Reba McEntire
Encyclopedia
Reba Nell McEntire is an American
country music
artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry
as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma City
, which caught the attention of country artist Red Steagall
. He brought her to Nashville, Tennessee
, where she eventually signed a contract with Mercury Records
in 1975. She released her first solo album in 1977 and released five additional studio albums under the label until 1983.
Signing with MCA Nashville Records, McEntire took creative control over her second MCA album, My Kind of Country (1984), which had a more traditional country sound and produced two number one singles: "How Blue
" and "Somebody Should Leave
". The album brought her breakthrough success, bringing her a series of successful albums and number one singles in the 1980s and 1990s. McEntire has since released 26 studio albums, acquired 35 number one singles, and 28 albums have been certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America
.
In the early 1990s, McEntire branched into film starting with 1990's Tremors
. She has since starred in the Broadway
revival of Annie Get Your Gun
and starred in her television sitcom, Reba
(2001–2007) for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award
for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series–Musical or Comedy. She has sometimes been referred to as "The Queen of Country", having sold 41 million records in the United States and more than 56 million worldwide. In the United States, she ranks as both the seventh best-selling female artist in all genres and the seventh best-selling country artist. She is the second best-selling female country artist of all time, behind Shania Twain
.
, to Jacqueline Smith and Clark Vincent McEntire. Her father and grandfather were champion steer ropers
and her father was a World Champion Steer Roper three times (1957, 1958, and 1961). Her mother originally had plans to become a country music artist but decided not to pursue that professionally and worked as a schoolteacher. Instead, McEntire's mother taught her children how to sing. On car rides home from her father's rodeo trips, the McEntire siblings were taught songs and learned their own harmonies, eventually forming a vocal group called the "Singing McEntires". Consisting of her brother, Pake
, and her younger sister, Susie (her older sister, Alice did not participate), the group sang at rodeos and recorded "The Ballad of John McEntire" together. Released on an indie
label, Boss, the song pressed one thousand copies. In 1974, McEntire attended Southeastern Oklahoma State University
and intended on becoming an elementary school teacher (eventually graduating December 16, 1976). While not attending school, she also continued to sing locally. That same year she was also invited to perform the national anthem
at an Oklahoma City
rodeo. At the club, country artist Red Steagall
(who was also performing that day) was impressed by her vocal ability and offered his help in making McEntire a country artist in Nashville, Tennessee
. After recording a demo tape, she eventually signed a recording contract with Mercury Records
in 1975.
. Upon its release that year, "I Don't Want to Be a One Night Stand" failed to become a major hit on the Billboard country music chart
, peaking at No. 88 in May. She completed her second recording session September 16, which included the production of her second single, "(There's Nothing Like The Love) Between a Woman and Man", which only reached No. 86 in March 1977. She recorded a third single that April, "Glad I Waited Just for You", which reached number 88 by August. That same month, Mercury issued her self-titled debut album
. The album was a departure from any of McEntire's future releases, as it resembled the material of Tanya Tucker
and Tammy Wynette
, according to Allmusic reviewer Greg Adams. The album itself did not chart the Billboard Top Country Albums chart upon its release. After releasing two singles with Jacky Ward
("Three Sheets in the Wind" b/w "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight
"; and "That Makes Two of Us" at number 20 and number 26, respectively), Mercury issued her second studio album in 1979, Out of a Dream
. The album's cover of Patsy Cline
's "Sweet Dreams" became McEntire's first Top 20 hit, reaching No. 19 on the Billboard country chart in November 1979. In 1976 she made two albums listed under the genre of 'urban cowboy' instead of 'country.'
