Reba McEntire

At 69 years old, Reba McEntire has this physical status:

Music career

McEntire signed a country music recording deal with PolyGram/Mercury Records in November 1975. In January 1976, she made her first recordings for the label. She was born by Glenn Keener and was backed by a Countrypolitan system that included a string section. "I Don't Want to Be a One Night Stand" was McEntire's debut single in 1976. The track didn't make it to become a big success, with only peaking at number 88 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in May. It was followed by "There's Nothing Like the Love" between a Woman and a Man" and "Glad I Waited Just for You" respectively. In 1977, Mercury Records' self-titled debut album was released. Greg Adams of AllMusic compared it to Barbara Mandrell and Tammy Wynette's country crossover style. McEntire has also begun touring and performing more often. She often relied on house bands to accompany her when she was without a band of her own. In some cases, the backing bands didn't know country music, and McEntire would have to fill her time onstage with humour.

McEntire's career began to grow in importance in 1978. That year, she appeared on two singles with country artist Jacky Ward. "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight"/"Three Sheets in the Wind"/"I'd Really Love to See You Tonight"/"I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" was the pair's first top 20 hit on the country charts. McEntire inherited producer Jerry Kennedy when Glenn Keener left the PolyGram/Mercury roster. Out of a Dream (1979), Kennedy's second studio album. Patsy Cline's "Sweet Dreams" album cover became her first top 20 hit as a solo artist. Four other top-40 country singles were also born from the album. McEntire had formed her own band, which also included sister Susie and brother Pake McEntire, by 1980. She also recruited a new boss. McEntire and her band toured dates in a three-car caravan, which featured a horse trailer for transporting equipment. She later converted to a bus named "Silver Eagle," which never broke down. "You Lift Me Up to Heaven"), her first top ten hit on the country songs charts in 1980, became her first top ten hit on the country charts. It was included on her third studio album, Feel the Fire, which was released in October.

McEntire's label had encouraged her to record in a soft country pop style that she often disagreed with. Future content (which also included her new album) was shot in this manner. Heart to Heart was her fourth album to debut on Billboard's Billboard Country Albums list in 1981, making it her first disc to top the Billboard Country Albums chart. It only received a 2.5 star review from AllMusic's William Ruhlmann, who characterized McEntire as a "promising but not yet accomplished country artist." Despite this, its lead single, "Today All Over Again," became the country's highest charting country single, debuting at number five. When McEntire was told that her new single "Can't Even Get the Blues" had debuted at number one on the Billboard country charts in 1983, she had crashed and began to crash. It was followed by her second top-one hit, "You're the First Time I Thought About Leaving." The track also reached the top ten of Canada's top ten songs charts, her second in second. Both singles appeared on her 1983 album Unlimited. The single "Why Do We Want (What We Know We Can't Have)" in the upcoming year climbed to the top ten in the top ten for the first time in the year. She was able to request a PolyGram/Mercury early in 1983, owing to her growing success in the country music business. "I didn't know put it this way, but I've sorta taken my life into account myself," she explained of the decision.

McEntire joined MCA Records in 1984 and released her seventh studio album Just a Little Love. Harold Shedd had intended to produce the album, but McEntire had to cancel his call for a country pop arrangement. Rather, Norro Wilson designed the scheme. Despite spawning a top-ten hit, McEntire was still dissatisfied with the record's production and a lack of control over material. Rather, she turned to MCA president Jimmy Bowen, who suggested that she find her own songs to record. McEntire's Don "Dirt" Lanier spent several days in listening to many songs from publishing companies. She eventually discovered "Somebody Should Leave" by Harlan Howard, as well as a Jon Moffat song titled "How Blue." They debuted as singles on the country's top charts and then appeared on 1984's My Kind of Country. In addition, Ray Price, Charley Pride, and Connie Smith's classic country songs were also included in the collection. William Ruhlmann of AllMusic awarded the disc 4.5 stars. McEntire's album was billed as "the best woman country singer since Kitty Wells," according to Billboard's review. McEntire became the country's best Female Vocalist of the Year award in 1984, which led to her debut on the Country Music Association in 1984. The album, as well as George Strait and Randy Travis' music, brought about a stylistic shift in the United States towards traditional arrangements and sounds.

