She’s Had Highs And Lows
With a career spanning decades and a laundry list of chart-topping hits, Reba McEntire earned the title of the “Queen of Country”. But her legendary career had more highs and lows than a pitchy country song. From expensive divorces to tragic plane crashes, these are the twangiest facts about country music’s sovereign singer.
1. She Was Country By Birth
Reba Nell McEntire sang (or, rather cried) her first tune in 1955 in McAlester, Oklahoma, growing up on a dusty ranch in Chockie. As the third of four kids, she grew up surrounded by cattle, chores, and a family rooted in true country grit. McEntire would go on to become the “Queen of Country,” but her family was practically country royalty already.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
2. She Learned Harmony On The Highway
Reba McEntire didn’t take fancy singing lessons. Instead, her mother trained her and her siblings to sing in harmony on long drives to rodeo events. Clearly, the highway harmonies hummed louder than the sound of rubber on the road. By the time she was in the first grade, McEntire dazzled her local community during a Christmas pageant with a breathless performance of “Away in a Manger”.
Her talents made her stand out.
Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Wikimedia Commons
3. She Had A Family Band
By the time she was in high school, Reba McEntire and her siblings had turned their motorway melodies into a truly road-worthy gig. Debuting as the Singing McEntires, in 1971, they recorded a heartfelt single, honoring their famous grandfather—“The Ballad of John McEntire”. The limited press single only circulated in their local community.
Of course, McEntire’s talents required a bigger stage.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
4. Her Voice Roped Steagall At A Rodeo
McEntire’s father knew that she had talent. So, in 1974, he urged her to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the National Finals Rodeo. That single performance changed everything. Country singer Red Steagall just so happened to be in the stands that day—and he liked what he heard. After McEntire delivered an a capella rendition of Dolly Parton’s “Joshua”, Steagall knew he had found a rare talent.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
5. She Beat Out Another Singer
The demo that McEntire recorded when she made it Nashville landed in the hands of PolyGram/Mercury executive Glenn Keener. But it was only a stroke of luck—or fate—that landed her the contract. When Keener met with his superiors, he had to choose between McEntire and another singer. As McEntire later put it, “He looked at the two tapes in his hand and handed ’em mine”.
The rest would be country music history—filled with messy divorces and fiery tragedies.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
6. She Married A Champion Cowboy
Keener wasn’t the only one saying, “Yes,” to Reba McEntire. In June of 1976, McEntire roped herself a rodeo champion. In a true country marriage, she tied the knot to steer-wrestling champion Charlie Battles. You might say that he was an “old hat”. Battles was 10 years McEntire’s senior and came with two children from a previous union.
Still, McEntire was more interested in wrangling chart-topping hits than in changing diapers.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
7. She Nearly Missed Her Opry Moment
Reba McEntire wasn’t an overnight star. Her first single and then album basically unnoticed. She then went on tour to promote her new album—but even the tour barely registered. McEntire was meant to perform at the Grand Ole Opry, singing “Invitation to the Blues”. Ironically, her invitation seemed to be lost. When security couldn’t find McEntire’s name on the list, she had to call her agent using a payphone to get into her own show.
That was the least of her problems that night.
8. She Lost A Song To Dolly
McEntire’s Grand Ole Opry debut hit another snag. She had originally planned to sing two songs, including the single “Sweet Dreams”. But when Dolly Parton made a surprise appearance, the schedule changed fast, leaving McEntire with only time enough for one number—and a humbling lesson that she wasn’t the queen of anything yet.
But, given some time, she’d prove herself.
RCA Records, Wikimedia Commons
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9. She Rode Around In A Busted Bus
Heart to Heart (1981) became McEntire’s first album to chart. But she wasn’t yet living like a country queen. McEntire learned that her single “Can’t Even Get the Blues” had clinched the number one spot on the charts at the same time that her tour bus broke down. Fortunately, she had plenty more hits where that came from.
10. She Took Control
By 1983, despite some having some true success, Reba McEntire had grown frustrated with her PolyGram/Mercury contract. The label wanted more pop-country tunes from McEntire, but McEntire wanted true country grit. In a clever move, she negotiated an early exit from her contract, promising, “Let me put it this way, I’ve sorta taken my career into control myself”.
