Reba McEntire

Big Red: The Queen of Country

Reba Nell McEntire was born on 28th March 1955 in McAlester, Oklahoma. Raised in nearby Chockie on the family's cattle range, young Reba was inspired by her mother Jackie and started singing at just five years old. By high school, she was performing with her equally musical siblings in the Singing McEntires.

Rodeo played a massive role in young Reba's life. She was a talented barrel racer at the local rodeos where her father, Clark, was a world-champion calf roper. And she continued competing while getting her music and child education degree from Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Along the way, she married her first husband, Charlie Battles, a rodeo star 10 years her senior.

But Reba’s big break wasat the National Finals Rodeo, where she was spotted singing the national anthem by cowboy singer Red Steagall. He signed her to Mercury records in 1975 and by 1982, Reba's rich and powerful voice was getting her noticed with number one hits, including "Can't Even Get the Blues".

Unhappy that Mercury was pushing her into country-pop crossover territory, Reba started looking for a new recording company. Keen to have more control over her career, she signed with MCA records in 1983. Her first release, "My Kind of Country", took her back to her country roots and was an immediate smash, with Reba joining the cast at the Grand Ole Opry and even playing Carnegie Hall — unheard of for a country music star.

After divorcing Battles in 1987, she relocated to Nashville. Two years later, she married Narvell Blackstock, a pedal steel guitarist who became her manager. They have a son, Shelby, together, but divorced in 2015. Reba is currently dating actor Rex Linn.

In 1988, Mcentire founded Starstruck Entertainment to manage the various strands of her career. In 2000, she was named the number one female country star of all time, and she has a string of TV and movie credits, including cult classic Tremors and her hit sitcom Reba.