Ryan Martinie was born on August 6, 1975 in Peoria, Illinois. Martinie was raised in a Christian non-denominational church in Illinois, where his grandfather was one of the choir leaders. Therefore, he was exposed to hymns, orchestral music, and other forms of non-secular music. His father also played guitar, piano, and "has a nice voice that he has good control over." When asked why he decided to play bass, he said, "Why I requested the purchase of a bass is really still a mystery to me. I can only articulate that I remember being drawn by the sense of connection it shared with all of the other instruments." He studied jazz bass and won several high school awards for classical vocals. Some of his early influences include Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and several big band jazz groups. He was in a Dream Theater styled progressive rock band called Broken Altar.