Has I Got a Deal for You, 1985. The initiative was carried out in the same traditional country style as its predecessor. Jimmy Bowen produced it, as well as McEntire's co-production credits. "Only in My Mind," a McEntire song composed by McEntire herself, made the album's title track debut on the Billboard country top ten. Whoever's in New England, her ninth studio album, was unveiled in February 1986. McEntire and co-producer Jimmy Bowen paired a traditional country style with a fresh, contemporary sound on the record. Kurt Wolff characterized the title track's development as "more apparent and sentimentalism more apparent, even manipulative." The title track, which had debuted as the lead single on the Billboard charts, debuted at number one on the Billboard chart and also received the Grammy Award for Best Female Vocal Performance in McEntire. According to Billboard's Country Albums survey, the album became the first to debut. The Recording Industry Association of America later designated platinum for one million copies.

By this time, McEntire had hit the height of her commercial fame. McEntire made changes to her stage performance as a result of this. She began teaching choreography and experimented with stage lighting. What Am I Gonna Do About You, McEntire's twelfth studio album appeared on August 1986. It was discovered that it was lacking the features that had made Whoever's in New England unique, according to AllMusic. The title track was the first single from the beginning. It was her next top one on the Billboard country chart and debuting first on the RPM Canadian country chart. Its second single, "One Promise Too Late," debuted on the country chart. The Last One to Know, her thirteenth studio project, was launched in 1987 and debuted on the Billboard country albums chart at number three. McEntire selected material that represented her first marriage, Charlie Battles, according to reviewer Tom Roland. The Billboard country songs chart debuted both the title track and "Love Will Find Its Way to You." Merry Christmas to You, McEntire's first Christmas collection began in late 1987. She appeared on Carnegie Hall in New York City for the first time in 1987.

McEntire took over her destiny in the late 1980s. She fired her boss and formed her own entertainment company, which helped her to market her name. Reba, a 1988 pop-inspired dollhouse, was one of the recent additions. The former pop sensations "Respect" and "A Sunday Kind of Love" were included on her fifteenth studio album. "New Fool at an Old Game" and "I Know How He Feels" were among the top Billboard country singles. According to reviewer William Ruhlmann, it was preceded by 1989's Sweet Sixteen, which was described as a more "return[s] to the neo-traditionalist fold. The album featured the country's hits "Til Love Comes Again," "Little Girl," "Walk On," and a preview of "Cathy's Clown." Reba Live, her first live broadcasting program, was also released in 1989.

Rumor Has It (1990) was another pop-oriented album release with a mix of ballads and uptempo numbers. It was McEntire's first album to debut on the Billboard 200 albums chart in top 40. The album will debut McEntire's highest-selling album, earning three-times platinum from the Royal Academy of Ireland. From the start, four hit country singles, including "You Lie" and her version of "Fancy," were among her hits. The former single became one of McEntire's most popular songs.

McEntire's touring schedule became more packed in the late 1980s. She and her group began flying by private planes to concerts in order to avoid long bus trips. McEntire and her touring band began in 1991 with dates in Alaska, Saginaw, Michigan, Fort Wayne, Indiana, and San Diego, California, where they also performed for IBM in San Diego, California. Two planes were scheduled to leave San Diego, which would carry McEntire's band. McEntire, her husband, and her stylist will travel together on a different plane the next day. McEntire was awakened by Roger Woolsey's phone call in the middle of the night on March 16, 1991, who sailed the second plane. McEntire's husband received the call and learned that one of the planes had crashed. Following the successful landing of both planes, one plane's wing crashed off the side of Otay Mountain in San Diego, killing all on board.

In total, eight members of her band were killed: Chris Austin, Kirk Cappello, Joey Cigainero, Paula Kaye Evans, Jim Hammon, Terry Jackson, Anthony Saputo, and Michael Thomas. In addition, pilot Donald Holmes and copilot Chris Hollinger were killed. The first plane, a Hawker Siddeley DH-125-1A/522 charter jet, took off at 1:40 AM from Brown Field Municipal Airport, which is located near the Mexican border. The plane crashed on the side of Otay Mountain, which is located 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of the airport, after reaching a height above sea level. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the probable cause of the crash was related to "improper pilot planning."