In 1980, "You Lift Me Up (To Heaven)" brought her to the Top 10 for the first time. Her third studio album, Feel the Fire
was released in October and spawned two additional Top 20 hit singles that year. In September 1981, McEntire's fourth album, Heart to Heart
was issued and became her first album to chart the Billboard Top Country Albums list, peaking at No. 42. Its lead single, "Today All Over Again" became a top five country hit. The album received mainly negative reviews from critics. William Ruhlmann of Allmusic gave it two-and-a-half out of five stars, stating she did not get creative control of her music. Ruhlmann called "There Ain't No Love" "essentially a soft pop ballad". Most of the album's material consisted of mainly country pop
-styled ballads, which was not well liked by McEntire herself. Her fifth album, Unlimited
was issued in June 1982 and spawned her first Billboard Number One single in early 1983: "Can't Even Get the Blues" and "You're the First Time I've Thought About Leaving". The following year her sixth album, Behind the Scene
was released and was positively-received by music critics. In 1983, McEntire announced her departure from Mercury, criticizing the label's country pop
production styles.
. Harold Shedd
was originally the album's producer; however, McEntire rejected his suggestions towards country pop
arrangements. It was instead produced by Norro Wilson
, although the album still had a distinguishable country pop sound. Dissatisfied with the album's sound, she went to MCA president, Jimmy Bowen
, who told McEntire to find material that was best-suited to her liking. Instead of finding new material, she found previously-recorded country hits from her own record collection, which was then recorded for the album. The album's material included songs originally released as singles by Ray Price
("Don't You Believe Her", "I Want to Hear It from You"), Carl Smith
("Before I Met You"), Faron Young
("He's Only Everything") and Connie Smith
("You've Got Me [Right Where You Want Me"]). The album spawned two number one singles: "How Blue
" and "Somebody Should Leave
". It was given positive reviews from critics, with Billboard Magazine praising McEntire as "the finest woman country singer since Kitty Wells
" and Rolling Stone
critics honoring her as one of their Top 5 favorite country artists. Upon its release, My Kind of Country became her highest-peaking album on the Top Country Albums chart, reaching No. #13. The album also included instruments such as a fiddle
and pedal steel guitar
, and was aimed more towards a traditional country sound. McEntire was later praised as a "new traditionalist", along with Ricky Skaggs
and George Strait
. That year, she won the Country Music Association Awards
' Female Vocalist of the Year, her first major industry award. The album was certified Gold.
In 1985, McEntire released her third MCA album, Have I Got a Deal for You
, which followed the same traditional format as My Kind of Country. It was the first album produced by McEntire and was co-produced with Jimmy Bowen
. Like her previous release, the album received positive feedback, including Rolling Stone, which called it a "promising debut". The album's second single, "Only in My Mind
" was entirely written by McEntire and reached number five on the Billboard country chart. On January 17, 1986, McEntire became a member of the Grand Ole Opry
show in Nashville, Tennessee
, and has been a member ever since. In February 1986, McEntire's ninth studio album, Whoever's in New England
was released. For this album, McEntire and co-producer Jimmy Bowen incorporated her traditional music style into a mainstream sound that was entirely different than anything she had previously recorded. Country Music: The Rough Guide called the production of the title track
, "bigger and sentimentalism more obvious, even manipulative". The title track peaked at number one on the Billboard Country Chart
and won her a Grammy Award
for Best Female Country Vocal Performance the following year. In addition, the album became McEntire's first release to certify gold in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America
(and was later certified Platinum). At the end of the year, McEntire won Entertainer of the Year from the Country Music Association, the highest honor in the awards show.
McEntire released a second album in 1986, What Am I Gonna Do About You
. Allmusic critic William Ruhlmann was not overly pleased with album's production, saying that it lacked the features that had been set forth on Whoever's in New England
. Rulhlmann criticized the title track for "something of the feel of 'Whoever's in New England' in its portrayal of a woman trying to recover from a painfully ended love affair". The title track
was the lead single from the release and was a number one single shortly after its release. This album also spawned a second Number One in "One Promise Too Late". The following year, her first MCA compilation, Greatest Hits
was released and became her first album to be certified platinum in sales, eventually certifying triple-platinum. A twelfth studio album, The Last One to Know
, was released in 1987. The emotions of her divorce from husband, Charlie Battles, were put into the album's material, according to McEntire. The title track from the release was a number one single in 1987 and the second single, "Love Will Find Its Way to You", also reached the top spot. In late 1987, McEntire released her first Christmas collection, Merry Christmas to You
, which sold two million copies in the United States, certifying double Platinum. The album included cover versions of "Away in a Manger
", "Silent Night
", and Grandpa Jones
's "The Christmas Guest".
