McEntire, Reba

▪ 1995

      "Everyone's going to OD on Reba," joked country music singer Reba McEntire near the beginning of the year. McEntire, already considered the reigning queen of country, did indeed spend more time in the limelight in 1994 than ever before. She released Read My Mind, her 22nd album; published Reba: My Story, a best-selling autobiography; starred in Is There Life Out There?, a made-for-TV movie, and a TV music special; appeared in the films North and The Little Rascals; won a Grammy award and a Country Music Association (CMA) award for her collaboration with Linda Davis on "Does He Love You"; and planned an ambitious concert tour.

      McEntire was born on March 28, 1954, in McAlester, Okla. The daughter of a world-champion steer roper, she too did some rodeo performing. She joined her first band while in the ninth grade but scored her first big break in music 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. Six years after her first single, "I Don't Want to Be a One Night Stand" (1976), she topped the charts with "Can't Even Get the Blues." Other hits followed, but McEntire longed to have more control of her own career and to recapture a more traditional country music sound. She moved to the MCA label in 1984, started coproducing her albums, and topped the charts seven times by the end of 1986. She was the first woman to win six CMA award nominations in one year and was crowned CMA's best female vocalist an unprecedented four years straight (1984-87).

      With her musical destiny now resting in her own hands, McEntire expanded into business and acting. Along with second husband and manager Narvel Blackstock, 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 science-fiction thriller Tremors. Then, in March 1991, the euphoria of success was abruptly interrupted when a plane carrying her tour manager and seven band members crashed near San Diego, Calif. McEntire was criticized when, within a month of their deaths, she was back on stage performing with new musicians. She answered the criticism—first by explaining that work helped her deal with the loss, then by releasing the album For My Broken Heart. The album paid tribute to the crash victims.

      During 1994 her book remained on the New York Times best-seller list for 16 weeks. To date McEntire had won at least 30 major awards and sold more than 20 million albums.

      (ANTHONY G. CRAINE)

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▪ American singer and actress

in full  Reba Nell McEntire 

born March 28, 1955, McAlester, Okla., U.S.

      American singer and actress, one of the most popular female country vocal artists of the 20th century, who later found crossover success with her television sitcom, Reba.

      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. Six years after her first single, "I Don't Want to Be a One Night Stand" (1976), she topped the charts 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. She moved to the MCA label in 1984, started coproducing her albums, and topped the country charts seven times by the end of 1986. She was the first woman to win six Country Music Association award nominations in one year and was crowned CMA's best female vocalist in an unprecedented four consecutive years (1984–87).

      With her musical success established, McEntire expanded into business and acting. Along with second husband and manager Narvel Blackstock, 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 science-fiction thriller Tremors. The following March, a plane carrying her tour manager and seven band members crashed near San Diego, Calif. McEntire paid tribute to the victims on the album For My Broken Heart (1991).

      In 1994 McEntire recorded the album Read My Mind; published her 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 early 2007. McEntire continued to tour. Her later albums include Room to Breathe (2003).

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