The Lesser-Known Truth Of Reba McEntire
Before Luke Bryan danced on stage in skinny jeans and Carrie Underwood dazzled on "American Idol," country music was a far different reality. Reba McEntire came up in a male-dominated genre with little room or potential for women to be successful, but she managed to build an illustrious career while paving the way for newer artists to make leaps and bounds in the industry.
McEntire's powerhouse voice and soulful music took her from a small town in Oklahoma to become one of the most legendary country music artists. The "Does He Love You" singer has had a showstopping career, earning three Grammy awards and 17 nominations, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in addition to over a dozen Academy of County Music awards in her decades-long tenure as an artist. Her charisma and down-to-earth personality have shown not only in her music but also in television projects like her hit sitcom "Reba" as well as her Broadway debut.
After all these years, McEntire shows no signs of stopping. From venturing into other genres to starring as the lead in the 2023 film "The Hammer," the sky is the limit for her in terms of success — and hair height. But how did a girl from Oklahoma manage to become such a legend in country music? While she lives under a microscope, there are plenty of anecdotes about her fans have yet to discover.
Reba McEntire is a small-town girl
Country music touts a lot of ideas about small-town living and the simpler things in life, like red dirt roads and sweet tea. Reba McEntire is no stranger to a life far outside of the Hollywood Hills or the busy streets of Nashville, as the Grammy Award-winning artist grew up in a small town in Oklahoma alongside three siblings.
The singer recalled growing up on a cattle ranch about 15 miles outside the nearest town in an interview with CNBC, admitting she had to make the long drive to do errands like dry cleaning or shopping for groceries. But those close-knit small-town memories have continued to stick with her. McEntire spoke about one of her fondest memories of taking her little sister, Susie, to the movies and realizing the pair hadn't brought any money. "So we took the back seat out of Mama's car and we found enough change to get in, get some popcorn, [and] get us a drink," she remembered.
When asked in an interview with Cowboys & Indians whether she still maintains her Oklahoma roots, the "Fancy" singer admitted her family keeps her humble despite her being a household name. "When I go home, I'm just Reba. I'm not Reba who gets up on stage and sings," she said. "Somebody asked Alice, my older sister, they said, 'Is Reba different than everybody?' And she said, 'Reba is just like everybody else. She just happens to sing better than some.'"
She got her start singing in a Christmas program
Reba McEntire learned she had a gift at an early age, and she revealed singing is what often got her out of trouble. "When I was going to sing, everybody stopped playing dominos or whatever and would listen," she told CMT.com. Being one of four siblings, she admitted singing was often a way to get attention, which she often competed over with her brother and sisters. "I wasn't the oldest or the youngest. I wasn't the only boy, and I was usually in the way," she explained. "And I was mischievous. I was always into something. So when I got good attention from the singing, I knew that was probably where I needed to land."
McEntire revealed she first got into singing in the first grade when she volunteered to sing the solo during her town's Christmas program. The country legend's first time holding a microphone was during her performance of "Away in a Manger," and it led to several other performances growing up. When McEntire made it to junior high, she formed a country-western band alongside her sister Susie, brother Pake, and several other kids from their class. "We would play functions at school, but also we would borrow the equipment, the sound system, and we would go play clubs on weekends," she recounted. "And we'd get in late, late, late at night and we'd put it all back where we needed to," adding that their mother drove the band to every club.
Her dream was to become a professional barrel racer
While Reba McEntire is a talented singer, it wasn't always her lifelong dream. From an early age, the singer saw herself becoming a professional barrel racer. Her childhood growing up on a ranch led her to spend her free time at the rodeo, where she quickly became enamored with the sport. "We were always working on the ranch, rodeoing, having a fun time. When they released us from our chores, we hit the roping pen," she told CMT.com. "We played down there until it was too dark to see or Mama hollered for us to come home for dinner."