Her thirteenth album, Reba
, was issued in 1988 and was not well-received by critics, who claimed she was moving farther away from her "traditional country" sound. Stereo Review
disliked the album's contemporary style, stating, "After years of insisting that she'd stick to hard-core country 'because I have tried the contemporary-type songs, and it's not Reba McEntire—it's just not honest,' McEntire[...]has gone whole-hog pop. The album peaked at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and remained there for six consecutive weeks. Okay, so maybe that's not so terrible." Although it was reviewed poorly, the album itself was certified platinum in sales and produced two number one singles: "I Know How He Feels" and "New Fool at an Old Game". In addition, the release's cover version of Jo Stafford
's "A Sunday Kind of Love
" became a Top 5 hit on the Billboard country music chart. Also in 1988, McEntire founded Starstruck Entertainment, which controlled her management, booking, publishing, promotion, publicity, accounting, ticket sales, and fan club administration. The company would eventually expand into managing a horse farm, jet charter service, trucking, construction, and book publishing.
McEntire's fourteenth studio album, Sweet Sixteen
, was released in May 1989; it spent sixteen weeks at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, while also becoming her first album to peak in the top 100 on the Billboard 200
, reaching No. 78. The album was given positive reviews because unlike her previous studio album, the release, "welcomes the fiddles and steel guitars back as she returns to the neo-traditionalist fold", according to Allmusic, which gave the release four-and-a-half out of five stars. Reviewer William Ruhlmann found Sweet Sixteen to "double back to a formula that worked for her in the past". The lead single was a cover of The Everly Brothers
' "Cathy's Clown
", with McEntire's version reaching number one in July on the Billboard country music chart. Three more Top 10 hits followed from Sweet Sixteen: "Till Love Comes Again", "Little Girl", and "Walk On", at number four, seven and two, respectively. In September she released Reba Live
, her first live album, which originally certified gold but certified platinum ten years later.
Sixteen months after the release of Sweet Sixteen and after giving birth to a child, McEntire transitioned into 1990 with the release of Rumor Has It
. The album's "sound and production were almost entirely pop-oriented", according to Kurt Wolff of Country Music: The Rough Guide. Although Rumor Has It was an attempt to receive critical praise, many reviewers found the album to be "predictable". Stereo Review
mainly found the recording displeasing in some places, but the reviewer also believed she "still leaves most of the competition in the dust", calling the album "glorious". Rumor Has It eventually sold three million copies by 1999, certifying triple-platinum by that year. It was prefaced by the single "You Lie", which became her fifteenth number one single on the country chart. In addition, the album's cover of Bobbie Gentry
's 1969 hit "Fancy" and a new track, "Fallin' Out of Love", became Top 10 hits on the same Billboard country chart.
, Kirk Cappello, Joey Cigainero, Paula Kay Evans, Jim Hammon, Terry Jackson, Anthony Saputo, and Michael Thomas), plus pilot Donald Holmes and co-pilot Chris Hollinger, when their charter jet plane crashed near San Diego, California
on March 16, 1991. The accident occurred after McEntire's private performance for IBM
executives the night before. The first plane was a Hawker Siddeley DH-125-1A/522
charter jet, believed to have taken off around 1:45 AM from the Brown Field Municipal Airport, located near the border of Mexico
. After reaching an altitude of about 3,572 feet above sea level, the Hawker aircraft crashed on the side of Otay Mountain, located ten miles east of the airport, while the second plane (carrying her other band members) did not crash. The accident was believed to have occurred due to poor visibility near Otay Mountain, which was not considered "prohibitive" for flying. The news was reported nearly immediately to McEntire and her husband, who were sleeping at a nearby hotel. A spokeswoman for McEntire at the time stated in the Los Angeles Times
that "she was very close to all of them. Some of them had been with her for years. Reba is totally devastated by this. It's like losing part of your family. Right now she just wants to get back to Nashville."
