Martie Erwin
Encyclopedia
Martie Maguire is a Grammy Award
-winning American
songwriter
, multi-instrumentalist
, and a founding member of the female alternative country
band, the Dixie Chicks
. She won awards in national fiddle championships while still a teenager. Maguire is accomplished on several other instruments, including the mandolin, viola, acoustic bass, and guitar. She has written and co-written a number of the band's songs, some of which have become chart-topping hits. She also contributes her skills in vocal harmony and backing vocals, as well as orchestrating string arrangements for the band. She is left-handed but plays right-handed.
Maguire learned several instruments at a young age, honing her skills with her younger sister, Emily Robison (born Emily Erwin
) and two schoolmates (a brother and sister team, Troy and Sharon Gilchrist
) for over five years as a part of a high school touring bluegrass quartet. After graduation, the sisters forged an alliance with two other women they had met through the Dallas music scene, Laura Lynch
and Robin Lynn Macy
, forming a bluegrass and country music band, busking and touring the bluegrass festival circuits for six years. After the departure of Macy, and the replacement of Lynch with singer-songwriter Natalie Maines
, the band widened their musical repertoire and appearance. The result was a trio so commercially successful that it took the country music industry by surprise, with a number of hit songs, albums, and awards that have set records in the music industry. Maguire subsequently stood by her bandmates as they were engulfed in political controversy.
, to Barbara Trask and Paul Erwin. She was raised in Addison
, a northern suburban town on the edge of Dallas
, Texas
. She has an older sister, Julia Erwin-Weiner, born in 1967, and a younger sister, Emily Robison, born in 1972.
Encouraged by her parents — educators at private schools — Maguire began playing classical violin
at age five, and by age 12, started to learn playing "fiddle
style" after receiving a birthday gift of fiddle lessons. She also was active in her school orchestra.
Her sister Emily Erwin
shared her love and interest in music, and displayed early talent herself. The two sisters were provided musical instruction on several instruments, and their talent for vocal harmony
continued to be nurtured. Although Maguire became famous for her harmony and mastery of the fiddle, she also plays a variety of stringed instruments that include the viola
, guitar
, mandolin
, and bass. Maguire compose
s songs and arrange
s the use of stringed instruments for concert and recording performances.
. The sisters showed an "almost obsessive" interest in busking
at small venues and attending bluegrass festivals. The four students formed the teenage bluegrass
group "Blue Night Express", playing together for 5 years, from 1984–1989, while still attending private Greenhill School (Addison, Texas). "We'd drive down to the west end of Dallas and open our cases, and that was our job", Maguire said of it in a later interview to 60 Minutes II
correspondent
Dan Rather
. "That's how we made money in high school". In 1987 Maguire(then known as Martha Erwin), was awarded second place for the fiddle in the National fiddle championships held yearly in Winfield, Kansas
. Upon graduation from high school, with Emily still in high school, she spent a year attending college at Southern Methodist University
in Dallas, Texas
, from 1988-1989. She performed in the school orchestra there and again competed in the National fiddle championships at the Walnut Valley Festival
, in Winfield, earning third place that year.
Robin Lynn Macy
and Laura Lynch
on bass in the Dixie Chicks
, playing what was at the time predominantly bluegrass music
and a mix of country
standards. Originally listed as Martha, and then Martie Erwin, Maguire played fiddle
, mandolin
, viola
and harmonized with Robison on backing vocals within the band.
Maguire had begun writing and recording songs on their debut independent album, Thank Heavens for Dale Evans
; and in 2001, one song, co-written with Laura Lynch called "Pink Toenails" resurfaced. The song was featured in the film, Don't Say A Word
, with Skye McCole Bartusiak
performing the song.
When their second album had a more polished sound, Maguire commented, "I hope our fans won't be disappointed [in The Little Ol' Cowgirl]; it's got drums on every track; it's no longer bluegrass, but we have to make a living and you can't do that playing bluegrass".
Two albums later, after Natalie Maines
assumed the position of lead vocalist, the band was revitalized. Maguire said of their music, "It's very rootsy, but then Natalie comes in with a rock and blues influence. That gave Emily and I a chance to branch out, because we loved those kinds of music but felt limited by our instruments".