McEntire's father and grandfather were champion steer ropers, and she competed in several barrel racing competitions throughout high school and college. She eventually changed course, however, after her father gave her some sound advice. "Daddy would just point-blank tell me, 'Reba, I don't know why you want to do something you're not good at' ... It was very honest," she recalled. "And I would say, 'Well, what do you think I ought to be doing?' And he said, 'Sing. You ought to be singing.'"
Eventually, the "I'm a Survivor" artist took her father's advice and sang the National Anthem at the National Finals Rodeo in both 1974 and 1975. McEntire then caught the eye of musician Red Steagall at a rodeo after party when she sang an impressive Dolly Parton cover. Steagall later got McEntire in touch with music executives, leading to a recording contract with Polygram/Mercury Records.
McEntire studied elementary education in college
While her undeniable talent caught the eye of many in the music business, Reba McEntire still pursued a college education instead of solely focusing on music. The singer went on to attend Southeastern Oklahoma State University after graduating high school, majoring in elementary education and minoring in music. But while McEntire was focused on life outside of her childhood town, her father was hoping she would make a name for herself with her voice.
"Well, Daddy stepped in again when I was in college," she told CMT.com. "I was having me a big time. I loved college. I loved school. Anything besides having to work on the ranch, I was for that. I would go to the National Finals Rodeo every year with a bunch of my friends down in college. We had a great time." Eventually, her father pushed her to do something more than sit on the sidelines. "Daddy said, 'Instead of going up there having a good time, why don't you go get you a job?'" Eventually, McEntire did just that, returning to the rodeo not as a bench warmer, but as a musical act.
She lost eight friends in a tragic plane crash
Reba McEntire endured a heartbreaking tragedy in 1991 and remembers receiving the news like it was yesterday. Over three decades ago, the singer learned that seven of her band members and her tour manager were involved in a deadly plane crash. Her band members and manager had flown ahead of her and her then-husband, Narvel Blackstock, on a separate plane from San Diego to Indiana en route to their next tour stop. McEntire, her stylist, and Blackstock decided to stay the night in California before flying the following day.
In a 2012 interview with Oprah (via Taste Of County), the singer recounted receiving the devastating news of the crash. "The tip of the wing of the airplane hit a rock on the side of Otay Mountain, and it killed everyone on the plane," she recalled. "Narvel was going room to room with a phone and calling ..." McEntire said in the clip, before being overcome by emotion. "I'm sorry — it's been 20 years, but it's just like — I don't guess it ever quits hurting. But I can see that room. I can see Narvel walking back and forth."
McEntire later turned her sorrow into song and released her critically acclaimed album, "For My Broken Heart," in 1991 in honor of the loss of her band members and tour manager. Her title track rose to the top of the charts, eventually earning the No.1 spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs.
McEntire never changed herself for fame
Pressure can mount in many ways, from changing your appearance to compromising your values to be liked. But for Reba McEntire, the pressure to appease the likes of music executives or her peers in the name of fame was never a problem. In an interview with Southern Living, the singer recounted how people were surprised she kept her accent as she ascended the ranks as a country music artist, but she had no regrets about it. "This accent's made me a lot of money ... it's done all right for me," she maintained.
McEntire kept that attitude when she advised her niece, actor Garrett Smith, not to lose herself in the world of Hollywood. In her interview with Cowboys & Indians, the star revealed a Hollywood executive had advised Smith to lose her Oklahoma accent and dye her hair from brown to bleach blonde. "And she said, 'Why would I do that?'" the singer recalled. "And that's what I told her. I said, 'Garrett, my accent has gotten me a long way, made me lots of money. You can't be cookie-cutter. You've got to stand out and be different.'"
The critically acclaimed artist hasn't adapted her style to fit the likes of Hollywood either. In her Cowboys & Indians conversation, she revealed she prefers comfort over making a fashion statement. "My ideal is boots, jeans, a comfortable top, sweater, or a T-shirt, long sleeve; and if I'm not wearing boots, I'm wearing tennis shoes, sneakers," she noted.
