The Martins

Discography

2001 Glorify Edify Testify

1999 Windows

1998 Dream Big

1997 Light Of The World

1996 Wherever You Are

1995 An A Capella Hymns Collection

1995 Live In His Presence

1994 The Martins

(All releases on Spring Hill Music)

Biography

The Martins didn't really intend to make their lives in music. But with prodigious talents for singing given by a gracious God, and the determination of a musical mother intent on seeing her offspring use those gifts to the fullest, their collective destiny was surely forged before they were even born.

The youngsters' roots were firmly and proudly planted in the Southern Gospel tradition, and to this day they still readily pour forth dazzling deliveries of countless classics-deeply reverential and respectful, while still brimming with imagination and innovation. Not surprisingly, a broader range of influences entered their musical mix as The Martins became young adults, and on their seventh and newest Spring Hill release, Windows, they deliver a collection of 11 songs that is nothing short of stunning.

As always, The Martins surprise and delight at every turn. The infectious acoustic guitars of Because God's Good to the down-home Gospel fervor of Mighty God, and all points in between, are all only small sips out of the deep well of diversity from which the group - Joyce Martin McCollough, Judy Martin Hess, and Jonathan Martin – draw more deeply than ever.

So distinctive and delightful, in fact, are The Martins' sound and songs, it's fair to say that they have created definitions and descriptions uniquely and entirely their own. Simply sum it up as "Martin Music," and then sit back as it fills and thrills your ears and senses, and touches your heart and soul to the very core.

Through My Window is a brave and bold moment of honest self revelation, just as the compelling I Will Go The Distance is an uncompromising confirmation of commitment. I Feel the Rain and Don't Wanna Miss A Thing sport a gospel/country lilt in classic Martin tradition, while the gentle touch of Your Ways Are Higher is a passionate prelude to three of the most stirring, sublime orchestral ballads of The Martins' career.

The gorgeous Stars Below, You Saved Me and May We Never Forget could stand as a timeless trilogy of faith, as heart-stopping lyrics and heavenly voices soar atop orchestrations that are nothing short of majestic. No critic's words could conceivably render a more powerful validation of The Martins' boundless bearing and importance – far above and beyond genres, markets or demographics - birthed from a place in any human heart where God and His people still come together as one.

"I think our music combines elements that are both familiar and unexpected," says Joyce. "We attribute that entirely to the Lord, because we don't sit down and plan our albums to be any particular sound or mix. We just look for songs with lyrics that really speak to us personally and great music that we can seriously sink our teeth into. Our record label is wonderful about turning us loose to make a song our own. Whatever goes down on tape in the studio is just what evolves in that creative process. We never push any song in any one direction. Our sound has just become what it is on its own over the years."

"There's a lot of variety in our repertoire," she continues, "but it's always very recognizably us. And because we're not aiming at any predetermined 'market', our audience has grown in numbers and diversity. You'll see all kinds of people, with all kinds of tastes, all really enjoying themselves at a Martins' concert."

The Martins' mother, Wylma, herself a gifted singer, served as chief encourager and no-nonsense vocal coach to her three gifted children for most of their young lives. When one day Willie Nelson's classic take on the pop standard Blue Skies came wafting over the radio waves, Jonathan unknowingly joined in with a harmony line. With their talents well-honed by that time, a seamless sibling vocal blend, and ears finely tuned to both melody and harmony, the threesome had instinctively evolved from merely Judy, Jonathan and Joyce to "The Martins". And the real work of their young lives had just begun.

The Martins sung in and around their hometown of Hamburg, Arkansas, becoming a popular local and regional act. Wylma, with the unshakeable certainty of a mother for her brood, got a demo tape of the kids to Southern Gospel luminaries, The Gaither Vocal Band. Liking what they heard, The Martins were invited to attend a Gaither video taping and were quickly signed to the Spring Hill Music label in 1994. Five years and seven albums later, The Martins have been honored with a Grammy Award nomination, six Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association, and numerous chart-topping hits in all genres of Christian music, including Out of His Great Love, Wherever You Are, Count Your Blessing, Grace, and We Trust in God.

The Martins' lives, as well as their business organization, are closely intertwined in various capacities with their extended family. With a lifestyle that often finds the trio's spouses and children either on the road with them, or at their respective homes in Arkansas and Tennessee awaiting the return of their loved ones for a break in the group's busy touring schedule, Joyce, Jonathan and Judy each have unique but complimentary views of the journey and mission they've undertaken.

"I hope that I've been, and always will be, faithful to my calling even though sometimes life makes fulfilling that hard," says Jonathan, who with his wife, Milinda, is parent to three children, Halea, age five, and twin boys Michael and Taylor, age four. "It's not just this business. It's life in general. It can be hard, and it takes effort. It doesn't just 'happen'. Everyday you've got to get up and talk to God, and then make a conscious decision -- a step of faith -- that with God' guidance and grace, everything is going to be alright."

Both Joyce and her husband, Harrie, are songwriters who've contributed to a number of The Martins' songs, including, from Windows, God's Gonna Do, Through My Window, and May We Never Forget. The couple has traveled together since their marriage in 1990 -- a plan they have every intention of maintaining when their family grows by one with the birth of their first child in December 1999. Much like her brother and sister, Joyce takes comfort and inspiration not only from what the group is able to give to others, but what they receive as well.

"I love it that a lot of the people we meet as we travel feel completely comfortable and at ease approaching us, and sharing important, personal parts of their lives," she says. "And I mean baring their souls and pouring out the burdens of their hearts. I have had people say to me: 'I see enough Jesus in you that I just want you to please pray with me.' That's a humbling, amazing feeling…beyond words, really. If that was all I ever accomplished in life, I'd still leave knowing I had done something good, that mattered in somebody's life and to God."

Judy, who is married to Jake Hess, Jr., son of the Southern Gospel legend whose name he bears, has two children, Jake Hess III, age 2, and newly born daughter, Hannah. She candidly reveals the full depth of The Martins' sense of purpose and calling as she reflects on all the implications of a life of ministry.

"The Martins is very much a ministry…but the word 'ministry', by itself, can sound a little cold, or even clichéd," she says. "And it can become that way if you don't work at staying close to the One who sent you, and accountable to those you're close to. We want to see people reached and their lives changed by the Lord, and we want that to be a passionate experience. We want the audience to know it's us they hear singing, but it's Christ they feel touching them and moving in them. It's a powerful thing, and there's nothing else like it in the world."

Reminiscing about a time when music was a passion, but still a pastime in their lives, Joyce perfectly summarizes the odyssey of The Martins, one of the truly great groups to emerge in Christian music in the '90s.

"When I was a junior in high school, I remember our parents sitting us all down and telling is that God had put it on their hearts to ask us what we wanted to do with our lives," she says. "Was singing and music ministry going to be a hobby or a full-time commitment? There was no pressure or judgment from them…just a straightforward question. I had already mapped out my plans for college, graduate school, and life as a teacher. I'd never for a moment considered music as a career. But as we talked and prayed about it, we all had a peace with it. Over the years, God has just kept confirming: 'You're on the right track. Keep walking. Keep walking.' So we have. We've felt His hand on us every step of the way, and it's been the time of our lives."