Maguire co-wrote the song, "Cowboy Take Me Away
" on the Chicks sophomore studio album Fly for her sister Emily. It was a tribute to Emily's courtship
with country music
writer
/singer Charlie Robison
. Maguire was singled out by BMI in 2000, and awarded Songwriter of the Year for writing and/or co-writing "Cowboy Take Me Away
", "Ready To Run" and "You Were Mine
". You Were Mine was co-written by the sisters about their parent's divorce.
In 1999, the Dixie Chicks performed two songs, recording a cover of the song, You Can't Hurry Love
as well as Maguire's "Ready to Run
" for the Julia Roberts
/ Richard Gere
film Runaway Bride
. In 2003, Maguire was nominated for a Tony Award
for co-composing the film score
to Urban Cowboy
; the musical used her "Cowboy Take Me Away
". In addition, Maguire played fiddle on the song, " Somewhere Down The Road" on Deryl Dodd
's eponymous debut album.
After the band achieved massive commercial success with its first Sony studio two albums with Maines, they struggled with their record company over artistic direction on the third. Maguire commented, "I don't think any of us ever trusted Nashville. When you're in that town you know everybody is talking about everybody else. Everybody is wishing for the other guy to fail".
Although Maguire and Robison often appear quiet and demure compared to their animated bandmate Natalie Maines, the trio have stood united on controversial subjects since they banded together to play in 1995, even when their opinions have had the potential to serve them more harm than good. In 2006, Maguire said, "I'd rather have a smaller following of really cool people who get it, who will grow with us as we grow and are fans for life, than people that have us in their five-disc changer with Reba McEntire
and Toby Keith
. We don't want those kinds of fans. They limit what you can do".
with an album released in May 2010.
emerged as a new country music singer who co-wrote a song about child watching as his mother kept being rejected by her dates because she had a child, and the gratitude the boy felt to the man who was able to care for them both. Martie wrote to tell him she was moved both because she was now a stepmother, and had a stepfather as well. The song was called,"He Didn't Have to Be
", and Maguire joined him in performing it onstage in a concert on a CMT
showcase program, "On the Verge", saying the song "struck a chord" in her." However, her marriage did not last, and she and Ted Seidel were divorced in November, 1999.
At bandmate Natalie Maines
' sister Kim's wedding Martie met Gareth Maguire, a Roman Catholic teacher and actor from Northern Ireland
. The couple became engaged in June, 2001, and married August 10, 2001, in a civil ceremony in Hawaii
; as explained at one of their concerts, the Dixie Chicks' song "White Trash Wedding" is based on Martie's relationship with Gareth. Later they had a Catholic "blessing" ceremony in the groom's hometown, Carnlough
in County Antrim
, Northern Ireland
, on March 9, 2002, for all the guests that were not able to attend the first wedding. She said of the ceremony that the Catholic Church would not permit a wedding service due to her prior divorce. Maguire says ruefully that there were so many "special" people that they'd wanted to include, but that they just couldn't wait to marry. Another reason for the rush was Gareth's need to keep flying back and forth because of visa considerations. After her marriage, Martie changed her name again to that of her new husband; which is why in her musical career she has had the surnames of Erwin, Seidel, and now Maguire.
Martie and Gareth have three daughters: fraternal twins Eva Ruth and Kathleen 'Katie' Emilie were born April 27, 2004. Katie was named after Gareth's late sister, Kathleen, who died in a car crash circa 1997. Third daughter Harper Rosie Maguire was born July 25, 2008.
Maguire has been frank about using invitro fertilization to conceive their daughters. In an interview in Conceive Magazine
, she said, "All my paperwork said 'unspecified origin.' We spent three years of active trying before we went to IVF. First I went on Clomid. Then I had some dye tests and found I had a collapsed tube, so I had laparoscopic surgery
; the tube wasn't blocked, just spasming." After three attempts at intrauterine insemination, she said, she and her husband didn't think it was worth continuing in that manner, and switched to IVF. In August 2007, Maguire began IVF again, resulting in their third daughter Harper.