She has been divorced twice
Reba McEntire hasn't had the best luck in love. The country music star tied the knot with her first husband and rancher, Charlie Battles, in 1976, but the two split up 11 years later. Even though Battles was a decade older than 21-year-old McEntire when they got married, the two enjoyed life together at their Oklahoma home. Their relationship fizzled, however, when McEntire's career took off in the 1980s. "I guess I chose my career over my marriage," she admitted to CNN.
The "Does He Love You" singer later fell in love with her former band member, Narvel Blackstock, whom she met when they were both wed to other people. After her divorce was finalized and Blackstock had separated from his partner, the pair's relationship went from professional to romantic. The two went on to get married in 1989 and later welcomed their only child together, their son, Shelby.
McEntire and Blackstock's love story ultimately came to a head in 2015, however, when the two announced their separation after 26 years of marriage. As her marriage crumbled, so did her business relationships. "I had my production manager who left, I had my CEO who left, my manager and husband, and my father had died," she explained on Apple Fitness+ Time to Walk (via People). "I started taking over signing the checks," she added. "I made the money, I brought it home. So it was a huge, huge change for me."
Her son is a race car driver
Reba McEntire's son, Shelby Blackstock, may not be in the music industry, but he has made headlines in a far different way. He dropped out of college with dreams of becoming a race car driver and ultimately made his debut as a professional driver at the 2011 Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. Adrenaline seems to run in the family, and while he isn't rounding barrels, Blackstock has inherited a passion for horsepower.
"I'm very happy that he's racing because that's his passion," McEntire told The Daytona Beach News-Journal (via Taste Of Country). "I'm from a rodeo family. The scare tactics and everything are very similar in rodeo. The adrenaline does flow very fast, but I'm used to that."
McEntire cherishes her relationship with her only son and admitted she was a much different person before his birth. "Shelby is a gift from God to me," she told People. "We're very close. I was a very self-centered person to a degree before Shelby. But then there's a little character who you are given the job to protect and nurture and love and teach, so all the attention's not on you anymore." The two came together for a special moment during Blackstock's Walt Disney World wedding in 2022 when he married Marissa Branch. In addition to a live performance from McEntire of her famous hit "Fancy," the pair shared a mother-and-son dance to her track "You're Gonna Be (Always Loved by Me)."
She dreamed of being on the big screen
Reba McEntire may have made her way to country legend status, but she is also constantly working on her acting career. The singer recounted how she had dreams of being on the silver screen at a young age and liked to pretend she was starring in her own films while growing up. "I always wanted to be a movie star," she told CMT.com. "If I was going down to the roping pen or hauling off trash, I thought there was a camera on me all the time."
The artist got her start in acting after appearing in films like 1990's "Tremors" and 1994's "The Little Rascals," but her first big break came when she starred as the lead in the self-titled television series, "Reba," which ran from 2001 to 2007. The show centered around Reba as she navigated the ups and downs of being a single mother in Houston, and the program was met with positive reviews. The television series was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, and McEntire even earned a 2004 Golden Globe nomination for her performance.
One of McEntire's biggest movie projects was her starring role in the 2023 film, "The Hammer," in which she plays a judge whose sister becomes a suspect in a murder investigation. The singer acted alongside her real-life boyfriend, Rex Linn, who helped her rehearse many of her lines. "By the time we got to do our scenes together it was just like talking to each other," she told Yahoo! Entertainment.
McEntire is big on faith
Like many country music artists, Reba McEntire's faith is a big part of who she is. While she has been open about her love of God and how her Christianity has guided her during her career, she's quick to admit she doesn't expect anyone to feel pressured to follow. "I'm not out to teach or preach; I'm just showing everybody that I'm happy the way I am because of my faith," she told The Saturday Evening Post. "It's a relief to me that God is always taking care of me, always helped me through the hard times, and is always there with me in the great times."