She was about to prove that it was her smartest move yet.
11. She Became A Country Darling
McEntire’s bold move turned out to be the right one. After splitting with Mercury, she signed with MCA Records and dropped her seventh album, Just a Little Love. But it was her next album, My Kind of Country, that got all the love. McEntire’s new authentic, all-country sound struck the right chord and Billboard crowned her “the finest woman country singer since Kitty Wells”.
With praise like that, the floodgates were ready to burst.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
12. She Won Big—Twice
Once she was able to sing the songs she really wanted to, the way she wanted to, Reba McEntire couldn’t get enough praise. She snagged the 1984 Female Vocalist of the Year award at the CMAs, then doubled down with her 1986 album Whoever’s in New England. The title track earned her a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.
Unfortunately, her personal life wasn’t earning her any awards.
13. She Chose Fame Over Her Marriage
McEntire’s meteoric rise came at a high price. After 11 years of marriage, she and her first husband, Battles, called it quits. But it was honesty that really stunned her fans. McEntire admitted that the reason for the split was her own ambition, saying that she had chosen “her career over [her] marriage.” And she wasn’t kidding.
The following year, she formed Starstruck Entertainment to run her booming career. But she wasn’t singing alone for long.
14. She Had Already Met Her Next Husband
By the time Reba McEntire divorced Battle, she had already met her next husband. Years earlier, she had crossed paths with Narvel Blackstock when he joined her band as a guitarist. Given that she was married, she never acted on the feelings that she had been quietly harboring for her man on the strings. But destiny didn’t mind waiting a few years.
15. She Had A Quiet Marriage
As a newly single (and wildly successful woman), McEntire finally let her feelings for Blackstock bloom. After years of working side-by-side, in mid-1989, McEntire and Blackstock exchanged vows in a private Lake Tahoe ceremony. No crowds, no noise—just the two of them sealing their new life together.
But their biggest adventure came the next year.
16. She Welcomed Her Only Child
McEntire’s marriage to Blackstock brought out a side in her that her fans hadn’t yet seen: the maternal side. On February 23, 1990, McEntire became a mother for the first—and only—time, giving birth to Shelby Steven McEntire Blackstock. And, through their marriage, she also became stepmother to his three children, Chassidy, Shawna, and Brandon.
Motherhood changed her in ways she never expected.
17. She Learned To Care About Someone Else
Though her first marriage had never distracted Reba McEntire from making great country music, motherhood did. Reflecting on her only natural born son, McEntire confessed, “Shelby is a gift from God to me. We’re very close. I was a very self-centered person to a degree before Shelby”. She added that, as a mother, “all the attention’s not on you anymore”.
But the spotlight couldn’t resist her.
18. She Made Them “Tremor”
In January of 1990, McEntire stepped onto a very different kind of stage for the first time: Hollywood. The country star made a daring film debut in Tremors, starring alongside Kevin Bacon as the spirited Heather Gummer. The role even earned her a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. In fact, she could have been an even bigger actress than a singer.
Screenshot from Tremors, Universal Pictures (1990)
19. She Almost Joined Titanic
Reba McEntire had proven that her acting chops were almost as good as her vocal chops. So, when he was casting for the iconic film Titanic, director and producer James Cameron wanted McEntire for the role of Molly Brown. The deal almost came through, but McEntire’s touring schedule overlapped with filming and she had to turn it down, leaving the role to Kathy Bates.
Ironically, the Titanic wasn’t the only disaster that she narrowly escaped—but more on that later.
Screenshot from Titanic, Paramount Pictures (1997)
20. She Stirred Up A Red-Dress Riot
When McEntire teamed up with Linda Davis, the two recorded “Does He Love You”, McEntire’s 18th number one single. Not only that, but the track landed her a Grammy for Best Country Collaboration. But at the CMA performance, all anyone could talk about was McEntire’s daring red dress with a plunging neckline that scandalized Nashville.
Controversy or not, she was a country legend.
