Country Girl
On the 28th of March 1955, Country star Reba Nell McEntire was born in McAlester, a small town in Oklahoma. She was raised with her siblings, sisters Susie and Alice and brother Pike, on their family’s ranch located in Chockie, a community with sparse population and which happens to be near McAlester. She worked on the ranch together with all the members of her family and helped doing chores like cattle tending, cleaning and cooking. At an early age, she learned to work hard and contribute because she was taught their value, which helped her achieve future success and develop great work ethic.
Dreams
Jacqueline, Reba’s mother, dreamed of becoming a singer of country music but she ended up becoming a teacher because there wasn’t a school teacher in their community. Both Reba’s grandfather and father were steer ropers in a rodeo. Clark Vincent McEntire, her father, won the World Championship for Steer Ropers three times. Amazingly, Reba learned to drive at around the age of five so that she could help out on the ranch. During winter, she used to drive the truck her father owned while he stayed at the back and kicked hay bales off to feed the cattle.
A New Beginning
Narvel and Reba met for the first time in 1980. He played steel guitar in her band. By 1987, Narvel had become Reba’s manager and provided her emotional support while she was divorcing her then husband. During this period, the two got very close and developed a romantic relationship. They got married in the year 1989 and had a boat wedding in Lake Tahoe. They became a power couple and together they managed everything about Reba’s career. They eventually created Starstruck, a management company. Since Narvel had three children from a previous marriage, Reba became a stepmother. In 1990, their son Shelby was born. With so much going for her, personally and professionally, how did it all begin?
Always Music
Since Reba’s mother loved country music, she shared her passion with her kids and started to teach the very young Reba to sing. Reba’s debut solo-performance was her singing “Away in a Manger” in a Christmas play when she was in first grade. Her family had to travel frequently because of the rodeo competitions her father joined. While they were on the road, the whole family sang. Locals started calling the kids the Singing McEntires after they slowly began performing. The local radio often had Reba sing for them and rodeo competitions made a request for the national anthem to be sung by her. When she was just in third grade, the high school in her town asked if she could sing at their graduation ceremony.
Faith
Reba decided to get baptized while she was still part of the Singing McEntires. One night, while they were going to a gig, Reba spoke to her mother about her plan to tell everyone in the place they were going to perform at to attend church on Sunday morning. She then learned an important lesson from her mother that she would never forget for as long as she lives. Jacqueline, her mother, asked Reba how she could tell those people weren’t already going to church. At that time, Reba had said in interviews that she was taught something extremely valuable. She was quoted to have said, “That was my first lesson on passing judgment. You don’t know what other people do. You don’t know their heart.”
Music At Heart
After Reba finished high school, she attended college in the same state. She went to Southeastern Oklahoma State University which is located in Durant. Her major was education and she had music as her minor, but her life when not studying was music. She continued to sing locally every time she got the chance to do so. There was a time, she was reported to have been classmates with Garth Brooks, who just like her became a country star. Reba’s goal was to become a teacher in elementary school after graduation, same as what her mother did. However, she was led on a very different path by her future.
Life-Changing
In 1974, Reba sang the Star-Spangled Banner to open the National Rodeo held in Oklahoma City. This changed her life because this was when Red Steagall, a country musician, discovered her. He also had to perform at the event that day and saw her performance. Reba’s vocal prowess instantly impressed him. He began helping her launch a career in country music in Nashville. They had Reba record a demo and just a year after, she was signed under the label Mercury Records. At another rodeo, she also met a man who would later become her husband.
I Do
Reba and Charlie Battles, a rodeo star, got married in 1976, about the time when her career in music started to gain steam. ‘I Don’t Want to Be a One Night Stand’ was her debut single and was released on the January 22, 1976, but her single was only able to climb to the 88th spot on Billboard’s country music chart. Reba’s following few singles also did not become major hits but she didn’t allow this to stop her. In 1979, she covered ‘Sweet Dreams’, a Patsy Cline song and her cover reached No. 19 on Billboard’s country chart. This meant Reba landed on the Top 20 for the first time.
Grand Ole Opry
In 1977, Reba received a great honor by getting the chance to perform for the first time at the Grand Ole Opry, country music’s iconic home. The moments leading up to her performance wasn’t without incident, though. She almost didn’t make it in time for the performance because she initially wasn’t allowed to enter the venue! The security guard told her she wasn’t on the list and she had to convince him that he was wrong. After they frustratingly exchanged words, in the end he came across her name. When she finally got inside, the producers of the show notified Reba that the time slot they gave her was cut in half and was given to Dolly Parton. The guard didn’t have a clue that she was going to be a music star and legend in future.