McEntire dedicated her sixteenth album, For My Broken Heart
, to her deceased road band. Released in October 1991, it contained songs of sorrow and lost love about "all measure of suffering", according to Alanna Nash
of Entertainment Weekly
. Nash reported that McEntire "still hits her stride with the more traditional songs of emotional turmoil, above all combining a spectacular vocal performance with a terrific song on "Buying Her Roses", a wife's head-spinning discovery of her husband's other woman". The release peaked at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, while also reaching number 13 on the Billboard 200
, and eventually sold four million copies. Its title track
became McEntire's sixteenth number one, followed by "Is There Life Out There
", which also reached number one on the Billboard country music chart. The third single, "The Greatest Man I Never Knew" peaked in the Top 5 and her cover of Vicki Lawrence
's "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia
" reached No. 12. "If I Had Only Known", a cut from this album, was later included in the soundtrack
to the 1994 film 8 Seconds
.
, was released. It became her first album to peak within the Billboard 200
Top 10, reaching number eight. McEntire commented that the record was a "second chapter" to For My Broken Heart, while music reviewers such as Alanna Nash
of Entertainment Weekly
disagreed, writing, "In truth, it isn't nearly as pessimistic as its predecessor — and unfortunately it isn't anywhere as involving." Nash called the album's title track—which peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart—"one of those moment-of-truth sagas at which McEntire excels. In the song, a wife answers the phone to find her husband's girlfriend on the other end and seizes the opportunity not only to inform her mate that she knows of his affair but to give him the ultimatum of choosing between the two. She's not the only one who's waitin' on the line, she sings, handing her husband the phone. It's your call." Christopher John Farley of Time Magazine wrote that the album ranged from being "relaxing" to "cathartic", and "these vocals from one of the best country singers linger in the mind". The album's preceding singles—"The Heart Won't Lie
" (a duet with then-labelmate Vince Gill
) and "Take It Back"—were Top 10 hits on the Billboard country chart, reaching number one and number five respectively. Like its preceding album, It's Your Call sold over a million copies, eventually certifying by the RIAA in sales of double-platinum.
In October 1993, McEntire's third compilation album, Greatest Hits Volume Two
was released, reaching number one and number five on the Billboard Top Country Albums and Billboard 200 charts respectively, selling 183,000 copies during Christmas week 1993. Out of the ten tracks were two new singles: the first, "Does He Love You
", was a duet with Linda Davis
. The song later went on to reach number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and win both women a Grammy for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. Its second single, "They Asked About You", was also a Top 10 hit. The additional eight songs were some of McEntire's biggest hit singles during a course of five years including "The Last One to Know", "I Know How He Feels", "Cathy's Clown", and "The Heart Won't Lie". After originally selling two million copies upon its initial release (2× Multi-Platinum), Greatest Hits Volume Two would later certify at 5× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA in 1998.
Her eighteenth studio release was 1994's Read My Mind
. The album spawned five major hit singles onto the Billboard Country chart, including the number one single "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
". The further releases ("Till You Love Me", "Why Haven't I Heard from You", and "And Still") became Top 10 singles on the same chart, with "Till You Love Me" also reaching number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100
, a chart that she had not previously entered. The album itself reached number two on the both the Billboard 200
and Top Country Albums charts. Charlotte Dillon of Allmusic gave the album four out of five stars, calling it "another wonderful offering of songs performed by the gifted country singer Reba McEntire". Dillon also felt that the album's material had "a little soul
, a little swing, and some pop
, too". Entertainment Weekly
s Alanna Nash
also gave the album positive feedback, viewing the album to have "enough boiling rhythms and brooding melodies to reflect the anger and disillusionment of the middle class in the '90s", calling the track "She Thinks His Name Was John
" to be the best example of that idea. The song was eventually spawned as a single and was considered controversial for its storyline, which described a woman who contracts AIDS
from a one-night stand. Because of its subject, the song garnered less of a response from radio and peaked at number 15. Read My Mind became another major seller for McEntire and her label, selling three million copies by 1995 and certifying at 3× Multi-Platinum from the RIAA.