It's her faith that led the singer to drop a gospel album in 2017. The record, "Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope," marked the artist's first gospel project after decades in the industry, and features her take on classic hymns such as "Amazing Grace" and "Oh Happy Day." Her venture into new territory went on to win the 2018 Grammy Award for best roots gospel album.
In her acceptance speech, she revealed she has carried these songs with her throughout her life. "I'm a country artist, but I've been singing these songs that's on this album all my life," she confessed. "Our job in the entertainment business is to heal hearts. That's what God put me on this Earth for — I know it is ... Music is so healing. I love my job. I'm so grateful to get to do it."
She doesn't like the 'bro trend' in country music
If it's beer cans rolling around in the back of the truck or fishing that some country artists are singing about, Reba McEntire doesn't want to hear it. The singer sat down for an interview with PBS in 2019, admitting that she doesn't stand for the "bro" culture that has perpetuated the genre in more recent years. The conversation was sparked after the American County Music Awards failed to nominate a single female artist for the entertainer of the year category.
"It's gotta change," she said. "It's the bro trend ... 'Hey bro let's go down to the river and catch some fish, and everyone's a good ole boy,' and that's the bro music." She went on to add, "I would really like it to get back to the real strong country, the country of Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty, Ronnie Milsap, Mel Tillis. I miss that kind of country."
McEntire has made it her mission to pave the way for female artists to be celebrated in a genre that has historically been dominated by men. "Well, it was my responsibility. It was my duty," she told Parade. "Because Minnie Pearl, Kitty Wells, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Anne Murray opened the doors for me and all of the female singers in my generation to be able to step on that stage."
She found love again with Rex Linn
Reba McEntire met her partner, Rex Linn, decades ago, but the pair didn't start seeing each other until 2020. On an episode of "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," the country star recalled how she met the "CSI: Miami" actor in 1991 while working on the film "The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw" together. "We've kept in contact with each other over the years," McEntire said. "Then we started texting and talking on the telephone, getting to know each other better during the quarantine."
The pair made their Instagram debut when Linn posted a photo with McEntire in January 2020, writing, "Had a fantastic dinner with this Oklahoma girl. Tater Tots and Ketchup included." The singer later confirmed their relationship in October of that year on her podcast "Living & Learning" (via People), adding that they relate to each other through their similar careers in the spotlight. "Discussions about our past, our family, funny stories, him being an actor, me being an actress. And he's very into my music. I'm very into his career," she explained.
The jury is still out as to whether or not the pair will get married, however, as McEntire has endured her fair share of heartache. "It just is a whim and he says, 'I wanna get married,' yeah, that's fine. If I wanna get married, I'm sure he'd say, 'That's fine.' But we get along so well right now, why rock the boat?" she told E! News.
McEntire considered leaving the industry after her mother's death
Reba McEntire reached a breaking point in 2020 when her beloved mother, Jacqueline, died, leaving her at a crossroads. The two had an incredibly close relationship, with Jacqueline being the singer's biggest supporter and carpooling McEntire and her band to their gigs growing up. After her mother's death, the singer confided in her sister that she was questioning whether or not she could continue her career. "Oh I didn't want to [sing]," she confessed in an interview with Today. "I told my little sister Susie when we were working at the house, I said, 'I don't know if I want to sing anymore.' She said, 'Why?' I said, 'Because I always sang for Mama.'"
Eventually, McEntire found her voice, and she used it to release her 2023 single, "Seven Minutes In Heaven," inspired by her mother. The track talks about mourning the loss of a loved one and wanting to share another moment with that person again. "If I had seven minutes in Heaven / I know just what I'd do," McEntire sings. "I wouldn't spend all my seconds askin' God questions' / Cause He knows I'd be back soon / If I had seven minutes in Heaven / I'd spend them all with you."
The country singer also recounted how her partner, Rex Linn, has helped her find the fun in life again following her mother's death. "Rex is a very uplifting, positive man, and I love him with all my heart," McEntire said.