The Singing McEntires: Where Are Reba McEntire's Siblings Now?
Reba McEntire frequently reminisces about the close-knit relationship she shares with her siblings—Pake, Alice, and Susie McEntire. From their early days singing together as teens to collaborating as young adults and enjoying each other's company as they've aged, the bond between the McEntires has never weakened. While Reba is arguably the best-known of the bunch, each has carved out their own impressive career path.
Back in 2011, Reba gushed to CMT over how dedicated her parents were to encouraging their kids to hone in on their natural gifts. "They encouraged us to do what we can, the best we can, and to stay at it — but try to find something you like to do to make a living. And all of us have done that," she told the outlet.
Reba wasn't exaggerating there. Over the years, each of the McEntire siblings has gone on to do big things. After performing together in a country and western band with other schoolmates, as well as their very own siblings group named The Singing McEntires, both Pake and Susie have gone into country music themselves. As for Alice, while she isn't part of the music business, she has put her natural gift for nurturing to good use in a career in social work.
Susie and Pake McEntire also went into music
In her CMT interview, Reba McEntire shared that initially, she'd hoped to make it big with both Susie and Pake McEntire and that her mom had asked Red Steagall — who had discovered Reba — if he could promote all three siblings. Unfortunately, the early days of Reba's career weren't quite as glamorous as they are today, and Steagall could only take on Reba, though he hoped to give Susie and Pake a leg in from there. That ended up manifesting in the siblings working as Reba's backup vocalists for a time — but they also branched out to do their own things.
Pake went on to release his first album in 1986 and even snagged a few spots on the charts. Unfortunately, his second album wasn't quite as successful, and he ended up shifting his attention back to rodeo sports. It's possible his dad had given him the same life advice he'd given Reba — that is, to prioritize what he was best at. Sure enough, as was mentioned in his interview with "The Cowboys of Osage" Podcast, over the years, he's won several steer roping championships, so clearly that was for the best. Outside of that, Pake suffered a stroke in 2015 but has since recovered.
As for Susie, she has gone into country gospel and has even been honored by the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. Susie isn't just in the music side of the entertainment business, though. She also co-hosts "Cowboy Church" on RFDtv.
Reba's eldest sister is dedicated to human services
Unlike Reba, Pake, and Susie McEntire, Alice McEntire (now Foran) wasn't much involved in performing. Instead, Foran revealed in an interview with "Jesus Calling Devotional & Podcast" that she'd always focused on being a second mom to her younger siblings. "I was always meant to be a mama," she mused before adding that the love she had for her younger brother and sisters was no different from what she had for her own kids.
It seems Foran channeled her nurturing side into a career that made sense for her — social work. More specifically, in her 1995 memoir, "Reba: My Story," Reba shared that Foran had worked her way up to becoming a director at Oklahoma's Department of Human Services in the County of Atoka. Heartbreakingly, in the "Jesus Calling Devotional & Podcast" interview, Susie revealed that when she was experiencing issues in her first marriage, Foran had used all her professional expertise to help her.
Granted, it does bear mentioning that while music has never been her greatest passion, Foran has performed alongside her sisters and their mother. In 2017, the McEntire women took to the Ryman Auditorium stage to sing "I'll Fly Away." The singing McEntires, indeed — this is one family we just can't get enough of.