Meanwhile, the second plane carrying the remainder of her band made it safely to an airport in Nashville. Following the crash, McEntire, her husband, and hair stylist returned on their own plane. "We were physically and mentally exhausted by the time that long, painful weekend was over," McEntire wrote in her autobiography. McEntire and her husband, who were asleep at a nearby hotel, were immediately alerted to the news. "She was right next to all of them," a McEntire spokeswoman wrote to The Los Angeles Times on behalf of her client. Some of them had been with her for years. Reba has been largely devastated by this. It's like losing a piece of your family. She needs to get back to Nashville right now. McEntire conducted an interview with People magazine and scheduled a memorial service for the victims' families two days after the crash. McEntire performed at the 63rd Academy Awards ceremony, singing "I'm Checkin' Out" from the film Postcards from the Edge, nine days after the tragedy. Vince Gill and Dolly Parton, in addition,, were able to reorganize her touring band's order.

McEntire dedicated For My Broken Heart to the deceased members of her road band. According to Alanna Nash of Entertainment Weekly, it was released in October 1991 and contained songs of sadness and loneliness about "any measure of suffering." McEntire "still hits her stride with the more popular songs of emotional turmoil," Nash said, combining a spectacular vocal appearance with a soaring song on 'Buying Her Roses,' a husband's head-spinning discover of her husband's other woman." On the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, the album debuted at number three. It also became the highest-charting debut on the Billboard 200, peaking at number 13. It later became the country's best-selling album to date, with over four million copies in the United States. Both "Is There Life Out There" and "Is There Alive" have risen to the top Billboard country singles. In addition,, "The Greatest Man I Never Knew" and McEntire's version of "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" became major country hits.

McEntire's seventeenth album It's Your Call was released in December 1992. The album was her first to reach the top of the Billboard 200, a sign of her growing mainstream success. It inspired the nation's hit "Take It Back" on the title track and a number one duet with Vince Gill titled "The Heart Will Not Lie" by Vince Gill. Brian Mansfield compared the album to "My Broken Heart," noting that "only casual or partial listeners will be moved as much." Christopher John Farley of Time wrote that the album ranged from being "relaxing" to "cathartic," and that "these vocals from one of the best country singers linger in the memory." McEntire co-produced "Does He Love You" with up-and-coming artist Linda Davis for her forthcoming release. McEntire was encouraged to record the track with more established artists such as Wynonna Judd or Trisha Yearwood, but Davis eventually joined Davis. It was her eighth number one hit on the Country Songs chart and her sixteenth top hit on the Canadian country charts. It was later included on her 1993 compilation Greatest Hits Volume Two. Davis and McEntire were the duet at the CMA Awards later this year. McEntire wore a red dress with a plunging neckline for her appearance in Nashville, prompting controversies among the Nashville crowd.

Read My Mind, 1994, was her eighteenth studio album release. Both the Billboard 200 and the Top Country Albums chart ranked the album at number two on both the Billboard 200 and the Top Country Albums chart. The disc was later released in the United States and was awarded three times platinum by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIAA). "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter," "Till You Love Me," and a song about a woman living AIDS named "She Thinks His Name Was John" were among the five big hits from the launch, which included "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter," "Till You Love Me" and "She Thinks His Name Was John." Due to the album's insecure lyrics, it only made it to the top ten charts. Starting Over (1995) by McEntire is a collection of her favorite songs that have never been released by others. The album was released to celebrate McEntire's 20 years in the music industry. Critics generally gave the album a less positive reaction than that of her previous releases. Although the project resulted in three charting singles, only McEntire's version of "Ring on Her Finger" became a top ten country song. Within the first two months of its inception, Starting Over was awarded platinum by the Royal Institute of British Agricultural Association.

