Martie Maguire is best known for the band she founded and performed with, Dixie Chicks. She was also associated with another outfit titled Court Yard Hounds. She is known for her ability to play a large number of musical instruments which include violin, viola, guitar, double bass, and the mandolin. Along with creating and performing the music of these songs, this talented musician also writes songs for her bands. She is also a singer.
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Early Life and Beginning of Career
Martie Maguire was born as Martha Elenor Erwin on October 12, 1969. Her birthplace was York in Pennsylvania. Her parents were Paul Erwin and Barbara Trask, both educators. She is the middle of three daughters. When she was just five, she learned to play the violin. A few years later, she learned to play the fiddle.
Along with her younger sister Emily, who was also talented in music, the duo performed on stage since a very early age. During this time, they honed their singing voices too. Martie Maguire then went on to learn string instruments such as the mandolin, the double bass, and the viola.
Her music career started by busking, which she did with her sister Emily and two school friends. Soon they formed a group known as the Blue Night Express. This group played from 1984 to 1989. This even brought them some money, and most importantly, bolstered their confidence. Both as part of this group and solo, she performed in the school orchestra and won the third place at the Walnut Valley Festival.
Life with the Dixie Chicks
The sisters Martie and Emily teamed up with Laura Lynch and guitarist Robin Lynn Macy to form the Dixie Chicks in 1989. This was a bluegrass band to begin with. Martie Maguire played several instruments on the band. Her first written song for the Dixie Chicks was Thank Heavens for Dale Evans which was co-written with Laura Lynch. The song hit big time when it was made part of the soundtrack of the film Don’t Say a Word.
The second album experimented with other kinds of music too, predominantly country. After this, they were quick in releasing albums. Maguire wrote several band hits such as Cowboy Take Me Away for which she won the Songwriter of the Year by the BMI in 2000. Other hit songs were Ready to Run and You Were Mine.
Dixie Chicks attained international popularity when it recorded songs for the movie Runaway Bride featuring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts. The song was Ready to Run.
Personal Life
Martie Maguire’s first husband was Ted Seidel with whom she was married for four years from 1995. Their divorce came through in 1999. Her second husband was Gareth Maguire. They have three daughters, of which two are twins. She divorced Gareth Maguire in 2013. Currently, she is single. She is also a practitioner of Transcendental Meditation.
Maguire likes to lead a silent life. Even on band interviews, she is happy to take a backseat, and is not quite active on social platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. However, she has had a long and successful career, which is reflected in her current net worth which is believed to be in the proximity of $45 million.
Last Modified: Apr 7, 2020
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