Regarding the number of children the Dixie Chicks have produced in the past seven years, (Maines has two; Robison has three in addition to Maguire's twins and newborn) Maguire told People Magazine, "We'll have to move over and let the little chicks take over! We've got a new band!"
Maguire and Robison co-wrote a song, "So Hard", about their own personal experiences with infertility and their need to rely on other methods to conceive. They speak out about the difficulties they faced, but also their good fortune; both having options that for many women are financially prohibitive. Mentioning the stigma
attached to IVF, Magurie said, "I think we feel a responsibility to break down some barriers. It's much more of a common problem than people realize." A final concern Maguire mentioned was the question of what to do with all the unused frozen embryos. "Now that I have children, I see those embryos as possible children. So I have to think about what my options are if there are leftovers again. I could keep them in storage, and maybe they will help my children some day. Or I can try to donate them to stem cell research. I don't think I could give them to another family," she admits. "I would always worry: what if it's an abusive family? What if they don't get enough love?"
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
, and a founding member of the female alternative country
Alternative country
Alternative country is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music...
band, the Dixie Chicks
Dixie Chicks
The Dixie Chicks are an American country band which has also successfully crossed over into other genres. The band is composed of founding members Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines...
. She won awards in national fiddle championships while still a teenager. Maguire is accomplished on several other instruments, including the mandolin, viola, acoustic bass, and guitar. She has written and co-written a number of the band's songs, some of which have become chart-topping hits. She also contributes her skills in vocal harmony and backing vocals, as well as orchestrating string arrangements for the band. She is left-handed but plays right-handed.
Maguire learned several instruments at a young age, honing her skills with her younger sister, Emily Robison (born Emily Erwin
Emily Erwin
Emily Robison is an American songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and a founding member of the female country band the Dixie Chicks. Robison plays banjo, dobro, guitar, bass, mandolin, accordion, and sitar...
) and two schoolmates (a brother and sister team, Troy and Sharon Gilchrist
Sharon Gilchrist
Sharon Gilchrist is an American bluegrass musician, singer, and the sister of Troy Gilchrist, also a bluegrass musician..-Youth:...
) for over five years as a part of a high school touring bluegrass quartet. After graduation, the sisters forged an alliance with two other women they had met through the Dallas music scene, Laura Lynch
Laura Lynch
Laura Lynch is an American country musician and songwriter, who is best known as a founding member of the all-woman country music band the Dixie Chicks.-Biography:Lynch is a self-proclaimed "Cowgirl". She is an acoustic bassist and single mother...
and Robin Lynn Macy
Robin Lynn Macy
Robin Lynn Macy is an American musician, teacher, and gardener, who is best known as a founding member of the female country group the Dixie Chicks....
, forming a bluegrass and country music band, busking and touring the bluegrass festival circuits for six years. After the departure of Macy, and the replacement of Lynch with singer-songwriter Natalie Maines
Natalie Maines
Natalie Louise Maines Pasdar is an American singer-songwriter who achieved success as the lead vocalist for the female alternative country band, the Dixie Chicks...
, the band widened their musical repertoire and appearance. The result was a trio so commercially successful that it took the country music industry by surprise, with a number of hit songs, albums, and awards that have set records in the music industry. Maguire subsequently stood by her bandmates as they were engulfed in political controversy.
Early life
Martha Elenor Erwin (nicknamed "Martie") was born October 12, 1969, in York, PennsylvaniaYork, Pennsylvania
York, known as the White Rose City , is a city located in York County, Pennsylvania, United States which is in the South Central region of the state. The population within the city limits was 43,718 at the 2010 census, which was a 7.0% increase from the 2000 count of 40,862...
, to Barbara Trask and Paul Erwin. She was raised in Addison
Addison, Texas
Addison is a city in Dallas County, Texas . The population was 14,166 at the 2000 census, and 15,737 according to a 2009 estimate. Addison is a northern suburb of Dallas...
, a northern suburban town on the edge of Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. She has an older sister, Julia Erwin-Weiner, born in 1967, and a younger sister, Emily Robison, born in 1972.
