Here's What Reba McEntire's Son Shelby Blackstock Is Doing Today
Reba McEntire is a country music icon, but at home, she's just a proud mama. In February 1990, she and her then-husband, Narvel Blackstock, welcomed their first and only child, Shelby Steven McEntire Blackstock, and he stole her heart. "Shelby is a gift from God to me," she told People. Indeed, despite already being a superstar, the singer was devoted to raising her son right and did everything she could to be present. "I took him on the road with me [and] when I couldn't, I would fly home after a concert, get him up in the morning, take him to school, and pick him up," she recalled. "We'd play until I had to fly out again for a concert that night."
Decades later, McEntire still cherishes the time they spend together, and she couldn't be prouder — even if she did have reservations about his chosen career. Shelby had just started at the University of Arizona in 2010 when he decided to drop out and pursue professional race car driving. When he told his mom, she was not having it. "I bribed him and said if he finished that year in college his dad and I would send him to racing school in Phoenix," McEntire told People. They both upheld their end of the bargain and soon, Shelby was off to Bondurant Racing School. He kicked off his racing career that very year and hasn't hit the brakes since, all while chasing other dreams. Here's what McEntire's son is up to today.
Shelby Blackstock's wide-ranging career
Shelby Blackstock's biggest dream was to become a pro race car driver, and that's exactly what he did. As his mom proudly told People, "He was a natural." While at school, he quickly set a track record and made his competitive debut at the 2010 Mustang Challenge. Just five months after that, he was already preparing for his first journey around the famed Daytona International Speedway, competing in the Continental Tire Challenge Grand-Am 200. "I've always wanted to race here," Blackstock told The Daytona Beach News-Journal. "It's like a kid in a candy store."
In the years that followed, he picked up numerous wins and podium finishes, even becoming the 2020 GT World Challenge America overall champion with his racing partner, Trent Hindman. However, while he's still racing, he's taken a step back and, according to LinkedIn, has some new hustles. In 2020, he took on the role of Business Development Manager at Global Source Advisors (a home healthcare service), and in 2021, he joined B&R Developments LLC (a real estate developer) as a principal (or broker).
As of February 2024, he still held both positions, but not all of his ventures have been successful. Shelby previously founded a clothing line called Hartland, which appears to have gone defunct in 2021. According to its old Instagram page, the brand's mission was to "connect and grow a community through a unique and quality brand that's deeply rooted in the love of the outdoors."
A look inside Shelby Blackstock's home life
Shelby Blackstock is no stranger to fame. As a young kid, he lived in Nashville, Tennessee, and watched his mom's career soar. Then, at age 9, he moved with her to New York after she was cast in the 1999 Broadway revival of "Annie Get Your Gun." The show only ran for six months, but Reba McEntire was already onto the next, having landed her own namesake TV show. "Reba" was shot in Los Angeles, California, so at age 10, Shelby was moved in the pursuit of fame yet again.
Once he was all grown up and pursuing his pro racing career, Blackstock decided to move to Cornelius, North Carolina. He lived there until he met and fell in love with Marissa Branch, and they chose to settle in nearby Charlotte instead. The pair actually met on Tinder in 2014, became friends first, then decided to try dating two years later. As they told People, the timing of their romance may seem odd, but it was actually perfect. "We both agree that if we had dated immediately upon meeting, we likely would not be as prepared as we are now to deserve one another," they mused.
Shelby eventually proposed to his influencer-esthetician girlfriend in 2020, and they tied the knot in 2022, with both milestones taking place at Walt Disney World's EPCOT theme park. The happy couple then decided to set down more permanent roots back in Blackstock's OG hometown, Nashville.