Martina McBride still 'Waking Up Laughing' (Updated December 26, 2012)

Martina McBride's career path, especially in recent years, has followed the same cycle as country music – traditionalism yielding to pop in fits and spurts, but always coming back to those who still firmly embrace that middle-of-the-road sound.

McBride's signature soaring vocals –those of the healthy, big-tent variety – have soldiered on through the comings and goings of the young pop-crossover princess. Her albums – 'Eleven' of them, now – have proven their continued artistic and commercial life. And Nashville's format remains fueled by a grizzled mix of veterans and superstar newcomers, with McBride still at the forefront of those writing and performing songs that connect with everyday folks.

The best example of that connection was found in the 2005 release of "Timeless," an album consisting of country standards like Hank Williams' "You Win Again," Loretta Lynn's "You Ain't Woman Enough," and Kris Kristofferson's "Help Me Make It Through the Night." It marked the highest sales start for a Martina McBride album, with the lead single, "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden", climbing inside the Top 20 on the country charts.

McBride's "Waking Up Laughing" and "Shine" were the last deployed by RCA records (in 2007 and 2009, respectively) before she signed with Republic Nashville. What followed was the critical and commercial hit "I'm Gonna Love You Through It," which became part of a national campaign to promote breast cancer survivors.

Currently spreading holiday cheer on her "The Joy of Christmas" tour, Martina will join forces with country stalwart George Strait in 2013. The "Cowboy Rides Away" tour will be the last for Strait, a true icon with career accomplishments that include 59 number one hits and over 65 million albums sold. The tour is set to run through 2013 and into 2014. Currently dates have been announced from January through mid-April, making stops across the United States.

A History of Martina McBride tickets

Sometimes referred to as the 'Celine Dion of country music,' Martina McBride performs with a big, strong voice that rests in alto but frequently stretches to soprano. A country singer through and through, her songs reflect a traditional style, with conventional instrumentation, like the slide guitar, from the days of country classic stars Patsy Cline and Connie Smith. McBride's songs often tell stories, and she sings with a robust, heart-felt delivery, the way country ought to be sung. Martina McBride tickets guarantee a night of pure, solid country music performed by one of the best female vocalists on the tour circuit.

Early Signs of Talent

Martina McBride was born Martina Mariea Schiff in Sharon, Kansas, in 1966. She started singing at age 8 in her father's band, called The Schiffters, but soon took on a bigger role. It was in 1990 that country icon Garth Brooks, impressed with McBride's spirit, asked her to open for him, and her career took off. Her debut album, The Time Has Come, released in 1992, was a collection of traditional country, with honky-tonk and folk influences. With the release of McBride's second album, The Way That I Am, she began a succession of country and pop hits, including 'Indepndence Day' and 'My Baby Loves Me' from that album, then several from her albums Wild Angels (1995), Evolution (1997) and Emotion. In recent years, McBride's music has crossed over into pop territory, and several cuts from her Greatest Hits album in 2001 have made it onto Billboard pop charts in addition to country charts.