Encouraged by her parents — educators at private schools — Maguire began playing classical violin
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
at age five, and by age 12, started to learn playing "fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
style" after receiving a birthday gift of fiddle lessons. She also was active in her school orchestra.
Her sister Emily Erwin
Emily Erwin
Emily Robison is an American songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and a founding member of the female country band the Dixie Chicks. Robison plays banjo, dobro, guitar, bass, mandolin, accordion, and sitar...
shared her love and interest in music, and displayed early talent herself. The two sisters were provided musical instruction on several instruments, and their talent for vocal harmony
Vocal harmony
Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are sung at the same time as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical choral music and opera and in the popular styles from...
continued to be nurtured. Although Maguire became famous for her harmony and mastery of the fiddle, she also plays a variety of stringed instruments that include the viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, and bass. Maguire compose
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
s songs and arrange
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
s the use of stringed instruments for concert and recording performances.
Early career
By 1983, Maguire was touring with her sister Emily and school friends; siblings Troy and Sharon GilchristSharon Gilchrist
Sharon Gilchrist is an American bluegrass musician, singer, and the sister of Troy Gilchrist, also a bluegrass musician..-Youth:...
. The sisters showed an "almost obsessive" interest in busking
Busking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
at small venues and attending bluegrass festivals. The four students formed the teenage bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
group "Blue Night Express", playing together for 5 years, from 1984–1989, while still attending private Greenhill School (Addison, Texas). "We'd drive down to the west end of Dallas and open our cases, and that was our job", Maguire said of it in a later interview to 60 Minutes II
60 Minutes II
60 Minutes II was a weekly primetime news magazine television program that was intended to replicate the "signature style, journalistic quality and integrity" of the original 60 Minutes series.It aired on CBS on Wednesdays, then later moved to Fridays at 8 p.m...
correspondent
Correspondent
A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is a journalist or commentator, or more general speaking, an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, location. A foreign correspondent is stationed in a foreign...
Dan Rather
Dan Rather
Daniel Irvin "Dan" Rather, Jr. is an American journalist and the former news anchor for the CBS Evening News. He is now managing editor and anchor of the television news magazine Dan Rather Reports on the cable channel HDNet. Rather was anchor of the CBS Evening News for 24 years, from March 9,...
. "That's how we made money in high school". In 1987 Maguire(then known as Martha Erwin), was awarded second place for the fiddle in the National fiddle championships held yearly in Winfield, Kansas
Winfield, Kansas
Winfield is a city situated along the Walnut River in the west-central part of Cowley County, located in South Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,301...
. Upon graduation from high school, with Emily still in high school, she spent a year attending college at Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, from 1988-1989. She performed in the school orchestra there and again competed in the National fiddle championships at the Walnut Valley Festival
Walnut Valley Festival
The Walnut Valley Festival is a well-known acoustic music festival, held annually in Winfield, Kansas. The main genre of music is bluegrass, but other acoustic styles are represented...
, in Winfield, earning third place that year.
The Dixie Chicks
In 1989, Maguire and Robison joined guitaristGuitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Robin Lynn Macy
Robin Lynn Macy
Robin Lynn Macy is an American musician, teacher, and gardener, who is best known as a founding member of the female country group the Dixie Chicks....
and Laura Lynch
Laura Lynch
Laura Lynch is an American country musician and songwriter, who is best known as a founding member of the all-woman country music band the Dixie Chicks.-Biography:Lynch is a self-proclaimed "Cowgirl". She is an acoustic bassist and single mother...
on bass in the Dixie Chicks
Dixie Chicks
The Dixie Chicks are an American country band which has also successfully crossed over into other genres. The band is composed of founding members Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines...
, playing what was at the time predominantly bluegrass music
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
and a mix of country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
standards. Originally listed as Martha, and then Martie Erwin, Maguire played fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
and harmonized with Robison on backing vocals within the band.
Maguire had begun writing and recording songs on their debut independent album, Thank Heavens for Dale Evans
Thank Heavens for Dale Evans
Thank Heavens for Dale Evans is the debut album by American country band the Dixie Chicks. The group's original membership of Robin Lynn Macy, Laura Lynch, Martie Erwin, and Emily Erwin , would survive intact for only this album and the following Little Ol' Cowgirl, from 1989 to 1992, before first...
