Who Is Reba McEntire?
At the 1974 rodeo finals, country music icon Reba McEntire made her debut by singing the national anthem. The Grammy-winning musician has released over 30 studio albums, reached the top of the country charts twice, and won four awards for Best Female Vocalist from the Country Music Association. Among her most popular songs are “Does He Love You,” “Fancy,” “Whoever’s in New England,” and “Consider Me Gone.” In 2011, she was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame due to her numerous achievements. In addition to being an actor, McEntire featured in multiple films and six seasons of her own sitcom, Reba. She joined the cast of The Voice, an NBC singing competition, as a celebrity coach in 2023.
Quick Facts
FULL NAME: Reba Nell McEntire
BORN: March 28, 1955
BIRTHPLACE: McAlester, Oklahoma
SPOUSES: Charlie Battles (1976-1987) and Narvel Blackstock (1989-2015)
CHILDREN: Shelby
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Aries
Early Life and Musical Background
Born on March 28, 1955, in McAlester, Oklahoma, Reba Nell McEntire was raised in a family of champion steer ropers. Her parents, Clark and Jacqueline McEntire, fostered their musical talent, and on their many long car rides, the three siblings—sisters Susie and Alice, and brother Del, also known as Pake—passed the time learning songs and harmonizing as they traveled to and from their father’s world championship rodeo performances.
Reba eventually founded the Singing McEntires and started performing at rodeos when she was in the ninth grade. Her two younger siblings also joined her in this endeavor. Later, the ensemble broke up, although Reba kept performing alone throughout her time in college.
Country Music Stardom
In 1974, McEntire caught a break when country music star Red Steagall heard her sing at the National Finals Rodeo. The young singer’s national anthem performance impressed Steagall, prompting him to help her record a demo and eventually sign with Mercury Records. Her debut album, Reba McEntire, came out in August 1977.
Throughout the late 1970s, the soon-to-be “Queen of Country” spent several hours in the recording studio, creating and releasing singles. While none of her early songs were major hits, chart success was just around the corner. In 1980, “You Lift Me Up (To Heaven)” cracked the top 10 of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs, ultimately launching her illustrious career.
In the 1980s, McEntire stuck close to her roots in terms of persona, capitalizing on the rowdy rodeo girl theme in photos and onstage. As her powerful vocal stylings matured, her image changed as well, from rough-edged and rural to more polished and mainstream.
Nashville was still largely considered a boys’ town when McEntire was getting her start in the ’70s and ’80s. When later asked how she managed to transcend gender politics so successfully, McEntire responded, “As a woman, you don’t complain, you work twice as hard, and you do your job. You try to outsmart them, you try to outwork them and get there first. You help out, you volunteer, you’re at the front of the line. That’s what I learned from working on the cattle range, and it helped me in the music business.”
McEntire had a smash year in 1986. Her ninth studio album, Whoever’s in New England, became her first to garner a Grammy Award; the title track won Best Female Country Vocal Performance. By all accounts, the success of the album was a product of its unique sound. A blend of McEntire’s more traditional twangy style with a more mainstream pop sound appealed to a wide audience, cementing the artist’s place as country royalty for years to come.
Always a strong businesswoman, the singer understood early on the importance music videos would have for her career. Her first video, for the song “Whoever’s in New England,” artfully told the story of a suburban housewife tortured by the idea of her philandering husband and his trips up north to visit a mistress. Employing well-known actors and directors, the singer took full advantage of this visual medium to showcase the strong narratives of her songwriting, using videos to tell full and compelling stories. In the future, her penchant for drama not only drove record sales, but also fueled an unexpected acting career.
Acting Career
Adding even more to her plate, the singer successfully made the jump from music to movies during the height of her career. She launched her second career quickly, appearing in several made-for-television films, Tremors (1990), and The Little Rascals (1994) as a race car driver.
Starring as a divorced woman attempting to raise her teenage daughter, country music icon Reba debuted as a TV sitcom on the WB Network in 2001. During its six-season run, the program nominated McEntire for a Golden Globe. McEntire achieved fame in theater in 2001 as well, where she portrayed Annie Oakley in the Broadway production of Annie Get Your Gun.
While Reba was finishing up, she voiced Betsy the Cow in the Julia Roberts, Dakota Fanning, and Dominic Scott Kay-led 2006 adaptation of Charlotte’s Web. November 2012 saw the premiere of McEntire’s second sitcom, Malibu Country, on ABC. However, the show lasted only 18 episodes.
She made her dramatic acting debut in 2022 when she joined the cast of the ABC series Big Sky, where she played Sunny Barnes. She also made a guest appearance on the spinoff of The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon. She made an appearance in the Lifetime film The Hammer in 2023, with Melissa Peterman, her former co-star on Reba.
Net Worth
According to Celebrity Net Worth, McEntire’s total net worth is estimated at around $95 million as of July 2023.