McEntire's new album, What If It's You, was released by MCA in November 1996. The album was a return to a more modern country sound. It debuted at number 15 on the Billboard 200 and then ranked fifth on the Billboard 200 and later ranked 15th on the Billboard 200 and eventually ranked number one on the Billboard country albums list. It received more positive feedback from radio programmers than it did from her 1995 album, which attracted more attention. Thom Owens, a critic, said the initiative "didn't] include any new tricks from Reba McEntire, but it is also a great reminder of her deep talents as a singer." "The Fear of Being Alone," its first single, became a top-five hit, while "How Was I to Know" debuted at number one on the Billboard country music charts, earning its number one position.

During the mid 1990s, McEntire began touring with country duo Brooks & Dunn. Their touring collaboration resulted in the recording of a duet titled "If You See Him/If You See Her" in 1998. Both the Billboard country songs chart and the Canadian RPM country charts topped the album. Their first collaborations would result in a variety of other professional ventures over the years, including a joint Las Vegas residency. The duet was included on McEntire's If You See Him album and Brooks & Dunn's If You See Her album, both of which were released in June 1998. Both album titles were almost identical as "a way to attract interest for both groups" because they were no longer new weapons; younger bands were in danger of losing ground to younger musicians," Thom Owens says. If You See Him produced three more top ten hits, including "Forever Love" and "One Honest Heart."

McEntire released two albums in 1999. The Secret of Giving: A Christmas Collection by Jennifer Shelton in September was her second Christmas album. So Good Together, her twenty-second studio album, was released in November. The majority of the album's content, according to Entertainment Weekly, was "an odd set—mostly ballads," including an English/Portuguese duet with Jose e Durval on Boz Scaggs' "We're Alone." "What Do You Say" and "I'll Be" were two of the top country songs on the show. McEntire spent the early 2000s on an acting career, and then took a brief musical hiatus. "I'm a Survivor" in 2001, for one exception. The single debuted as a top-five country hit and the theme song to McEntire's 2001 television film.

With the introduction of the MCA single "I'm Gonna Take That Mountain," McEntire returned to her recording career in August 2003. The song was included on her first studio album in four years, titled Room to Breathe (November 2003). "I named the album Room to Breathe because I needed a little space to breathe," McEntire told Billboard. Buddy Cannon and Norro Wilson produced the 12-track album. Vince Gill's appearance as a guest on the show was also included. Room to Breathe debuted at number four on the Billboard country chart and then became a platinum in the United States. It was McEntire's first number one hit in six years, "Somebody." "He Gets That from Me" was also on the top ten songs, as well as the top ten. She began "Room to Breathe," the first tour to Breathe in 2004, which included 36 cities in the United States, in 2004. When she was in between albums in 2005, MCA released Reba #1's, a double-disc set.

Reba: Duets, McEntire's next studio album, was released in September 2007. The album was a collection of duets with various musicians, including Kenny Chesney, LeAnn Rimes, Trisha Yearwood, Carole King, and Justin Timberlake. Reba: Duets were ranked both the Billboard country chart and the Billboard 200, her first album in her career to appear on both lists. Duets: The Royal Institute of British Architects later designated Duets platinum. The album received a slew of critical praise from magazines like PopMatters, which compared McEntire to artists like Janis Joplin and Tina Turner. Thom Jurek of AllMusic gave it 3.5 stars, saying that "it's packed with good to great songs that are presented in mainly interesting ways." The first single, which was a duet interpretation of Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You," debuted at number two on the American country chart and topped the Canadian country songs chart.

McEntire revealed in 2008 that she would be releasing a 25-year contract and joining the Valory Music Group, which is an imprint of Big Machine Records. McEntire was reunited with Valory's president, Scott Borchetta, whom she had worked with before. "Strange" was her first Valory album and she was released in 2009. McEntire's debut on the Billboard country charts chart ranked at number 39, giving her her highest single debut of her career and a top-ten position. Keep On Loving You, her twenty-sixth studio album, was released in August 2009 and debuted on both the Billboard Country and 200 charts. "Consider Me Gone," the record's second single, in 2009, became her 24th number one on the Billboard charts in December. McEntire, 54, became one of the country's longest female entertainers to have a number one single.