; and in 2001, one song, co-written with Laura Lynch called "Pink Toenails" resurfaced. The song was featured in the film, Don't Say A Word
Don't Say a Word
Don't Say a Word is a 2001 psychological thriller film starring Michael Douglas, Brittany Murphy and Sean Bean based on the novel of the same title by Andrew Klavan...
, with Skye McCole Bartusiak
Skye McCole Bartusiak
-Life and career:McCole Bartusiak was born in Houston, Texas, where she lives today with her parents Raymond Donald Bartusiak and Helen McCole. She attended St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal school for her elementary education....
performing the song.
When their second album had a more polished sound, Maguire commented, "I hope our fans won't be disappointed [in The Little Ol' Cowgirl]; it's got drums on every track; it's no longer bluegrass, but we have to make a living and you can't do that playing bluegrass".
Two albums later, after Natalie Maines
Natalie Maines
Natalie Louise Maines Pasdar is an American singer-songwriter who achieved success as the lead vocalist for the female alternative country band, the Dixie Chicks...
assumed the position of lead vocalist, the band was revitalized. Maguire said of their music, "It's very rootsy, but then Natalie comes in with a rock and blues influence. That gave Emily and I a chance to branch out, because we loved those kinds of music but felt limited by our instruments".
Maguire co-wrote the song, "Cowboy Take Me Away
Cowboy Take Me Away
"Cowboy Take Me Away" is the title of a song recorded by American country group the Dixie Chicks. It was released in November 1999 as a single from their album, Fly. The song's title is derived from a famous slogan used in commercials for Calgon bath and beauty products. It reached Number One on...
" on the Chicks sophomore studio album Fly for her sister Emily. It was a tribute to Emily's courtship
Courtship
Courtship is the period in a couple's relationship which precedes their engagement and marriage, or establishment of an agreed relationship of a more enduring kind. In courtship, a couple get to know each other and decide if there will be an engagement or other such agreement...
with country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
/singer Charlie Robison
Charlie Robison
Charles Fitzgerald "Charlie" Robison is an Texas Country singer/songwriter, who was raised in Bandera, Texas. His brother is singer/songwriter Bruce Robison...
. Maguire was singled out by BMI in 2000, and awarded Songwriter of the Year for writing and/or co-writing "Cowboy Take Me Away
Cowboy Take Me Away
"Cowboy Take Me Away" is the title of a song recorded by American country group the Dixie Chicks. It was released in November 1999 as a single from their album, Fly. The song's title is derived from a famous slogan used in commercials for Calgon bath and beauty products. It reached Number One on...
", "Ready To Run" and "You Were Mine
You Were Mine
"You Were Mine" is a hit song by the Dixie Chicks, from their 1998 album Wide Open Spaces. It was released in December 1998, and hit number one on the U.S. Country singles chart, spending two weeks there in March 1999...
". You Were Mine was co-written by the sisters about their parent's divorce.
In 1999, the Dixie Chicks performed two songs, recording a cover of the song, You Can't Hurry Love
You Can't Hurry Love
"You Can't Hurry Love" is 1966 song originally released by The Supremes for the Motown label.Written and produced by Motown production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song topped the United States Billboard pop singles chart and in the UK in the top 5, released and peaking late summer in 1966...
as well as Maguire's "Ready to Run
Ready to Run
Ready to Run is a 2000 Disney Channel Original Movie.-Plot summary:Ready to Run is the story of 14-year-old Corrie Ortiz, an energetic girl who dreams of becoming a jockey in the predominantly male sport of Thoroughbred horse racing...
" for the Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
/ Richard Gere
Richard Gere
Richard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and a starring role in Days of Heaven. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol...
film Runaway Bride
Runaway Bride (1999 film)
Runaway Bride is a 1999 American romantic comedy film starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere and directed by Garry Marshall. The screenplay was written by Josann McGibbon, Audrey Wells and Sara Parriott.-Plot:...
