who fronted a local band called, The Schiffters. In fact, she did such a good job of catching her father's eye that he put her to work at age seven singing a few songs with the band. [3] The band rehearsed every week in the family’s house. When she was seven and little brother Marty was five, they joined the group. Her role gradually increased each year, and by the time she reached high school, she was an accomplished keyboard player and was singing on almost every song the band performed. [4] By her teen years, she was singing and playing keyboards with the Schiffters playing small gigs at weddings, dances, VFW halls, and American Legion posts. Her mother Jeanne ran the soundboard. Her father Daryl led the band, played guitar and sang. Martina played keyboards and sang. Her brother Marty played guitar and steel. Martina played with the band every Saturday night until she graduated from high school. After high school she gigged around Kansas with several different bands, one of which was Don Overstake's Wichita-based band, Lotus. Her small-town upbringing was highlighted by her high school graduating class only having nine other students.