Reba McEntire

Reba McEntire is a country singer and actress, often referred to as “the Queen of Country” since the 1970s. Her music has earned her numerous accolades, including two Grammy Awards, six Country Music Association Awards and 12 Academy of Country Music Awards.

Before embarking on her music career, she earned a Bachelor’s degree in teaching. In 1974, McEntire performed “The Star Spangled Banner” at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City, where she caught the attention of country star Red Steagall.

In March 1975, McEntire and her mother traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, to record a demo with Steagall, which he then presented to record labels, and she was signed by November.

In 1984, released her seventh studio album, Just A Little Love. However, it was her following album My Kind of Country, released just six months later, that became her breakout release, with chart-topping hits. Some of her No. 1 singles included “One Promise Too Little,” “The Last One to Know,” and “Whoever’s in New England,” the latter of which earned her a Grammy Award.

In 1991, McEntire faced a personal tragedy when she lost eight of her band members in a plane crash, an event that inspired her album For My Broken Heart, which became one of her highest-selling albums.

McEntire ventured into acting in 1990 with her film debut in Tremors. She later starred in The WB sitcom Reba, which ran from 2001 to 2007, and reunited with costar Melissa Peterman in 2024 for the NBC comedy Happy’s Place. She also made her mark on reality TV, joining The Voice as a coach in 2023.

McEntire was married to Charlie Battle, a steer wrestling champion, from 1976 to 1987. In 1989, she married her manager, Narvel Blackstock, and together they formed Starstruck Entertainment to manage McEntire’s career. During their marriage, McEntire became stepmother to Blackstock’s three children, and the couple welcomed son Shelby Steven (born February 1990). McEntire and Blackstock divorced in 2015 after 26 years of marriage.

McEntire dated photographer Anthony “Skeeter” Lasuzzo for two years starting in 2017. In 2020, McEntire began dating actor Rex Linn, whom she met on the set of The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw.