Once we learned it individually, we would practice it all together," states Jonathan, with a smile on his face. "If one of us did not know our part, back to the room we would go until we could sing it perfectly for Mom."

As time went on, the siblings became masters of blend as each became adept at singing both melody and harmony. This level of musical accomplishment was reached despite the fact that none of them could read music or had been formally trained. They began singing in local churches and amazed listeners with their ability to sing as one voice in perfect vocal tone and unison. By the time the trio reached high school, they had become very well-known in their region of the state. Much of their schooling was done on the road as their concert schedule kept them on m the touring circuit for weeks at a time. One day their parents approached them with the concept of committing their music to God as a full-time career. Unbelievably, none of them had considered this option up to this point, but after much prayer, soul searching, and parental guidance, each felt uniquely called by God into a full-time singing ministry. The rest, as they say, is history.

Six years and seven albums later, the Martins have emerged as one of the most recognizable groups in the Southern Gospel genre. Honors they have received include six Dove Awards from the Gospel Music Association, a nomination for a Grammy Award, and several charttopping hits in all categories of Christian music. Some of their hits include "Out of His Great Love," "Wherever You Are," "Count Your Blessings," "Grace," and "We Trust in God."

The unique blending of their voices is not the only way in which this talented family group is heard as one voice. This characteristic bleeds over into every aspect of their ministry. Their choice to include a diverse collection of musical styles on an album is a unified decision. Joyce states, "There's a lot of variety in our repertoire, but it's always recognizably us. I think our music combines elements that are both familiar and unexpected. Stylistically, we're very comfortable with having our roots in Southern Gospel music, but we're venturing out a little bit into the inspirational market. 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" She adds, 'And because we're not aiming at any predetermined 'market,' our audience has grown in numbers and diversity." This decision to be a "voice" of diverse styles has proven a wise one as the talented threesome has garnered #1 radio singles in the Inspirational, Christian Country, and Southern Gospel markets. They've also scored a top 10 radio single with "Come On In" in the Adult Contemporary field.

Enjoy the latest release by the
Martins entitled "Windows."

 

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