This is McEntire's twenty-ninth studio album All the Women I Am unveiled in November 2010. The Boston Globe's Steve Morse called the venture "one of her finest attempts," while Thom Jurek of AllMusic gave it a 2.5 star rating, calling it "awkward" and lacking a "center." "Turn On the Radio" was released as the lead single prior to the album, eventually becoming her twenty-fourth number one on the Billboard country survey. Three new charting singles were born from All the Women I Am, which ranked outside the top 20. Her All the Women I Am Tour was followed shortly by the Band Perry, Steel Magnolia, and Edens Edge, just a few months after featuring country performers.

McEntire's new imprint for veteran musicians, Nash Icon Music, was launched in 2014. "Going Out Like That," her first Nash Icon track, debuted at number one on the Billboard country songs chart, reached the top 25 positions. It was included on her 2015 Nash Icon album Love Somebody. The album debuted on the country albums chart and charted the top five of the Billboard 200. McEntire's My Kind of Christmas, a third Christmas-themed studio album, was released in 2016. The album was only available in Cracker Barracks and online. She also announced that she would soon be offering her own line of clothes, home decor, jewelry, and other items under the "Rockin' R by Reba" brand, which is also available at Cracker Barracks.

McEntire, ex-husband Narvel Blackstock's daughter, took over her own boss after her ex-husband's death. Brand Manager Justin McIntosh, Leslie Matthews, and Carolyn Snell, who has worked with McEntire for nine years, were recruited by Carolyn Snell. Reba's Business Inc. was founded by the two companies (RBI). She and Blackstock had lived in the building where they had worked and relocated her company to Green Hills, Nashville.

McEntire revealed on December 15, 2016, that she would be releasing Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope, her first gospel album. On February 3, 2017, Nash Icon/Rockin' R Records released it, which was split into two discs. Traditional hymns are included on the first disc, but original tracks are also included on the second disc. Kelly Clarkson and Trisha Yearwood performed "Softly and Tenderly" on the album's first track. The Isaacs appear on "In the Garden/Wonderful Peace," another track on the album. The Rascal Flatts' Jay DeMarcus produced the album. "Back to God" is the album's first single. McEntire received the Grammy Award for Best Roots Gospel Album in January 2018, her first nomination since 2007, and her first Grammy Award win in more than twenty years since 1994. In March, she headlined the C2C: Country to Country festival in the United Kingdom with Brad Paisley and Zac Brown Band. My Kind of Christmas was re-released on October 13, 2017, this time featuring songs by Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Darius Rucker, and Lauren Daigle, this time with songs from Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Matt Rucker, and Lauren Daigle. In July 2018, it was announced that McEntire would be one of four finalists for the 41st annual Kennedy Center Honors alongside Cher, Philip Glass, and Wayne Shorter. The ceremony was held on December 2, 2018, and CBS televised it on December 26, 2018.

On April 5, 2019, McEntire's twenty-ninth studio album Stronger Than the Truth was released. On April 8, 2019, McEntire will host the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards.

McEntire was one of hundreds of artists whose work was destroyed in the 2008 Universal Fire, according to The New York Times Newspaper on June 25, 2019.

McEntire announced on February 20, 2020, during a surprise appearance at the Country Radio Seminar, that she had signed a new record deal with MCA Nashville, reuniting the brand after leaving in November 2008. In November 2020, McEntire hosted the 54th Annual Country Music Association Awards alongside Darius Rucker. In 2019, McEntire hosted Carrie Underwood and Dolly Parton, 1992 with Vince Gill, 1991 by herself (second solo female host) and 1990 with Randy Travis. Reba announced on October 3, 2022, that she would keep her Reba: Live in Concert tour going through 2023 and perform in Madison Square Garden in New York City for the first time.

Acting career

She was born in 1990 and with Kevin Bacon, she performed Heather Gummer in the horror film Tremors. The film told the tale of a small group of people in Nevada who were fighting subterranean worm-like creatures. McEntire, who starred in the film, piqued a keen interest in acting and made it her second go back to acting. At the 1991 Saturn Awards, McEntire was given the award for Best Supporting Actress. She appeared alongside Kenny Rogers and Burt Reynolds in the made-for-television films The Gambler Returns: The Lucky Draw and The Man From Left Field over the next year. McEntire appeared in the film North in 1994, playing Ma Tex. The film received poor feedback, with only two and a half actors from Allmovie.