Screenshot from Does He Love You by Reba McEntire ft. Linda Davis, MCA Nashville (2009)
21. She Became Hollywood (And Country) Royalty
By 1998, McEntire’s star shone so bright that Hollywood gave her a star—literally. Reba McEntire got her star on the fabled Walk of Fame at 7018 Hollywood Boulevard. Just two years later, she proved that she had earned that star many times over as the top selling female country singer of all time and the second best-selling female artist in any genre.
It seemed there was nothing she couldn’t do.
22. She Became Annie Oakley Overnight
With her country music legacy settled, McEntire took on her boldest challenge yet: Broadway. Stepping into a revival of Annie Get Your Gun, playing the titular sharpshooter herself, McEntire proved once again that there were no limits to her talents. Her performance was so riveting that The New York Times wrote, “Without qualification the best performance by an actress in a musical comedy this season”.
Unlike singing, however, stage acting didn’t come naturally to her.
23. She Worked Harder Than Ever Before
Reba McEntire later confessed that her Broadway debut was “some of the hardest work I’ve ever done in my life”. Thankfully, the brutal work paid off when she won the Drama Desk Award for her performance. With the music charts, Hollywood, and the Broadway stage at her feet, there was only one medium she had yet to conquer: television.
24. She Became A Sitcom Queen
In late 2001, McEntire premiered her sitcom Reba, in which she played the divorced mom Reba Hart. The family-friendly show graced The WB network and instantly became the network’s highest-rated hit in the key demographic for six seasons. When the finale aired in 2007, a staggering 8.7 million viewers tuned in.
But she never forgot what had made her famous: country music.
Screenshot from Reba, 20th Century Fox Television (2001-2007)
25. She Stuck To Her Country (Music) Roots
Even with a stellar TV career, Reba McEntire stuck to her country music roots. Once again, she hit the top of the charts with “Consider Me Gone”. At 54, she became one of the oldest women ever to climb to the top of the country songs chart with her 24th number one hit—a record-setting reminder that talent doesn’t get old.
Her personal life, however, was facing its hardest chapter yet.
Screenshot from Consider Me Gone by Reba McEntire, Starstruck Records (2009)
26. She Faced A Painful Divorce
McEntire’s career had almost never been hotter—but her bed had almost never been colder. In late 2015, she revealed on Facebook that her second divorce had been finalized the previous October, ending her 26-year marriage to Blackstock. She later confessed, “The divorce was not my idea. I didn’t want it in any shape, form, or fashion”.
She got stuck with the tab anyway.
27. She Paid Millions To Move On
McEntire’s second divorce cost her a reported $47.5 million. But it might actually have been worth it. As part of the settlement, McEntire regained full control over management of her lucrative career. And there wasn’t really any love lost. Reflecting on the divorce, McEntire told Drew Barrymore, “Our relationship was always intertwined with business…whether we were preparing in the morning or having pillow talk”.
After that debacle, she just wanted love.
Screenshot from The Drew Barrymore Show, CBS Media Ventures (2020-Present)
28. She Tried Love Again
After the heartbreak (and hit to her bank account), Reba McEntire found comfort elsewhere. Following her divorce from Blackstock, she began a relationship with photographer Anthony “Skeeter” Lasuzzo. Still, McEntire’s career always came first and, after two years, the couple went their separate ways. After all, the Queen of Country had an empire to build.
29. She Launched A Country Lifestyle Empire
After decades in the music industry, Reba McEntire finally graced her fans with a Christmas album, My Kind of Christmas. The country-Christmas must-have was only available at Cracker Barrel restaurants and online, but there was a method to her madness. At the same time, McEntire unveiled “Rockin’ R by Reba”, a full line of home décor, clothing, jewelry, and more.
The Queen of Country wasn’t done reigning yet.
Ildar Sagdejev (Specious), Wikimedia Commons
30. She Was In A “Happy Place”
With Reba, McEntire had already topped the TV ratings charts. But she wasn’t done yet. In early 2024, McEntire teamed up with NBC for a new multi-cam comedy, Happy’s Place. The show featured co-stars like Melissa Peterman and McEntire’s real-life boyfriend, Rex Linn. Once again, she owned the network.
