August 16, 2021 • 12 mins
On this episode of the Cody Cast podcast, Martina McBride drops in with Cody Alan to reveal the story behind one of her greatest songs, the purple envelope that changed her life forever, and how she feels about touring with Blake Shelton.
PLUS: Get all the details on Martina’s double-vinyl album, ‘Greatest Hits: The RCA Years.’
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Cody Cast, Cody Allen's podcast. Time for the
Cody Cast. Excited to talk to Martina McBride, one of
the great voices in country music. My new book, Here's
the Thing, is really all about that, taking you on
some of my adventures and country music with all kinds
of big names like Martina. It really is an all
(00:21):
access passed into my life. I tell you some behind
the scenes stories I've never shared before. Plus you'll hear
about some of the things I've learned as I've leaned
in to listen to my friends, family, and even my
own heart and my journey to find happiness and true authenticity.
So pre order Here's the Thing, my new book, right
now on Amazon, Barnes, and Noble wherever you can order books.
(00:44):
Of course, it will be available October nineteenth as well.
All right on with the podcast now, Hey, Cody is Martina. Martina,
thank you for calling up here. Appreciate that. How you
doing I'm great? How are you? I'm doing good. I
am here at my house and enjoying the seventy two
degrees air conditioning. We're not in a barn on the
outskirts of town this time, Martina, I know I know,
(01:05):
I know, I'm in my kitchen. Last time we were together,
we're like doing some sort of special and literally we're
in a barn that was I don't know, I think
about a hundred and fifty degrees and we were like
you were seeing an independence day. I was doing like
a little interview thing. Anyway, it worked out, but nice
to be with you. Um, congratulations on the brand new
Greatest Hits r c A years. You're releasing this all
(01:27):
on vinyl, right, yes, I am double vinyl, double vinyl,
and I know vinyl is in, but this is a
bold way to do it. Yeah, I'm excited. You know.
When I got to our c A was like, oh,
vinyls out, time for CDs, and I was like, dang,
that's fine. But I grew up wanting to hold my
own album, you know what I mean. And so um
(01:50):
when this, you know, when they've they've had there's been
some hits collections that they've released over the years, but
this time we decided, yeah, let's just put it out
on vinyl, and and I chose the track selection, which
has a couple of things that haven't been on the
other ones. So you know, if somebody has those it's
a little bit different tracks selection, and also just having
it on that final format is so cool. Yeah, it
(02:12):
really is. My dad had a wall full of shelves
of albums, uh, just hundreds, and so I also grew
up around vinyl, and it's just something about when the
needle hits the record that's just special. Yes. I also
know on the cover there's like an evolution of hair here, Martina.
(02:33):
Which which one was your favorite of all these? Oh
my gosh, I love that little short pixie cut on Emotion.
I thought that that was so fun and it was
so easy to take care of, you know, and that
was a lot of fun. I'm glad I did that one. Yes,
it's fresh, it looks fresh. Yes, yes, um the pixie cut. Okay,
(02:54):
when you look back at all those album covers, um,
which which kind of projects stands out as your favorite? Which? Um?
Would it be Emotion? You know that's one of them? Yeah,
I mean Timeless. Timeless is up there because that was
such a passion project for me. But um, Emotion, I
I think it was important to me because it's sort
(03:16):
of it's signaled a real growth, like I'd gone and
done little Lilia Fair um and was really influenced by
some of that alt I guess now we call an
American I don't know, like like um, Sarah McLaughlin and
that kind of Indigo girls, that kind of thing, and
and was really influenced by not only that music, but also, um,
(03:39):
just the camaraderie on that tour and musically. I came
back to Nashville and we still you know, like Paul
and I started using loops on the record. We started.
We were really influenced by some of those records. And
I can remember thinking it was such a departure, you know, symphonically,
um for me, so that that yeah, that's that's a
(04:00):
special record to me. It definitely was the start of
sort of coloring outside maybe you know, coloring outside the
lines a little bit musically, which um, and at the
next level sort of things. Also, I think, um, this
was for the girls. I want to ask about It's
such an anthem years ago it came out, and yet
in two thousand twenty one, it's that song could be
released and really, you know, it speaks to this moment
(04:23):
I think for women. Have you sensed that as well? Yeah,
you know, I just think that song is will be
timeless it's it's it's just you know, so well written.
