What images come to mind when someone mentions the Queen of Country Music?
For most, it’s big red hair and an unmistakable Oklahoma twang.
It’s a woman who, in her 60th decade, has yet to slow down.
And do it she has, accomplishing more in 50 years than most accomplish in an entire lifetime.
It was her middle-child status that helped her discover her voice was her best asset.
As she toldThe Washington Post, “I was the third of four kids.
I wasn’t a boy.
I wasn’t the youngest or the oldest.
I was in the middle.
I had to fight for attention.”
And fight she did.
She still does, to this day.
“You don’t complain.
You don’t b****.
You don’t cry,” she explained.
“You work twice as hard and venture to find a better way to do things.
And that’s what I did.”
She’s just convinced that she wanted it more and was willing to sacrifice more to get it.
She was unaware of the impact her vocals would have on someone of note in the audience.
One year later, at the age of 20, McEntire was signed to Mercury Records.
In 1976, she married Charlie Battles, a rodeo star with two teenagers who was a decade older.
“I married a rodeo cowboy very much like Daddy.
I don’t know why I stayed with him,” she told Parade (viaNews on 6).
“Men treat women that way out of insecurity, so they’ll stay with them.
It’s getting into those relationships that makes your life such a living hell.
The tune lingered on the country music charts for a very respectable 23 weeks.
The album, also titled “Whoever’s in New England,” went on to hit number No.
1, and so did the second single, “Little Rock.”
It was this album that catapulted McEntire out of obscurity and into the big leagues.
It was then that she decided to marry her manager, Narvel Blackstock.
Although he’s my stepson, I still love him like he’s my total my blood.”
Even as her marriage to Blackstock failed, McEntire remained close with his children.
She was 35 at the time and enjoying the height of her success.
She looked back on the event withPeoplein 2022.
“Shelby is a gift from God to me,” she explained.
“We’re very close.
I was a very self-centered person to a degree before Shelby.
Shelby Blackstock would go on to become a successful race car driver and later, a business development manager.
Along with his wife, Marissa, Blackstock is a pet parent of two dogs, Belle and Watson.
He remains close with both his mother and father to this day.
Looking forward to celebrating with you this weekend!
I love you very much!!
HAPPY 50th!!”
McEntire remembered that day on an episode ofOprah’s Master Classin 2012.
They lost family members."
At the time, Davis was a backup singer with McEntire’s band.
The song earned her a first Grammy nomination and win, and it helped jump-start her career.
The revisited version received a Grammy nomination for Best Country Duo/Group Performance but fell short of a win.
“That was from June on the photoshoot all the way up until the CMAs.
That’s when I came out with my hair cut off.
But I’d had it cut off for six months.”
Critics raved about her performance.
I’d rank it with Channing in ‘Dolly!’
and Streisand in ‘Funny Girl.
Additionally, Reba McEntire was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in 2004.
In those 40 years, McEntire had sold a whopping 60 million records and amassed 35 No.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
When it comes to cute couples, McEntire and Linn have few challengers.
In anInstagrampost from 2020, they shared a photo of their newly adopted rooster, adequately named Mr. Pecker.
In the post, Linn refers himself and McEntire as “The Tots, Sugar, and Tater.”
And in earlier posts, he has referred to her as his Tater Tot.
From the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone!!"
McEntire replaced her old friendBlake Shelton, who retired at the end of Season 23.
Still, that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating about the possibility of an imminent wedding.
However, to fans’ disappointment, it was not an engagement ring.
The country music diva replied, “Yes, you are” (viaEntertainment Tonight).
Still, McEntire seemed to get a kick out of the gossip.
Although she’s not currently engaged, McEntire is open to marrying Linn.
“I’ve been married twice; he’s never been married.
So if he wants to, that’s totally up to him.”
In the meantime, McEntire seems focused on enjoying life day by day.
Say no to the things that won’t be fun.
Say yes to the things that will be.
Personal is to have fun just continue being happy and healthy."
The down-home gem also features personal touches from McEntire herself.
“I love beans, I grew up on beans.”
Since opening up shop, Reba’s Place has breathed new life into the once-struggling community.
Reba’s Place has put Atoka on the map."
In January 2024, she was chosen to sing the National Anthem at Super Bowl LVIII.
The NFL broke the news onInstagram, and McEntire quickly chimed in to share her excitement.
The songstress revealed that the NFL reached out through her manager, but she initially hesitated.
“And I said, ‘Oh my gosh!
Well, let me think about that,'” McEntire recalled.
“And Rex Linn, my boyfriend, who’s a huge football fan, said, ‘Yes!
She’ll do it, absolutely!'”
The country star also shared what she’s doing to prepare for her big performance.
“You just warm up like you do a concert,” she dished.
“And sing it about five or six times, and get in there and do it.”
In January 2024, NBC ordered a pilot for a new comedy series starring Reba McEntire.
In addition to playing the main character, McEntire will executive produce the sitcom.
As of this writing, the series is unnamed, and additional cast members have not been announced.
However, NBC did reveal that the producers of “Reba” will join the project.
The currently-unnamed series is a win for McEntire, but it certainly isn’t her first foray into acting.
After five decades in the entertainment industry, McEntire shows no signs of slowing down, y’all.