After many years of releasing studio albums of newly-recorded material, McEntire's nineteenth studio album, Starting Over
(1995) was collection of her favorite songs originally recorded by others from the 1950s through the early '80s. The album was made to commemorate twenty years in the music industry, but many music critics gave it a less positive response than her previous release. Allmusics Stephen Thomas Erlewine
commented that although the album was considered a "rebirth" for McEntire, he thought that some tracks were recorded for merely "nothing more than entertainment". The album paid tribute to many of McEntire's favorite artists and included cover versions of "Talking In Your Sleep
" originally sung by Crystal Gayle
, "Please Come to Boston
", "Starting Over Again
", cowritten by Donna Summer
and originally a hit for Dolly Parton
, "On My Own", and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix
". "On My Own" featured guest vocals from Davis, as well as Martina McBride
and Trisha Yearwood
. Despite negative reviews, Starting Over was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
within the first two months of its release, but only one single—a cover of Lee Greenwood
's "Ring on Her Finger, Time on Her Hands"—was a Top 10 hit single.
. The album's lead single, "The Fear of Being Alone" reached number two on the country charts, and its further two singles ("How Was I to Know
" and "I'd Rather Ride Around with You") reached number one and number two respectively. The release garnered higher critical acclaim than Starting Over, with Thom Owens of Allmusic calling the album "nevertheless an excellent reminder of her deep talents as a vocalist". MCA Nashville chairman Bruce Hinton told Billboard how pleased he was with McEntire's release, calling the album's ten tracks "powerful" and concluding by stating, "There are so many writers and so many great songs in Nashville, and Reba has collected her disproportionate share[...]She's country music's female artist of the 90's." What If It's You peaked at number one Top Country Albums and No. 15 on the Billboard 200, while also becoming her first album in three years to certify in multi-platinum sales, selling two million copies by 1999. At the end of 1997, McEntire also charted at number 23 the charity single "What If
". The proceeds of sales for this single were donated to the Salvation Army
.
In 1997, McEntire headlined a tour with Brooks & Dunn
that led to the recording of "If You See Him/If You See Her
" with the duo the following year. This song was included on McEntire's If You See Him
album and Brooks & Dunn's If You See Her
album, both of which released on June 2. Thom Owens of Allmusic reported in its review that both album titles were named nearly the same as "a way to draw attention for both parties, since they were no longer new guns — they were veterans in danger of losing ground to younger musicians". The duet reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in June 1998 and spawned an additional three Top 10 hits during that year: "Forever Love", "Wrong Night", and "One Honest Heart". In addition, If You See Him peaked within the Top 10 on both the Billboard 200
and Top Country Albums chart, reaching number eight and number two, respectively.
, which eventually sold 500,000 copies in the United States. In November, her twenty second studio album, So Good Together
was released, spawning three singles. The first release, "What Do You Say" and the second release, "I'll Be" both reached the Top 5 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. So Good Together also brought her into the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time, peaking at No. 31 there. The album would eventually certify Platinum by the end of the decade. What Do You Say became her first crossover
hit as well and made her one of the most successful crossover artists. Unlike any of her previous albums, So Good Together was produced by three people, including McEntire. Entertainment Weekly commented that most of the album's material was "an odd set — mostly ballads, including an English/Portuguese duet with Jose e Durval
on Boz Scaggs
' 'We're All Alone'".
In 2001, McEntire returned with her third greatest-hits album: Greatest Hits Vol. 3: I'm a Survivor
. The album helped McEntire receive her third gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, which made her the most certified female country artist in music history. It spawned the number three hit "I'm a Survivor
", which would be her last major hit for two years, as McEntire would go on a temporary hiatus to focus on her television sitcom, Reba
. The album's only other single, a cover of Kenny Rogers
' "Sweet Music Man", went to No. 36.