I didn't write it, so I can say that it's
so well written, and the fact that it's so relatable
and for like, how brilliant to make a song that
that scans different time periods in your life and different
um emotions that you're going through a certain ages. And um,
(04:47):
now I need to add a you know, a fifty
two verse or something instead of but like, uh, but
you know, I think it just will always resonate and
and I have I'm I've been doing this long enough
that I have I have some times three generations of
women that come to the show together, so you know,
I have all of those age groups represented in my audience.
And so um, it's a real it's a fun one
(05:09):
to do live because yeah, I think it's I think
that song is time is timeless. I think it'll still
have the same residence because as women were all, we
all go through that, no matter if it's one or
you know, nineteen sixty two, we all go through that
those same feelings. Fans will get to hear that and
all the hits on the Blake Shelter and Friends that
(05:30):
he wrote tour coming up, so Um, what's what about
touring about with Blake? Do you look forward to most
because he's a wild man? Yeah? I love Blake. We
we sort of have a great kind of sister brother
relationship and we always have a lot of fun when
we're together. And um, so I'm just looking forward to
you know, I'm looking forward to being in front of
(05:50):
that audience, but also just hanging out with him. Uh.
You know on tour, my my um friend and a
fleaner plays for him, so used to play with me.
So I'm looking forward to hanging out with her on
the road and maybe having some little girl some you know,
girl time. And and I met Gwen many years ago
and she's just the most sweet, down to earth person.
(06:12):
So yeah, yeah, very very down to earth. So it'll
be fun to to get to know her a little
bit better. And you know, I don't know, it's just
gonna be a great experience. I can't. Yeah. I love
that tour, and I love how he's obviously bringing all
these friends together, um, like you and Trace and like
it's such a great line up. Um, have you'all talked
about what you might do on stage together, because I
(06:34):
know during those shows in the past, he's always brought
out everybody to sing together. What song might that be?
You know, I haven't heard that yet, and we really
haven't gotten that far. I mean I haven't been privy
to that yet, so I'm not sure. But it's coming up,
so I guess I'm better find out. Yeah, a new
exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame Martina McBride
The Power of her voice. UM. So cool because fans
(06:58):
can go there and see a wide collect of items.
Good opportunity for you to little spring cleaning and bring
stuff break some of the best stuff to the Hall
of Fame. Um. What item in there um stands out
to you? Oh my gosh, there's so many. I mean,
I love the things in my childhood. Um, the you know,
the tomato shirt and that's that. That was cool they
(07:19):
put that in there. But you know, one thing that
people comment in a lot is that purple envelope because
that's been sus you know, a story that I've told
since and the way that we you know, gave our
original demo tape to our ci A and a purple
envelope with requested material written on it because they didn't
take any and solicit material and you know, I I
(07:40):
just thought it had gone by the wayside in the trash.
But Randy Town, there's the head of our c A
A and R at the time, saved it and he
on my fortieth birthday, he gave it to me and
a you know, framed and so you know, that's kind
of it for me in a way. That really started everything,
right if you know, because that that because I wrote
(08:01):
requested material on it and they thought they'd asked for it,
it got back to the right person, and you know,
the next thing I know, they're calling one to see
a showcase. And it just catapulted the whole thing. Yeah,
I don't think I heard you tell that story to
me before about the purple envelope. That's awesome. It was.
It was a moment, you know. It was a bass
player had told me, a friend of mine had told
me that. You know, he's like, you need to drop
(08:23):
your demo tape off our c A. I think he's
looking for some a female design. But you can't just
put it on the front desk because they don't take anything.
You can't just walk off the street and drop it off.
They'll just throw it away. So just write requested material
on there and then they'll think they asked for it,
And I said okay, and I went to Key Does
and got me this big purple envelope, thinking well, they
can't miss this, and John actually wrote you know my
(08:45):
name and requested material. And two and a half weeks
later they called and said, we love your demo tape.