. In 2003, Maguire was nominated for a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for co-composing the film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
to Urban Cowboy
Urban Cowboy (musical)
Urban Cowboy is a musical with a book by Aaron Latham and Phillip Oesterman and a score composed of numbers by Broadway composer-lyricists Jeff Blumenkrantz and Jason Robert Brown and a variety of country music tunesmiths, including Clint Black and Charles Daniels.Based on the 1980 screenplay by...
; the musical used her "Cowboy Take Me Away
Cowboy Take Me Away
"Cowboy Take Me Away" is the title of a song recorded by American country group the Dixie Chicks. It was released in November 1999 as a single from their album, Fly. The song's title is derived from a famous slogan used in commercials for Calgon bath and beauty products. It reached Number One on...
". In addition, Maguire played fiddle on the song, " Somewhere Down The Road" on Deryl Dodd
Deryl Dodd
Deryl Dwaine Dodd is an American Texas Country artist. Originally a regular on the Texas club circuit, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, soon finding work as a background vocalist and songwriter...
's eponymous debut album.
After the band achieved massive commercial success with its first Sony studio two albums with Maines, they struggled with their record company over artistic direction on the third. Maguire commented, "I don't think any of us ever trusted Nashville. When you're in that town you know everybody is talking about everybody else. Everybody is wishing for the other guy to fail".
Although Maguire and Robison often appear quiet and demure compared to their animated bandmate Natalie Maines, the trio have stood united on controversial subjects since they banded together to play in 1995, even when their opinions have had the potential to serve them more harm than good. In 2006, Maguire said, "I'd rather have a smaller following of really cool people who get it, who will grow with us as we grow and are fans for life, than people that have us in their five-disc changer with Reba McEntire
Reba McEntire
Reba Nell McEntire is an American country music artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma...
and Toby Keith
Toby Keith
Toby Keith Covel , best known as Toby Keith, is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer and actor. Keith released his first four studio albums — 1993's Toby Keith, 1994's Boomtown, 1996's Blue Moon and 1997's Dream Walkin, plus a Greatest Hits package for various divisions of...
. We don't want those kinds of fans. They limit what you can do".
Court Yard Hounds
With Natalie Maines taking a break from music, Maguire was working on a solo album; however, it was announced in January 2010 that she and sister Emily Robison have formed a side project called the Court Yard Hounds, with Robison on lead vocals. The band made their live debut in March at South by SouthwestSouth by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
with an album released in May 2010.
Personal life
Martie married pharmaceutical representative Ted Seidel on June 17, 1995, and changed her last name to Seidel. She also was stepmother to his son, Carter. Brad PaisleyBrad Paisley
Brad Douglas Paisley is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His style crosses between traditional country music and Southern rock, and his songs are frequently laced with humor and pop culture references....
emerged as a new country music singer who co-wrote a song about child watching as his mother kept being rejected by her dates because she had a child, and the gratitude the boy felt to the man who was able to care for them both. Martie wrote to tell him she was moved both because she was now a stepmother, and had a stepfather as well. The song was called,"He Didn't Have to Be
He Didn't Have to Be
"He Didn't Have to Be" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Brad Paisley. It was released in August 1999 as the second single from his debut album, Who Needs Pictures...
", and Maguire joined him in performing it onstage in a concert on a CMT
CMT
- Medicine :* California mastitis test* Certified Massage Therapist* Cervical motion tenderness, a sign of pelvic inflammatory disease* Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease* Chemically modified tetracyclines* Circus Movement Tachycardia...
showcase program, "On the Verge", saying the song "struck a chord" in her." However, her marriage did not last, and she and Ted Seidel were divorced in November, 1999.
At bandmate Natalie Maines
Natalie Maines
Natalie Louise Maines Pasdar is an American singer-songwriter who achieved success as the lead vocalist for the female alternative country band, the Dixie Chicks...