The Charts
In early 1983, Reba released Unlimited, her fifth studio album, and then landed on Billboard’s top spot. After she complained about not being able to be control her music creatively and being made to record ballads that have country-pop style, (which she wasn’t keen on) she made a decision to part ways with Mercury. She moved to MCA Nashville Records and signed with them in 1984. She released Just a Little Love, her seventh studio album but she still had issues with the music she is making, so she got free rein on the creative aspect of her music in the same year. She compiled her previously released singles and released a new album of with the songs in it. She called the album My Kind of Country and two of its songs topped the charts and critically acclaimed. Reba finally got her real big break.
Genius
Reba turned into a pioneer of music videos by the late 1980s. She didn’t just have music videos with her singing, she had theatrical productions that depict a storyline and she took part in portraying characters. They were even called “mini-movies” by critics. Although these music videos were short, Reba’s work in them made her interested in acting. She later set out to do some acting work in a movie at least once in her career. She would eventually do a lot more than she had planned.
Film Debut
Reba McEntire debuted as a film actress in in the 1990 movie Tremors. The horror-comedy was about underground worm-monsters that were gigantic. She must really have been itching to act because her and Narvel’s honeymoon was postponed so she could finish shooting! She told people that she had a great time making the film although her co-star didn’t share the same sentiment. Before it was released, Co-star Kevin Bacon said his career had a “low point”, making a reference to the movie. Reba didn’t care much, though. In her opinion, her dreams were slowly coming true. However, it isn’t all that it seems behind the camera. Things were not so perfect for Reba McEntire.
Break-Up
Reba McEntire and Charlie Battles, her then husband, lived at a ranch owned by Charlie in Oklahoma. However, their marriage was strained because of her career. Although he wanted to have his wife at home and help him out, she was away a lot performing. Because of this, the couple had endless conflicts and in the end, got a divorce in 1987, despite it being a tough process. Talking about her divorce, Reba said, “I had to pack everything in one day and leave. I was totally starting over. I wasn’t the little girl anymore, taking orders and doing what he said.”
Tragedy for Reba McEntire
Everything was going great for Reba until the year 1991, when some of her band members were tragically killed in an air accident. The charter plane that carried them crashed on a mountain close to San Diego and there were no survivors. The accident claimed the lives of eight band members. Poor visibility is believed to be cause of the crash. Reba was sleeping at a hotel nearby when the accident occurred and was understandably devastated during the aftermath. She likened the experience to losing family. Some of those who died had been Reba’s band members for years.
For My Broken Heart
Reba dedicated her album For My Broken Heart (her sixteenth one at this point) to the band members that she lost in the airplane crash. Many songs on the album had themes of lost love and sorrow. More than four million copies of the album were sold and it is one of the best-selling albums she has ever had. Two songs topped Billboard charts while the whole album reached No. 3. In the album’s liner notes, Reba wrote it was “a form of healing for all our broken hearts.”
Little Red Dress
Reba did a duet with Linda Davis in 1993 entitled Does He Love You. They both won CMA and Grammy awards for it. However, it was Reba who got everyone’s attention because she wore a red dress that was revealing to the CMA Awards that year. The audience gasped the moment Reba set a foot on stage. Reba had said during an interview that the dress confused her father and that he had asked whether she made a mistake putting on the dress backwards. The iconic dress is now part of the exhibit within the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
Groundbreaking
Country music rarely brings up the topic of AIDS and some consider it taboo, but Reba McEntire is different. Her 1994 album Read My Mind included a track called She Thinks His Name Was John, which has created a lot of noise and controversy. The track tells the story of a woman who got AIDS after she got drunk and had a one-night stand many years prior. This song as well as others are proof that she is groundbreaking as a musician. She definitely has not avoided other controversial topics either. She has sung songs with subjects like illegal immigration, mercy killing, domestic abuse, and neglecting the elderly.
