Reba McEntire

For the album, see Reba McEntire (album).

Reba McEntire
McEntire in 2022
Born
Reba Nell McEntire

(1955-03-28) March 28, 1955 (age 69)
McAlester, Oklahoma, U.S.
Alma materSoutheastern Oklahoma State University
Occupations
  • Singer
  • actress
  • television personality
  • producer
  • businesswoman
Years active1975–present
Works
Spouses
  • Charlie Battles
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1976; div. 1987)​
  • Narvel Blackstock
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1989; div. 2015)​
Partner(s)Anthony Lasuzzo (2017–2019)
Rex Linn (2020–present)
ChildrenShelby Blackstock
Relatives
AwardsFull list
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentVocals
Labels
Formerly ofThe Singing McEntires
Websitereba.com

Reba Nell McEntire (/ˈriːbə ˈmækɪntaɪər/ REE-bə-MACK-in-tyre; born March 28, 1955),[1][2] or simply Reba, is an American country singer and actress. Dubbed "the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide.[3] Since the 1970s she has placed over 100 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, 25 of which reached the number one spot.[4] An actress in films and television,[5] McEntire starred in the television series Reba, which aired for six seasons. She also owns several businesses, including a restaurant and a clothing line.[6]

One of four children, McEntire was born and raised in Oklahoma. With her mother's help, she and her siblings formed the Singing McEntires, which played at local events and recorded for a small label. McEntire later enrolled at Southeastern Oklahoma State University and studied to become a public school teacher. She also continued to occasionally perform and was heard singing at a rodeo event by country performer Red Steagall. Drawn to her singing voice, Steagall helped McEntire secure a country music recording contract with PolyGram/Mercury Records in 1975. In that year, she relocated with her mother to Nashville, Tennessee.

Over the next several years, PolyGram/Mercury released a series of McEntire's albums and singles, which amounted to little success. In the early 1980s McEntire's music gained more momentum through several top ten country songs, including "(You Lift Me) Up to Heaven", "I'm Not That Lonely Yet", and her first number one "Can't Even Get the Blues". Yet McEntire became increasingly unhappy with her career trajectory and signed with MCA Records in 1984. Her second MCA album titled My Kind of Country (1984) became her breakout release, spawning two number one Billboard country singles and pointed toward a more traditional musical style. Through the 1980s McEntire released seven more studio albums and had ten more number one country hits. Her number one singles included "One Promise Too Late", "The Last One to Know", and the Grammy Award-winning "Whoever's in New England".

In 1991, McEntire lost eight of her band members in a plane crash in San Diego, California. The experience led to McEntire's critically acclaimed album For My Broken Heart, which is her highest-selling album to date. She followed it with several commercially successful albums during the 1990s, including Read My Mind (1994), What If It's You (1996), and If You See Him (1998). These albums featured the number one country singles "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter", "How Was I to Know", and a duet with Brooks and Dunn called "If You See Him/If You See Her". McEntire's acting career began in January 1990 when she made her film debut in Tremors. In 2001, she played the role of Annie Oakley in the Broadway musical Annie Get Your Gun. In the same year The WB launched the TV series Reba, in which she starred. More recently, she has guest-starred on Young Sheldon as June Ballard. Since 2023, McEntire has been featured as a coach on The Voice.

  1. ^ "Reba McEntire Biography". Archived from the original on December 21, 2003. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
  2. ^ Wolff, Kurt 2000, p. 483-487.
  3. ^ "Your Weekend: June 14–16". The Herald Bulletin. June 14, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  4. ^ "Reba McEntire chart history (Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  5. ^ Parton, Chris (March 5, 2021). "Reba McEntire to Star in Lifetime Christmas Movie". Sounds Like Nashville. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  6. ^ "Reba McEntire: Age, Songs & TV Show". Biography. Retrieved October 24, 2021.