Reba McEntire

Reba McEntire (born March 28, 1955, McAlester, Oklahoma, U.S.) is an American singer and actress, one of the most popular female country vocal artists of the late 20th century, who later found crossover success as a television star.

Early life and first albums

As the daughter of a world champion steer roper, McEntire spent time during her childhood traveling between rodeo performances. On the trips, her mother helped nurture her musical abilities, and McEntire formed a band with her siblings while in the ninth grade. She scored her first big break when she was asked to sing the national anthem at the 1974 National Finals Rodeo. Her performance impressed country music star Red Steagall, who helped McEntire record a demo that led to a contract with Mercury Records. Although neither her first single, “I Don’t Want to Be a One Night Stand” (1976), nor her self-titled debut album (1977) found an immediate audience, she continued to record, and she eventually topped the Billboard country singles chart with “Can’t Even Get the Blues” (1982). Other hits followed, but McEntire longed to have more control of her own career and to recapture a more traditional country music sound.

McEntire moved to the MCA label in 1984, started coproducing her recordings, and, with albums such as Whoever’s in New England (1986), managed to attain steady commercial success. For that album’s title track, McEntire also won her first Grammy Award, for best female country vocal performance. By the end of 1986 she had topped the country singles chart for the seventh time. At the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards, she was crowned best female vocalist in an unprecedented four consecutive years (1984–87).

Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.

SIGN UP

By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Britannica Quiz

Pop Culture Quiz

Acting and later music

With her musical success established, McEntire expanded into business and acting. Along with her second husband, Narvel Blackstock, who also served as her manager, McEntire built an empire that included a talent-management firm, a construction company, a horse farm, and a jet charter service. She made her film debut in the 1990 horror comedy Tremors. The following March, a plane carrying her tour manager and seven band members crashed near San Diego, California, killing all onboard. McEntire paid tribute to the victims on the album For My Broken Heart (1991), which sold millions of copies.

In 1994 McEntire recorded the hit album Read My Mind; published a best-selling autobiography, Reba: My Story; appeared in the films North and The Little Rascals; and won both a Grammy Award and a CMA Award for her collaboration with Linda Davis on “Does He Love You.” She starred in a number of made-for-television movies over the next few years before landing her own television sitcom, Reba, which she also coproduced, in 2001. The show, about a single mother and her family in suburban Texas, ran until 2007. McEntire later took on a similar role in another sitcom, Malibu Country (2012–13), which was set in California. She also starred in Happy’s Place (2024– ), playing a woman who inherits a bar. In addition, McEntire has guest roles on various TV series, and in 2019 she lent her voice to the animated film Spies in Disguise.

Throughout her acting career, McEntire continued to tour and release albums, including So Good Together (1999), Room to Breathe (2003), Reba: Duets (2007), and Love Somebody (2015). In 2017 she released Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope, which later won a Grammy for best roots gospel album. The following year she was named a Kennedy Center honoree. Her 33rd studio album, Stronger Than the Truth, was released in 2019. It was followed by the box set Revived Remixed Revisited (2021). Later albums include My Chains Are Gone: Hymns and Gospel Favorites (2022) and Not That Fancy (2023).