Screenshot from Happy’s Place, NBC(2024-Present)
31. She Proved She Still Draws Crowds
Happy’s Place wasn’t just another credit in McEntire’s ever-expanding portfolio. The show’s premiere pulled in four million live viewers, ballooning to 14 million across platforms. NBC, knowing they had a money-maker on their hands, quickly ordered five more episodes and renewed the show for a second season.
Perhaps it had something to do with her love connection on set.
Screenshot from Happy’s Place, NBC(2024-Present)
32. She Fell For A “Sweetheart Of A Guy”
McEntire’s Happy’s Place co-star, Rex Linn, was more than just another body on set to reflect her stardom. On her podcast, McEntire called him a “very, very sweetheart of a guy” and explained how their relationship deepened during the pandemic over dinners, texts, and FaceTime. “It’s an excellent way to get to know someone,” she explained.
Perhaps the third time was the charm.
Screenshot from Happy’s Place, NBC(2024-Present)
33. She Got A Christmas Eve Proposal
McEntire’s relationship with Linn hit new levels of country-cute on Christmas Eve 2024. Getting into the spirit of things, Linn proposed to McEntire just as Santa Clause was getting his sleigh ready. Of course, McEntire said yes, but decided to keep the engagement quiet until fans at the 77th Primetime Emmys spotted something shiny on her left hand.
A spring wedding was all anyone could hope for.
34. She Wasn’t Running Down The Aisle Again
Despite the serious hardware on her engagement finger, McEntire wasn’t in a rush to walk down the aisle…again. “We’re totally enjoying being engaged,” she told People. “Work comes first,” McEntire reassured, “so we’ll see”. As for the ceremony, she teased, “We like comfort, we love friends, we love food”—hinting at a nontraditional, laid-back celebration.
Celebrity weddings were something of family business.
Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia Commons
35. Her Stepson Married A Country Princess
As the Queen of Country, Reba McEntire needed a princess to follow in her footsteps. So, when her stepson Brandon Blackstock married Kelly Clarkson in 2013, it looked like she had secured her country dynasty. But, by 2020, the high-profile union had ended in divorce. The next few years would bring only heartache to her country music queendom.
Christopher Polk, Getty Images
36. She Lost A Prince
Just when McEntire thought she could put the tragedies of her past in her rearview, she suffered her worst heartbreak yet. In August 2025, her stepson Brandon Blackstock passed on at the tender age of 48 after more than three years battling melanoma. A family statement shared that “He passed [on] peacefully and was surrounded by family”.
It was more than McEntire could bear.
37. She Bid Farewell To A Cowboy
McEntire, too heartbroken over Brandon’s early demise to speak, poured her grief into a heartbreaking Instagram tribute. “Last week, my stepson/oldest son Brandon Blackstock went home to be with God,” McEntire wrote. “I am grateful for the moments we shared. His legacy and laughter will live on through his family. Rest in peace, cowboy. Happy trails until we meet again”.
It wasn’t her first brush with tragedy.
38. She Dodged A Tragic Flight
March 15, 1991 would be a day that would shape McEntire’s career forever. After performing a private concert for IBM executives in San Diego, her production team sent two planes ahead to carry her band to Indiana for her next gig. In a stroke of fate, McEntire, her husband, and her stylist planned to leave the next morning on a separate aircraft.
That tiny decision would change everything.
39. She Was Sleeping When The Plane Went Down
In the early hours of March 16, 1991, just before two in the morning, the first charter jet carrying McEntire’s band took off from Brown Field in San Diego. Minutes later, disaster struck—and tragedy rained from the sky. The wing of the small plane clipped the side of Otay Mountain at 3,300 feet. McEntire, meanwhile, was sound asleep in her bed.
She would awake to unspeakably sad news.
RightCowLeftCoast, Wikimedia Commons
40. She Lost Her Entire Band
The minute plane clipped the side of the mountain, all hope was lost. The ensuing crash claimed the lives of all 10 souls onboard: eight beloved members of McEntire’s band and crew—Chris Austin, Michael Thomas, Kirk Cappello, Joey Cigainero, Paula Kaye Evans, Jim Hammon, Terry Jackson, and Anthony Saputo—along with pilot Donald Holmes and co-pilot Chris Hollinger.
Before long, McEntire would learn the true extent of the tragedy.