Rough Patch
Reba’s career in music declined slightly after she released Starting Over, her 19th studio album. Rather than recording new songs for the album, she decided to gather the songs she liked best and collect their original recordings. She made the collection in commemoration of her two decades in the country music industry. The album didn’t really please the critics. Out of all the songs on this album, only one broke into the Top 10 of hits charts. In spite of the negative feedback, the album still achieved platinum status and within only one year, her efforts helped her turn things around.
Missed Opportunity
In spite of her album being unimpressive, director James Cameron still asked Reba to act in his film Titanic, which was in the works at the time. However, she was unable to take part in the production because of scheduling conflicts. Reba had said, “They kept movin’ my schedule.” There was no way she would cancel booked performances with tickets that have been sold. Reba was meant to play Molly Brown but Kathy Bates later got the part in the film instead. The movie currently has grossed more than $2 billion all globally, which means it is No.2 on the list of highest-grossing films.
On Top
Reba released her album What If It’s You, by this time her 20th in 1997. The album became a hit. This was considered to be her comeback after her career slightly declined the year prior. Her lead single on the album The Fear of Being Alone topped the charts as well as her other single How Was I to Know. I’d Rather Ride Around with You reached the No. 2 spot on charts. She recorded the track What If for charity. This song reached No. 23 on charts and all of its profits were given to the organization Salvation Army. Career wise, she was about to embark on a different journey.
Reba
Reba McEntire really got swept up by acting after doing Broadway. She soon appeared in TV shows and in 2001, she had a sitcom where she portrayed a single mother who had a knack for wisecracking. The WB network premiered the series and immediately became the highest-rated show on the network. She earned a Golden Globe because of the show and it lasted six seasons. For its last season, the series moved to The CW, but the network canceled the show despite it being their top sitcom.
Right Changes
Originally, the sitcom’s producers wanted Sally as the name of the lead character but Reba managed to convince them to allow her to use Reba because she really believed using her name would gather more support for the show from her loyal fans. In the TV series, her co-star Melissa Peterman portrayed the role of Reba’s nemesis, who was the other woman of Reba’s husband. The affair resulted in divorce and he left Reba to be with Melissa. However, nothing could be further from the truth as Melissa and Reba are the best of friends in real life.
Comeback
Reba’s comeback in 2003’s music scene was much-anticipated. She released a single which was her 76th chart. She topped the charts again in 2003 when she dropped Room to Breathe, her 23rd studio album. In 2007, she gained recognition for being the top female artist who had the most number of nominations in CMA history, surpassing Dolly Parton. In 2008, she went on tour together with Kelly Clarkson. Reba was back, once again, in the spotlight and she would soon be trying her hand in other fields.
Her Passing
In 2012, shocking online news reports surfaced claiming Reba tragically died after accidentally plunging from a cliff during filming in Austria. The story circulated really quickly, which devastated Reba’s family as well as her fans. Reba’s sister frantically phoned her after learning the news, but things cleared up when Reba answered the call, saying she was fine. Reba later Twitted to tell everyone she was doing fine. “There are so many of those hoaxes that are just going around and I think it’s cruel. That’s not funny,” Reba posted in her comment.
Faith Hill
Beloved country musician Faith Hill had initially auditioned to sing backup for Reba while the latter was on tour but Faith didn’t get part in the end. Paula Kay Evans, the singer that was ultimately chosen for the part, was one of those who tragically died in the plane crash 1991. Faith told Larry King in an interview that she wasn’t chosen because her skills weren’t good enough. Her life may have been saved because of this, though. She went on to become another extremely successful country artist.
Daughter In Law
Singer Kelly Clarkson met Brandon Blackstock (Reba’s stepson) through Narvel Blackstock, who was her manager and Brandon’s father. The 2012 Super Bowl was memorable for Kelly because she sang the national anthem and Brandon proposed at the event! The couple got married a year after and Kelly became Reba’s daughter-in-law. Reba, having gone on tour with Kelly, felt ecstatic about Kelly’s and Brandon’s marriage. Reba expressed that she felt “thrilled to death, thrilled to death. To have my buddy as my daughter-in-law, I mean, who could ask for more?” Kelly currently has had two children since she got married.
Heartbreak
Recently Reba McEntire has been in the news for personal reason. Her husband of 26 years asked for a divorce. After speaking with CMT, Reba also admitted that it was extremely difficult dealing with the divorce but handling her husband’s reason for wanting it was even more rough. She had mentioned on many occasions that he was more than her just husband, Narvel was her closest friend. That’s why finding out his reason for deciding to leave came as an even bigger shock. But she knew she still had to focus on her career, and that’s what she was going to do.