We need to see you sing live, and so we
put a showcase together and I did, and then then
that night they came back and offered me Josh Leo
came back and off of a record deal. So that
was cool. As we wrap here, uh, the exhibit and
(09:05):
just the collection of songs and the new album being
the greatest greatest hits must make you reflect a little
bit on your career and how not to quote a
Rascal Flat song, but how you'll be remembered. So what
would you like your legacy to be? How would you
like to be remembered years from now? Big question? I know, yeah, um,
I think you know as someone who who had a
(09:27):
catalog of material that people could relate to, the people
that helped people in some way. Um. I like to
be remembered as a kind person, a good friend, good mom,
good I mean, I'm a pretty good wife, but you know, um,
you know, just a just a good person. And I think, okay,
(09:47):
so one other thing now that you said is that
is a big question. But I think one thing that
I'm most proud of is I feel like I've always
been authentic, you know, and I feel like that's one
thing that's contrue to my longevity is people really feel
like they're they're getting the real thing. It's not like
some manufactured thing. I've really hands on. And so I'm
(10:10):
proud of that, you know, because because when I look
at that exhibit, when I look at that exhibit the
Hall of Fame, and when I hear my music um
over you know, the catalog, it's like, that's me. There's
nothing in there that I go, oh, that wasn't how
I was feeling, and that's not that's not really me,
you know, And that's that's a pretty great feeling to
stand in front of your exhibit at the Hall of
Fame and think all of these decisions were me, you know,
(10:34):
they it rings true. So that's good. Were there moments,
there had to have been moments where something you did
struck you as that's not me. Leave that off the album,
or I shouldn't do that gig that's not me or whatever.
Like there had been decisions in the past where you
where you've tried to stay close to that authenticity by
making choices that sometimes we're not easy. Yeah, you know,
(10:58):
you know, at one point there was a lot of
concerted discussion about crossing over, and I remember telling Joe Galante,
why do you think I want to do that? Like,
I don't know that I want to do that. And
really I was thinking to myself at the time, you know,
I want to be loyal to country music. But as
I look back on it now, seven and lots of
(11:19):
years later, I just think I was I was afraid
of it, Like I was afraid of it, you know,
becoming bigger and out of my control and not I
had a family and kids to think of, and all
of my decisions affected, what you know, their lives as well.
And so I don't know that that answers your question,
but because it actually probably was authentic to me, you know,
(11:40):
but but crossing over, I felt like I wasn't at
the time, so I did say no to that, and
you know, and yeah, and some of those songs, not
by necessarily intention crossed over because there were just great
songs that you know, everyone could relate to. I love
You comes to mind, I guess, but I think. Uh.
(12:01):
At the same time, you were always still a country
music singer and you still came. I mean you, you
still dance with the ones that brung you and UM,
and you always come home to Nashville. And so I've
always thought you were so authentic and I love your music.
And this whole collection is so cool on vinyl. So
I will get the word out and UM listen. I
always love chatting with you. Thanks. This has been cody Cast.
(12:23):
Subscribe now on iTunes, listen to any time on the
I Heart radio app. Cody is heard on hundreds of
radio stations across America and seen on CMT Hot twenty
countdown every weekend for more CMT Cody dot com.
Welcome to Cody Cast, Cody Allen's podcast. Time for the
Cody Cast. Excited to talk to Martina McBride, one of
the great voices in country music. My new book, Here's
the Thing, is really all about that, taking you on
some of my adventures and country music with all kinds
of big names like Martina. It really is an all
(00:21):
access passed into my life. I tell you some behind
the scenes stories I've never shared before. Plus you'll hear
about some of the things I've learned as I've leaned
in to listen to my friends, family, and even my
own heart and my journey to find happiness and true authenticity.
So pre order Here's the Thing, my new book, right
now on Amazon, Barnes, and Noble wherever you can order books.
(00:44):
Of course, it will be available October nineteenth as well.
All right on with the podcast now, Hey, Cody is Martina. Martina,
thank you for calling up here. Appreciate that. How you
doing I'm great? How are you? I'm doing good. I
am here at my house and enjoying the seventy two
degrees air conditioning. We're not in a barn on the
outskirts of town this time, Martina, I know I know,
(01:05):
I know, I'm in my kitchen. Last time we were together,
we're like doing some sort of special and literally we're
in a barn that was I don't know, I think
about a hundred and fifty degrees and we were like
you were seeing an independence day. I was doing like
a little interview thing. Anyway, it worked out, but nice
to be with you. Um, congratulations on the brand new
Greatest Hits r c A years. You're releasing this all
(01:27):
on vinyl, right, yes, I am double vinyl, double vinyl,
and I know vinyl is in, but this is a
bold way to do it. Yeah, I'm excited. You know.
When I got to our c A was like, oh,
vinyls out, time for CDs, and I was like, dang,
that's fine. But I grew up wanting to hold my
own album, you know what I mean. And so um
(01:50):
when this, you know, when they've they've had there's been
some hits collections that they've released over the years, but
this time we decided, yeah, let's just put it out
on vinyl, and and I chose the track selection, which
has a couple of things that haven't been on the
other ones. So you know, if somebody has those it's
a little bit different tracks selection, and also just having
it on that final format is so cool. Yeah, it
(02:12):
really is. My dad had a wall full of shelves
of albums, uh, just hundreds, and so I also grew
up around vinyl, and it's just something about when the
needle hits the record that's just special. Yes. I also
know on the cover there's like an evolution of hair here, Martina.