' sister Kim's wedding Martie met Gareth Maguire, a Roman Catholic teacher and actor from Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. The couple became engaged in June, 2001, and married August 10, 2001, in a civil ceremony in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
; as explained at one of their concerts, the Dixie Chicks' song "White Trash Wedding" is based on Martie's relationship with Gareth. Later they had a Catholic "blessing" ceremony in the groom's hometown, Carnlough
Carnlough
Carnlough is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It has a picturesque harbour on the shores of Carnlough Bay. Carnlough is situated on the Coast Road beside the North Channel and at the foot of Glencloy, the second of the nine Glens of Antrim...
in County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, on March 9, 2002, for all the guests that were not able to attend the first wedding. She said of the ceremony that the Catholic Church would not permit a wedding service due to her prior divorce. Maguire says ruefully that there were so many "special" people that they'd wanted to include, but that they just couldn't wait to marry. Another reason for the rush was Gareth's need to keep flying back and forth because of visa considerations. After her marriage, Martie changed her name again to that of her new husband; which is why in her musical career she has had the surnames of Erwin, Seidel, and now Maguire.
Martie and Gareth have three daughters: fraternal twins Eva Ruth and Kathleen 'Katie' Emilie were born April 27, 2004. Katie was named after Gareth's late sister, Kathleen, who died in a car crash circa 1997. Third daughter Harper Rosie Maguire was born July 25, 2008.
Maguire has been frank about using invitro fertilization to conceive their daughters. In an interview in Conceive Magazine
Conceive magazine
Conceive Magazine is a health and lifestyle publication that provides information about women's health and fertility, about various methods of conception , and about adoption. Conceive offers information and support to women interested in starting or expanding their families...
, she said, "All my paperwork said 'unspecified origin.' We spent three years of active trying before we went to IVF. First I went on Clomid. Then I had some dye tests and found I had a collapsed tube, so I had laparoscopic surgery
Laparoscopic surgery
Laparoscopic surgery, also called minimally invasive surgery , bandaid surgery, or keyhole surgery, is a modern surgical technique in which operations in the abdomen are performed through small incisions as opposed to the larger incisions needed in laparotomy.Keyhole surgery makes use of images...
; the tube wasn't blocked, just spasming." After three attempts at intrauterine insemination, she said, she and her husband didn't think it was worth continuing in that manner, and switched to IVF. In August 2007, Maguire began IVF again, resulting in their third daughter Harper.
Regarding the number of children the Dixie Chicks have produced in the past seven years, (Maines has two; Robison has three in addition to Maguire's twins and newborn) Maguire told People Magazine, "We'll have to move over and let the little chicks take over! We've got a new band!"
Maguire and Robison co-wrote a song, "So Hard", about their own personal experiences with infertility and their need to rely on other methods to conceive. They speak out about the difficulties they faced, but also their good fortune; both having options that for many women are financially prohibitive. Mentioning the stigma
Social stigma
Social stigma is the severe disapproval of or discontent with a person on the grounds of characteristics that distinguish them from other members of a society.Almost all stigma is based on a person differing from social or cultural norms...
attached to IVF, Magurie said, "I think we feel a responsibility to break down some barriers. It's much more of a common problem than people realize." A final concern Maguire mentioned was the question of what to do with all the unused frozen embryos. "Now that I have children, I see those embryos as possible children. So I have to think about what my options are if there are leftovers again. I could keep them in storage, and maybe they will help my children some day. Or I can try to donate them to stem cell research. I don't think I could give them to another family," she admits. "I would always worry: what if it's an abusive family? What if they don't get enough love?"
Discography
- Maguire played fiddle on the song, " Somewhere Down The Road" on the eponymous album, Deryl DoddDeryl DoddDeryl Dwaine Dodd is an American Texas Country artist. Originally a regular on the Texas club circuit, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, soon finding work as a background vocalist and songwriter...
by Deryl DoddDeryl DoddDeryl Dwaine Dodd is an American Texas Country artist. Originally a regular on the Texas club circuit, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, soon finding work as a background vocalist and songwriter...
on Sony. - Maguire also played fiddle on The FlatlandersThe FlatlandersThe Flatlanders are a country band with considerable country rock influence from Lubbock, Texas founded by singers/songwriters/guitarists Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely, and Butch Hancock....
' adaptation of Woody GuthrieWoody GuthrieWoodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
's "Sowing On The Mountain" on their 2009 album Hills and Valleys.
External links
- Dixie Chicks (Official Site)
- Court Yard Hounds (Official Site)