, marked her first release of new material in four years. Writing for The Boston Globe
, Steve Morse found the album's material to have a variety of musical stylings, saying the track "Love Revival" sounded like Tanya Tucker
and calling "If I Had Any Sense at All" "a mournful country ballad". Dan MacIntosh of Country Standard Time
gave Room to Breathe a less-received review, reporting that "it ultimately falls short of leaving the listener breathless". He highlighted "I'm Gonna Take That Mountain" for sounding like a Bluegrass
-inspired song such as music by Ricky Skaggs
or Patty Loveless
. The album itself reached a peak of number four on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and No. 25 on the Billboard 200
, staying at the position for only one week. The second single, "Somebody", also recorded by Mark Wills on his "Loving Every Minute" release, became her twenty-second number one single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs
chart and first since "If You See Him/If You See Her" six years previous. This became her thirty-third number one single overall. It took longer than expected to become a hit, according to McEntire, who said, "Yeah, that had us concerned. The album came out in November and it took 30 weeks for "Somebody" to work its way up the charts. Usually, it's 15 weeks. But this one had a resurgence of life, especially after the video came out. MCA is really kicking butt with it." Its second single, "He Gets That from Me" reached number seven, followed by the Amy Dalley
co-written track "My Sister", which reached number 16.
In 2005, McEntire released the compilation Reba #1's
. The album comprised all thirty-three Number One hits in her career on all major trade charts. Two new songs were included on the album: "You're Gonna Be" and "Love Needs a Holiday". Both were released as singles, peaking at number 33 and number 60, respectively, with the latter becoming her first single in 27 years to miss the country top 40 entirely. Country Standard Time called the tracks "Whoever's in New England
" and "You Lie" the album highlights. The album reached a peak of number three on the Top Country Albums chart and number 12 on the Billboard 200 upon its release, certifying 2× Platinum by the RIAA within two years. On August 30, 2007, McEntire received two CMA
nominations: Female Vocalist of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year. With those two nominations plus another in 2008 and two more in 2009, Reba became the female artist with the most nominations (forty-eight) in the forty-three year history of the CMA Awards, surpassing Dolly Parton
, who has forty-three.
In mid 2007, McEntire announced the release of her twenty-fifth studio album, Reba: Duets
, on September 18. McEntire stated that out of all the albums she had previously recorded, her newest release was particularly special: "This is an album that will go down in history as probably my favorite album to record because I got to work and sing and be with my friends. Out of everything in this whole career that I can say that I'm the most proud of, are my friends. And here's the proof." In promotion for the album, McEntire made appearances at radio shows and on The Oprah Winfrey Show
September 19. The album's lead single, "Because of You
"—a duet with Kelly Clarkson
, who originally recorded the song—became her fifty fifth Top 10 single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs
chart, tying her with Dolly Parton, who also had the same amount of Top 10 records. The album was given high critical praise from magazines such as PopMatters
, which called McEntire's vocals, "to sound sweet without being syrupy, while being extremely powerful. McEntire’s vocal strength yields a different kind of authority than the bluesy, drawling growl of Janis Joplin
, the weathered rasp of Marianne Faithful, or even the soul-shrieking powerhouse of Tina Turner
. Instead, Reba's voice combines the aspects of all three singers but tempers it with a Southern sweetness and an unmistakable femininity." The album contained ten tracks of duets with country and pop artists, including Kenny Chesney
, LeAnn Rimes
, Trisha Yearwood
, Carole King
, and Justin Timberlake
. Reba: Duets peaked at number one on the Top Country Albums chart, while also becoming her first album in her thirty-year career to peak and debut at number one on the Billboard 200
, with 300,536 copies (according to Nielsen Soundscan
) sold within its first week of release. On January 17, 2008, McEntire embarked on the 2 Worlds 2 Voices Tour with Clarkson, which began in Dayton, Ohio
. A month after its release, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
on October 19, 2007. The album's only other single was "Every Other Weekend
". Recorded on the album as a duet with Chesney, it was released to radio with its co-writer, Skip Ewing
, as a duet partner.