(02:33):
Which which one was your favorite of all these? Oh
my gosh, I love that little short pixie cut on Emotion.
I thought that that was so fun and it was
so easy to take care of, you know, and that
was a lot of fun. I'm glad I did that one. Yes,
it's fresh, it looks fresh. Yes, yes, um the pixie cut. Okay,
(02:54):
when you look back at all those album covers, um,
which which kind of projects stands out as your favorite? Which? Um?
Would it be Emotion? You know that's one of them? Yeah,
I mean Timeless. Timeless is up there because that was
such a passion project for me. But um, Emotion, I
I think it was important to me because it's sort
(03:16):
of it's signaled a real growth, like I'd gone and
done little Lilia Fair um and was really influenced by
some of that alt I guess now we call an
American I don't know, like like um, Sarah McLaughlin and
that kind of Indigo girls, that kind of thing, and
and was really influenced by not only that music, but also, um,
(03:39):
just the camaraderie on that tour and musically. I came
back to Nashville and we still you know, like Paul
and I started using loops on the record. We started.
We were really influenced by some of those records. And
I can remember thinking it was such a departure, you know, symphonically,
um for me, so that that yeah, that's that's a
(04:00):
special record to me. It definitely was the start of
sort of coloring outside maybe you know, coloring outside the
lines a little bit musically, which um, and at the
next level sort of things. Also, I think, um, this
was for the girls. I want to ask about It's
such an anthem years ago it came out, and yet
in two thousand twenty one, it's that song could be
released and really, you know, it speaks to this moment
(04:23):
I think for women. Have you sensed that as well? Yeah,
you know, I just think that song is will be
timeless it's it's it's just you know, so well written.
I didn't write it, so I can say that it's
so well written, and the fact that it's so relatable
and for like, how brilliant to make a song that
that scans different time periods in your life and different
um emotions that you're going through a certain ages. And um,
(04:47):
now I need to add a you know, a fifty
two verse or something instead of but like, uh, but
you know, I think it just will always resonate and
and I have I'm I've been doing this long enough
that I have I have some times three generations of
women that come to the show together, so you know,
I have all of those age groups represented in my audience.
And so um, it's a real it's a fun one
(05:09):
to do live because yeah, I think it's I think
that song is time is timeless. I think it'll still
have the same residence because as women were all, we
all go through that, no matter if it's one or
you know, nineteen sixty two, we all go through that
those same feelings. Fans will get to hear that and
all the hits on the Blake Shelter and Friends that
(05:30):
he wrote tour coming up, so Um, what's what about
touring about with Blake? Do you look forward to most
because he's a wild man? Yeah? I love Blake. We
we sort of have a great kind of sister brother
relationship and we always have a lot of fun when
we're together. And um, so I'm just looking forward to
you know, I'm looking forward to being in front of
(05:50):
that audience, but also just hanging out with him. Uh.
You know on tour, my my um friend and a
fleaner plays for him, so used to play with me.
So I'm looking forward to hanging out with her on
the road and maybe having some little girl some you know,
girl time. And and I met Gwen many years ago
and she's just the most sweet, down to earth person.
(06:12):
So yeah, yeah, very very down to earth. So it'll
be fun to to get to know her a little
bit better. And you know, I don't know, it's just
gonna be a great experience. I can't. Yeah. I love
that tour, and I love how he's obviously bringing all
these friends together, um, like you and Trace and like
it's such a great line up. Um, have you'all talked
about what you might do on stage together, because I
(06:34):
know during those shows in the past, he's always brought
out everybody to sing together. What song might that be?
You know, I haven't heard that yet, and we really
haven't gotten that far. I mean I haven't been privy
to that yet, so I'm not sure. But it's coming up,
so I guess I'm better find out. Yeah, a new
exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame Martina McBride
The Power of her voice. UM. So cool because fans
(06:58):
can go there and see a wide collect of items.
Good opportunity for you to little spring cleaning and bring
stuff break some of the best stuff to the Hall
of Fame. Um. What item in there um stands out
to you? Oh my gosh, there's so many. I mean,
I love the things in my childhood. Um, the you know,
the tomato shirt and that's that. That was cool they
(07:19):
put that in there. But you know, one thing that
people comment in a lot is that purple envelope because
that's been sus you know, a story that I've told
since and the way that we you know, gave our
original demo tape to our ci A and a purple
envelope with requested material written on it because they didn't
take any and solicit material and you know, I I
(07:40):
just thought it had gone by the wayside in the trash.
