Reba McEntire Bio
Reba Nell McEntire, born on March 28, 1955, in McAlester, Oklahoma, is an American country singer, actress, television personality, producer, and businesswoman. Widely known by her nickname “The Queen of Country,” she has built one of the most enduring careers in American entertainment, with record sales of more than 75 million worldwide. Beyond music, McEntire has appeared in film, on Broadway, and on television, and she owns several business ventures, including a restaurant and a clothing line. Her work has earned her multiple Grammy Awards, a Kennedy Center Honor, and a place in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Early Life and Background
Reba Nell McEntire was raised on a cattle ranch in Chockie, Oklahoma, as the third of four children born to Clark McEntire, a three-time world-champion steer roper, and Jacqueline McEntire, a former public-school teacher and librarian. Her grandfather, John Wesley McEntire, had also been a world-champion steer roper in 1934, making rodeo a central part of family life. Each family member contributed to the daily operation of the ranch, and the children helped with chores such as castrating bulls and tending to cattle.
Music was a constant presence in the McEntire household, encouraged by her mother, who taught her children to sing in harmony during long car trips to their father’s rodeo events. Young Reba began performing in public in first grade, singing “Away in a Manger” at a school Christmas pageant, and later won a 4-H Junior Act singing competition in fifth grade. She also learned piano and guitar, played basketball, and trained as a barrel racer. By high school, Reba and her siblings had formed a performing trio called the Singing McEntires, releasing a regional single about their famous grandfather in 1971 and playing paying gigs at local bars and dance halls.
Path to Music
After graduating from Kiowa High School in 1973, Reba McEntire enrolled at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, where she majored in elementary education with a minor in music and earned a bachelor’s degree. In 1974, her father encouraged her to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City. The performance drew the attention of country artist Red Steagall, who was impressed by her voice and helped her secure a recording contract with PolyGram/Mercury Records in 1975. In March of that year, Reba and her mother drove to Nashville to record a demonstration tape, and Glenn Keener of PolyGram/Mercury signed her shortly afterward, launching her professional country music career.
Reba McEntire Career
Early Career (1976–1983)
Reba McEntire released her debut single, “I Don’t Want to Be a One Night Stand,” in 1976 on PolyGram/Mercury Records, followed by a self-titled debut album in 1977. Although her early singles received limited attention, her career gained momentum in 1978 when a duet with country artist Jacky Ward became her first top-20 hit. A cover of Patsy Cline’s “Sweet Dreams” later became her first top-20 solo hit, and by 1980, “(You Lift Me) Up to Heaven” reached the top ten of the Billboard country chart. In 1983, “Can’t Even Get the Blues” became her first number-one single, followed by “You’re the First Time I Thought About Leaving,” establishing her as a rising country artist.
Breakthrough (1984–1990)
In 1984, Reba McEntire signed with MCA Records and released the album My Kind of Country, which became her breakthrough release. The album featured two number-one singles, “Somebody Should Leave” and “How Blue,” and led to her winning the Country Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year award. Her 1986 album Whoever’s in New England topped the Billboard Country Albums chart and produced the Grammy Award-winning title track “Whoever’s in New England,” earning her the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
Throughout the late 1980s, Reba McEntire released a string of successful albums, including What Am I Gonna Do About You (1986) and The Last One to Know (1987), which produced multiple number-one country singles. Her 1990 album Rumor Has It became her highest-selling release at the time, certified three-times platinum by the RIAA, and included her cover of Bobbie Gentry’s “Fancy,” which became one of her signature songs. She also made her film debut in the 1990 horror comedy Tremors, earning a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Notable Works and Milestones
Reba McEntire’s most celebrated album is For My Broken Heart (1991), certified four-times platinum by the RIAA and dedicated to eight band members lost in a 1991 plane crash in San Diego. She has also earned recognition for Rumor Has It (1990), Read My Mind (1994), and Reba: Duets (2007), all certified multi-platinum. Her acting work includes starring roles in the Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun (2001), the television sitcom Reba (2001–2007), and more recent series including Young Sheldon, Big Sky, and Happy’s Place.
Reba McEntire Award Nominations
Reba McEntire has received a substantial number of award nominations throughout her career, including a Golden Globe nomination for her role in the television series Reba and an Emmy nomination for the television film Buffalo Girls. She holds the record for the second-most Academy of Country Music Award nominations for a female artist, with 47 nominations, and the second-most Country Music Association Award nominations for a female artist, with 51 nominations. She has also been recognized by the Saturn Awards for her film work and by the American Music Awards across multiple categories.
Reba McEntire Awards Won
Reba McEntire has earned numerous major awards across her decades-long career, including three Grammy Awards in 1987, 1994, and 2018. She has won the Academy of Country Music’s Top Female Vocalist Award seven times and the American Music Award for Favorite Country Female Artist twelve times. She was the first artist to win the Country Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year Award four consecutive times, and she received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2018. McEntire was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Grand Ole Opry in 1986.
Reba McEntire Family
Reba McEntire was born into a close-knit Oklahoma family as the third of four children. Her older sister, Alice Foran, is a retired social worker, while her brother, Pake McEntire, briefly pursued a country music career in the late 1980s before returning to ranching and rodeo. Her sister, Susie McEntire-Eaton, is a Christian music singer who performs and speaks across the country. Her niece, Calamity McEntire, serves as the associate head coach of the University of Illinois women’s basketball team. Reba McEntire has described her mother, Jacqueline McEntire, as a key influence who supported her early musical ambitions.
Personal Life
Reba McEntire married steer wrestling champion Charlie Battles in 1976, and the couple divorced in 1987. In 1989, she married her manager and former steel guitar player Narvel Blackstock, and together they built Starstruck Entertainment. The couple had a son, Shelby Steven McEntire Blackstock, born in February 1990, and Reba gained three stepchildren, Chassidy, Shawna, and Brandon, from Blackstock’s previous relationship. Reba and Narvel Blackstock separated in 2015 and finalized their divorce in October 2015. She has stated that her Christian faith has helped her throughout her life, and she remains active in charitable causes including Habitat for Humanity, the Salvation Army, the American Red Cross, and Feeding America.