In early 2008, McEntire partnered again with Brooks & Dunn for a re-recorded version of their single "Cowgirls Don't Cry
". McEntire is featured in the video, but not on the version found on the album Cowboy Town
. It became McEntire's fifty-sixth Top Ten country hit, breaking Dolly Parton's record for the most Top Ten country hits for a solo female. In November 2008, McEntire announced that she would be departing from her label of twenty-five years and signing with the Valory Music Group, an imprint of Big Machine Records
(coincidentally distributed by MCA and Mercury's parent, Universal Music Group
). Under MCA, she had sold a total of sixty-seven million records worldwide and won two Grammys. The switch to Valory reunited McEntire with the label's president, Scott Borchetta, who had worked as senior vice president of promotion at MCA during most of the 1990s. McEntire later commented on her label switch, stating, "I am thrilled to be joining the Valory team. Scott and I worked together on some of the biggest singles of my career, and I am excited to renew our partnership."
On April 5, 2009, McEntire debuted her first single, "Strange
", on Valory at the 2009 Academy of Country Music Awards. The song debuted at No. 39 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs
chart, giving McEntire the highest single debut of her career, and went on to peak at No. 11. Her twenty-sixth studio album, Keep On Loving You
was released August 18, 2009 and became McEntire's first solo studio album in six years. The album gained fairly positive reviews from most album critics, including Jim Malec of The 9513, which gave Keep on Loving You three and a half out of five stars. Malec favored "Strange", calling McEntire's performance of the song "stellar". Criticism was given to the album's fourth track, "I Want a Cowboy", characterizing the song as an "annoying stop-and-go melody and lyrics more befitting a 17 year old Lila McCann
, it is a song so generic and irrelevant that it would be album filler on the worst albums". On August 26, Keep on Loving You became McEntire's second album to top both the Billboard Country and 200 charts, selling almost 96,000 copies within its first week. With the album, McEntire broke the record for the female country artist with the most Billboard number one albums, which was previously held by Loretta Lynn
.
On August 18 the label released the album's second single, "Consider Me Gone
", and it debuted at number 51 on The Hot Country Single's Chart. The single became McEntire's thirty fourth number one on the Billboard chart in December. With a four-week stay at Number One, this song became the longest-lasting Number One of her career, as well as the first multi-week Number One by a female country singer since Taylor Swift
's "Our Song
" in 2007.
McEntire's thirty-fourth studio album, All the Women I Am
, was released on November 9, 2010 under Valory Music Group/Starstruck Records. The album's lead single called "Turn On the Radio
" was released on August 3, 2010 and the music video premiered on August 18, 2010. Upon its release, All the Women I Am received generally positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 72, based on 4 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". On November 10, 2010, McEntire appeared at the Country Music Association Awards performing "If I Were a Boy". On December 20, 2010, McEntire scored her 35th Billboard number one single in the U.S. with "Turn On the Radio
". The second single from All the Women I Am, "If I Were a Boy", was released in January 2011. However, unlike her previous single, "If I Were A Boy" flopped at radio, and only had a peak of No. 22 at country radio. McEntire later announced that she will be visiting 31 cities on her All the Women I Am Tour
this fall with The Band Perry, Steel Magnolia and Eden's Edge as opening acts on different stops of the tour. Dates for the tour were announced July 6, 2011.
On March 1, 2011, the Country Music Association announced that McEntire will be inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame. McEntire was unable to attend the announcement after her father slipped into a coma following a stroke. Reba was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on May 22, 2011 at a Medallion Ceremony that took place at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Reba's Idol, Dolly Parton, inducted her.
on the ABC network
.
In 1990, she obtained her first film role playing Heather Grummer in the horror comedy Tremors
, along with Kevin Bacon
. The film told the story of a small group of people living in Nevada who were fighting subterranean worm-like creatures. After the film's release, McEntire developed a strong interest in acting and made it her second career. The following year, she starred along with Kenny Rogers
and Burt Reynolds
in the made-for-television movie, The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw. In 1994, McEntire worked with director, Rob Reiner
in the film, North
, playing Ma Tex. The film obtained negative reviews, receiving only two and a half stars from Allmovie.