41. She Learned The Crash Was Preventable
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation was brutal—and damning. Officials determined that the tragedy didn’t have to happen at all. In their investigation, they concluded that “improper planning/decision by the pilot” was to blame for the crash. How Reba McEntire learned about the news was equally jarring.
42. She Heard The Worst Words
That morning, the shrill sound of a phone ringing awoke McEntire from her sleep. On the other was Roger Woolsey, the pilot of the second plane. Blackstock was the one who answered the call and relayed the news as everything unraveled. As McEntire later recalled, she asked, “Are they okay?” Blackstock quietly replied: “I don’t think so”.
43. She Lost Her Music Family
Over the following days, Reba McEntire was too consumed with shock and grief to face the world. Instead, one of her publicists spoke with the Los Angeles Times on her behalf, saying, “She [McEntire] was very close to all of them…Reba is totally devastated by this”. Then she dropped the heaviest line:
“It’s like losing part of your family”.
To overcome her sorrow, McEntire did the one thing only she could do.
Mundanemetal, Wikimedia Commons
44. She Sang Through The Pain
Nine days later—just nine—Reba McEntire stepped onto one of the biggest stages in the world. On March 25, 1991, she performed “I’m Checkin’ Out” at the 63rd Annual Academy Awards, delivering a flawless performance through unimaginable grief in tribute to her fallen bandmates. But that grief soon poured into her next project.
45. She Turned Grief Into A Tribute
It would take more than one performance for McEntire to process her grief. Later that year, she released For My Broken Heart, an album dedicated entirely to her fallen band. Filled with songs of sorrow, love, and loss, the record was a raw memorial to the people she considered her road family.
And something remarkable happened when it hit the charts.
Screenshot from For My Broken Heart by Reba McEntire, MCA Records(1991)
46. She Scored Her Biggest Album Yet
McEntire’s fans and the country world grieved right alongside her. My Broken Heart struck a national nerve, and soared to number three on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 13 on the Billboard 200. Selling over four million copies, it became the best-selling album of McEntire’s entire career.
No amount of record sales, however, could mend her heart.
47. She Never Stopped Hurting
Not record sales nor time could lessen the pain that Reba McEntire felt over the loss of her band in that terrible crash. In an interview that she gave two decades after the tragedy, her voice still cracked with pain. “I’m sorry,” she said, “it’s been 20 years, but it’s just like—I don’t guess it ever quits hurting”. In March of 2026, as the 35th anniversary of the disaster approached, McEntire spoke to People magazine and said: "Our band and crew that were with us for way too short a time, were more than co-workers...they were dear friends who shared the road, the music, the audiences and so much more with me."
In another interview, McEntire said that the country music community came together to stand behind her in the wake of the tragedy, with Vince Gill and Dolly Parton reaching out to offer their support.
Derek Russell, Wikimedia Commons
48. She Had Something Precious
McEntire had endured terrible losses with the plane crash that claimed the lives of her band. But the passing of her stepson was something different. Speaking to People, she said simply, “My relationship with my stepson, Brandon Blackstock, was precious. I absolutely loved that child”. But she channeled her grief into something beautiful.
49. She Let Her Grief Spill Onstage
On an October 2025 episode of The Voice, McEntire’s voice broke as she spoke to contestant Aubrey Nicole about losing Brandon. “I lost my oldest son because he did not win with cancer,” she said. “That was a real reminder that life goes on, and we sing songs about it so we can remember the ones around us that we love so much”.
Screenshot from The Voice Season 28, NBC (2025)
50. She Still Has No Plans To Quit
At 70 years old, McEntire wanted to set the record straight: the queen does not retire. She quickly dismissed rumors that she would be hanging up her hat and even shared some advice from Dolly Parton. When asked why she didn’t retire, Parton had replied, “What in the world could I do and have as much fun as what I'm doing in this job right now”?
“I agree with her a hundred percent,” McEntire confirmed.
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia Commons
51. She Cemented Her Crown For Good
After all the hits, heartbreaks, triumphs, and reinventions, Rolling Stone ranked McEntire the 36th greatest country artist of all time. With more than 75 million records sold, there is little wonder that she carries the title: “The Queen of Country”.
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Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26
