Six Degrees From Martina McBride to Robin Roberts
McBride's new show "Six Degrees of Martina McBride" debuts Monday.
July 30, 2007 — -- According to the theory six degrees of separation, we're all connected through family, friends and colleagues in six "links" or less. A special ABC broadcast that airs Monday night takes that idea to the next level.
In "Six Degrees of Martina McBride," six people — all with dreams of country music stardom, all from the tiniest towns in America — are given a challenge: Prove they have a connection to superstar Martina McBride with just six connections or less.
Watch "Six Degrees With Martina McBride" tonight at 9 p.m. EDT on ABC
If they can achieve this seemingly impossible task, they might achieve their ultimate dream — a possible record deal and a recording session with Martina McBride.
One woman who didn't have the luxury of this kind of fast track was McBride. She was a hopeful young singer who grew up in Kansas and sang in her father's band as a teen; later she moved to Nashville hoping to land a record deal.
"My husband and I moved from Kansas, really not knowing anybody, " McBride told "Good Morning America's" Robin Roberts. "We had one contact name...and they knew somebody that knew somebody," she explained.
Her husband would soon go on the road with Garth Brooks as his production manager, but McBride missed him so much that she was ready to hit the road with him.
"I missed my husband so I said 'Can I have a job out there? Is there something I can do?' A job opened up selling T-shirts and I did it," McBride said.
But soon her dreams came true: an audition and record deal back in Nashville. Before long, she was again touring with Garth, not selling T-shirts, but as the opening act for one the biggest names in country music.
McBride was not sure about the TV project at first. "I was a little skeptical about the whole six degrees theory and was nervous that small-town dreamers would be getting their hopes up."
ABC's own Robin Roberts agreed. "I'm a wee bit skeptical, yes, Martina," Roberts told McBride.
So it was time to see what it was all about, by looking for a link between Roberts and McBride. And Martina surprised Roberts with one on "GMA."
"My husband John McBride, knows National Syndicated Radio Hosts Big B and Bubba, and their producer is Patrick Thomas," McBride explained to Roberts on "GMA'"
"Thomas is married to Alison Corley Tibidow. And Alison is the niece of someone Robin knows quite well, Ann Harley," said McBride, who is Robin Roberts' old high school basketball coach in Pass Christian, Miss.