McEntire appeared in Is There Life Out There in 1994. A television movie based on her song of the same name. She continued to appear in Buffalo Girls, which was based on the life of western cowgirl Calamity Jane (played by Anjelica Huston). Annie Oakley, a playing Jane Oakley, was nominated for an Emmy Award by Emmy. In 1996, McEntire was directed by James Cameron as Molly Brown in his film Titanic. However, when it became clear that the film would run much beyond its original length, McEntire was forced to pull out of the role because she had already planned prior concert appearances. Kathy Bates had a recasting of the role. Lizzie Brooks appeared in Forever Love, which was based on McEntire's hit single of the same name.

McEntire's career exploded into theater in early 2001, starring in Annie Get Your Gun in Broadway revival. Annie Oakley (who had previously appeared in Buffalo Girls) was widely distributed by several newspapers, including The New York Times, who wrote, "Without qualification the best performance by an actress in a musical comedy this season." "This is the hardest work I've ever done in my life," McEntire personally described the musical as "some of the hardest work I've ever done in my life."

In 2005, McEntire performed Nellie Forbush in the Carnegie Hall concert performance of the Broadway musical South Pacific with Alec Baldwin as Luther Billis and Brian Stokes Mitchell as Emile de Becque, directed by Walter Bobbie and with an adapted script by David Ives. In 2006, the concert was broadcast as part of the Great Performances series.

McEntire's half-hour television sitcom Reba premiered on the WB network in October 2001. Reba Hart, a divorced mother who learns how to cope after her husband divorced her in order to marry her dental hygienist – with whom he had been cheating and pregnant – and then their teenage daughter became pregnant as well. Reba received critical acclaim and recognition for her work as the network's most rated television show for adults ranging from 18 to 49 years old. McEntire received a Golden Globe award for six seasons. On February 18, 2007, the show finale was cancelled; it attracted 8.7 million viewers.

ABC had ordered a pilot for her second television series Malibu Country, according to McEntire on her website in September 2011. McEntire, a divorced mother of two who flocked to Malibu, California, to resurrect her music career. The pilot appeared in April 2012 and debuted on August, the pilot's first season. It was revealed that the pilot for Malibu Country would premiere on November 2, 2012. The show on ABC was broadcast at 8:30 7:30 p.m. on Friday nights. McEntire tweeted that the show had been picked up on May 11, 2012. She was also the host of the 2011 NASCAR Awards Show in Las Vegas.

Despite claims that Malibu Country was the most watched freshman comedy in its debut season (8.7 million), the program was cancelled on May 10, 2013, after eighteen episodes.

McEntire would appear and produce a Southern drama series titled Red Blooded for ABC in January 2017. ABC eventually pulled the show down in May, so it went to other televisions. Reba was selected to portray KFC's first female Colonel Sanders in January 2018. The advertisements lasted until the end of April 2018.

Living & Learning, McEntire's new and acclaimed Reba co-star Melissa Peterman, launched a podcast in 2020. She appears in Young Sheldon's season 4 and 5 (1921).

Trish, a water spirit who wrote, produced, and starred in the film, made her an "impassioned letter" asking her to join the film after Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig wrote, produced, and starred in the film. In an interview with director Josh Greenbaum, "There's some casting that just clicks." Reba isn't only 100% authentic, we knew she'd be game."

McEntire will be a member of the drama Big Sky's season 3 (2022–23) cast, playing local businesswoman Sunny Brick, in May 2022.

In 2023, McEntire will appear in Reba McEntire's The Hammer on Lifetime. Melissa Peterman, the country's fourth child, will co-star Melissa Peterman in a film based on traveling Nevada circuit judge Kim Wanker's life. Also stars McEntire's boyfriend, Bart Crawford, a tumultuous cowboy with unknown motives, and Kay Shioma Metchie, the tenacious talking bailiff who serves as Kim's right hand and trusted friend.

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