Happiness
Reba has said that if she were making the decision, she would not divorce Narvel. Due to the divorce, she has been forced to make major life changes but she says she just ultimately wants everyone happy with their lives. Unfortunately, for Narvel it meant asking for a divorce, which ended their 26-year marriage, and continuing with his life. She added: “I just thought it was the best thing to take my marbles and go play somewhere else, is what daddy used to always say.” But Reba had no idea that her ex-husband would be moving on with someone close to her heart.
New Love
Only months after the divorce was official for the couple, there were reports that Narvel had been seeing someone again. Not just anyone, but he was dating Laura Putty Stroud, Reba’s best friend. Laura, an agent in Nashville for luxury homes, was among Narvel and Reba’s closest friends while the two were married. Before Reba and Narvel’s divorce, photos of Reba and Laura would often appear on the country star’s social media. The two women even went together to a concert starring Katy Perry. A source who is close to Laura and Narvel has mentioned they are “very serious” with each other. It unclear when they began dating but many have been led to speculate the country star may have been cheated on by Narvel, resulting in their divorce.
The Middle
Kelly Clarkson, the new daughter-in-law, was caught between Reba and Narvel in the divorce. Reba was her best friend but Narvel was the father of her husband. There were reports that Kelly persuaded Reba and Narvel not to get divorced. There is a possibility that Kelly may have actually helped the couple stay together for many years. The two had reportedly been living apart already for years before the divorce. However, the couple continue to give each other support even through heartbreak and pain.
Breakaway
After the divorce, Reba’s ex-husband still continued to be her manager in the next year. Their working relationship go way back to 1988. Reba decided to part ways with him professionally in 2106 and formed Reba’s Business Inc. (RBI), her very own company. It currently manages up-and-coming young artists. Reba owns a brand of different merchandise like beauty products, jewelry, home décor, and clothing. Some of the items are available at the gift shops of Cracker Barrel. The stars current net worth is estimated to be $95 million. In 2017, Reba also said in an interview that dating again was something she was ready for.
Colonel Sanders
Reba McEntire made history January of 2018. She became Colonel Sanders for KFC, the first woman to do so. She starred in a very funny commercial to promote KFC’s newest chicken with “Smoky Mountain BBQ”. While in character, she sings in the commercial and then tosses a hat to the viewers. The hat lands on “real” Reba’s head. When the uncommon idea for the commercial was pitched to her, her reaction to it was “Absolutely I want to do that. Who wouldn’t want to be the first female Kentucky Fried Chicken Colonel?” according to reporters. She seems to have thoroughly enjoyed doing the commercial. “It feels very good,” she expressed. “And my goatee tickles a little bit … and my mustache. But I am a pretty good looking gray-haired man.”
About Guns
A country girl at heart, Reba McEntire adores guns and is keen on shooting them. She has said that she in fact hadn’t learned shooting a gun on the ranch when she was growing up. She took lessons on shooting as an adult due to a movie she was doing. “When I found out that I was going to do a movie called ‘Buffalo Girls’ with Anjelica Huston several years prior to this, I went and learned how to skeet shoot and trap shoot, because I wanted to be able to look like I knew how to shoot a gun, because we never did that when we were home in Oklahoma.”
Gospel
Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope was released on February 3, 2017 and was historic for Reba as a music star. It was her first gospel album. It includes two discs, with the first one containing hymns that are more traditional while the second had her original tracks. She explained that what inspired her to do gospel was Bill Carter, her previous manager. The album consists of all the songs that she liked best and mentioned had kept and collected through the years as well as inspiration from something she has had since she was a child – an old book that had hymns.
Living Legend
Reba McEntire’s started her music career in the 1970s and it seems she is not going to hang up her hat anytime in the near future. As of now, Reba has released 29 studio albums, 16 of which have been No.1 on charts, and 40 singles that have reached the top spot. Out of the 29 albums she released, 28 have certified gold status, platinum, or even multiplatinum. Whatever is next for her will certainly be bigger than life itself. There are reports that a TV series, which is supposedly a “southerngothic soap opera”, is in the works and Reba has signed on. The superstar’s other work is not easy to live up to. We’ll need to wait and see if this series can measure up to her previous work. Tuning in for the show doesn’t seem to be a bad idea either.