But Randy Town, there's the head of our c A
A and R at the time, saved it and he
on my fortieth birthday, he gave it to me and
a you know, framed and so you know, that's kind
of it for me in a way. That really started everything,
right if you know, because that that because I wrote
(08:01):
requested material on it and they thought they'd asked for it,
it got back to the right person, and you know,
the next thing I know, they're calling one to see
a showcase. And it just catapulted the whole thing. Yeah,
I don't think I heard you tell that story to
me before about the purple envelope. That's awesome. It was.
It was a moment, you know. It was a bass
player had told me, a friend of mine had told
me that. You know, he's like, you need to drop
(08:23):
your demo tape off our c A. I think he's
looking for some a female design. But you can't just
put it on the front desk because they don't take anything.
You can't just walk off the street and drop it off.
They'll just throw it away. So just write requested material
on there and then they'll think they asked for it,
And I said okay, and I went to Key Does
and got me this big purple envelope, thinking well, they
can't miss this, and John actually wrote you know my
(08:45):
name and requested material. And two and a half weeks
later they called and said, we love your demo tape.
We need to see you sing live, and so we
put a showcase together and I did, and then then
that night they came back and offered me Josh Leo
came back and off of a record deal. So that
was cool. As we wrap here, uh, the exhibit and
(09:05):
just the collection of songs and the new album being
the greatest greatest hits must make you reflect a little
bit on your career and how not to quote a
Rascal Flat song, but how you'll be remembered. So what
would you like your legacy to be? How would you
like to be remembered years from now? Big question? I know, yeah, um,
I think you know as someone who who had a
(09:27):
catalog of material that people could relate to, the people
that helped people in some way. Um. I like to
be remembered as a kind person, a good friend, good mom,
good I mean, I'm a pretty good wife, but you know, um,
you know, just a just a good person. And I think, okay,
(09:47):
so one other thing now that you said is that
is a big question. But I think one thing that
I'm most proud of is I feel like I've always
been authentic, you know, and I feel like that's one
thing that's contrue to my longevity is people really feel
like they're they're getting the real thing. It's not like
some manufactured thing. I've really hands on. And so I'm
(10:10):
proud of that, you know, because because when I look
at that exhibit, when I look at that exhibit the
Hall of Fame, and when I hear my music um
over you know, the catalog, it's like, that's me. There's
nothing in there that I go, oh, that wasn't how
I was feeling, and that's not that's not really me,
you know, And that's that's a pretty great feeling to
stand in front of your exhibit at the Hall of
Fame and think all of these decisions were me, you know,
(10:34):
they it rings true. So that's good. Were there moments,
there had to have been moments where something you did
struck you as that's not me. Leave that off the album,
or I shouldn't do that gig that's not me or whatever.
Like there had been decisions in the past where you
where you've tried to stay close to that authenticity by
making choices that sometimes we're not easy. Yeah, you know,
(10:58):
you know, at one point there was a lot of
concerted discussion about crossing over, and I remember telling Joe Galante,
why do you think I want to do that? Like,
I don't know that I want to do that. And
really I was thinking to myself at the time, you know,
I want to be loyal to country music. But as
I look back on it now, seven and lots of
(11:19):
years later, I just think I was I was afraid
of it, Like I was afraid of it, you know,
becoming bigger and out of my control and not I
had a family and kids to think of, and all
of my decisions affected, what you know, their lives as well.
And so I don't know that that answers your question,
but because it actually probably was authentic to me, you know,
(11:40):
but but crossing over, I felt like I wasn't at
the time, so I did say no to that, and
you know, and yeah, and some of those songs, not
by necessarily intention crossed over because there were just great
songs that you know, everyone could relate to. I love
You comes to mind, I guess, but I think. Uh.
(12:01):
At the same time, you were always still a country
music singer and you still came. I mean you, you
still dance with the ones that brung you and UM,
and you always come home to Nashville. And so I've
always thought you were so authentic and I love your music.
And this whole collection is so cool on vinyl. So
I will get the word out and UM listen. I
always love chatting with you. Thanks. This has been cody Cast.
(12:23):
Subscribe now on iTunes, listen to any time on the
I Heart radio app. Cody is heard on hundreds of
radio stations across America and seen on CMT Hot twenty
countdown every weekend for more CMT Cody dot com.
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