In 1994, McEntire starred in Is There Life Out There?, a television movie based on her song of the same name
. The following year, she appeared in Buffalo Girls
, which was based upon the life of western cowgirl, Calamity Jane
(played by Anjelica Huston
). Playing Jane's friend, Annie Oakley
, Buffalo Girls was nominated for an Emmy award
. In 1996, McEntire was cast by director James Cameron
as Molly Brown in his film Titanic
. However, when it became apparent production for the film would extend well beyond its original length, McEntire had to turn down the part, as she had already scheduled prior concert engagements. The role was recast with Kathy Bates
. In 1998, she starred as Lizzie Brooks in Forever Love, which was based upon McEntire's hit single of the same name.
. Playing Annie Oakley
(whom she previously portrayed in Buffalo Girls), McEntire's performance was critically acclaimed by several newspapers, including The New York Times
, which commented, "Without qualification the best performance by an actress in a musical comedy this season." McEntire personally called the musical, "some of the hardest work I've ever done in my life".
In 2005, McEntire starred as Nellie Forbush in the Carnegie Hall
concert production of the Broadway musical South Pacific
. She also starred alongside Alec Baldwin
as Luther Billis and Brian Stokes Mitchell
as Emile de Becque. The concert went under the direction of Walter Bobbie
and featured an adapted script by David Ives
. The Thirteen Network
taped the concert as part of the channel's syndicated broadcast of Great Performances. The musical aired on television in 2006.
In October 2001, McEntire premiered her half-hour television sitcom Reba
on the WB network
. The show was based around divorced mother Reba Hart, who learns how to handle life situations after her husband divorces her and their teenage daughter becomes pregnant. Reba garnered critical acclaim and success, becoming the network's highest-rated television show for adults ranging from the ages of eighteen to forty nine. The show would run for six seasons and nominate McEntire for a Golden Globe award. In 2006, the series was moved to the CW network
and remained there for one more season before its cancellation on February 18, 2007, and the series finale gained 8.7 million viewers world-wide.
had ordered a pilot for her second television series, Malibu Country
. McEntire will play a divorced mother of three who moves to Malibu, California to restart her music career. The pilot will be filmed in April 2012 and will begin production on its first season in August, if picked up as new series for the tv network.
McEntire's sound has been influenced by the country music of Bob Wills
, Merle Haggard
, Dolly Parton
, Barbara Mandrell
, and Patsy Cline
. In college, McEntire would sneak into local dances at the Oklahoma
-Texas
border so she could dance to Wills's music, commenting that, "it didn't get any better than dancing to Bob Wills music". She also explained Merle Haggard's influence on her career, stating "I had every album he ever put out", and would sing "every song he did", along with her brother, Pake and sister, Susie. In addition, her first major hit, "Sweet Dreams" was a remake of Patsy Cline's version of the song, according to McEntire herself. McEntire's music has been described to not only be built upon traditional country music, but also expand into the genres of Country pop
, Mainstream pop
, Soul
, Adult Contemporary, and R&B
. At times, her music has often been criticized for moving away from traditional country music. Many music critics have often called her music to be "melodramatic", "formulaic", and "bombastic", particularly after her 1988 album, Reba
. Studio releases such as Sweet Sixteen
, Rumor Has It
, It's Your Call
, and Starting Over
have often been described by these terms.
McEntire possesses a contralto
vocal range and performs "vocal gymnastics" with her voice, a musical technique in which a singer twirls a note
around, using their vibrato
. McEntire has often credited Dolly Parton for influencing this trait, stating that she would always listen to Parton's records and find her style of vocal gymnastics, "so pretty".
McEntire has often been regarded as one of country music's most influential female vocalists and most beloved entertainers. She has also been highly-credited for remaining one of country's most popular female artists for over two decades, maintaining her success by continually incorporating contemporary musical sounds without changing her traditional vocal style. For many new artists, she has been credited as the inspiration to their careers in country music, including, Faith Hill
, Martina McBride
, Trisha Yearwood
, and LeAnn Rimes
. She has also been credited as an inspiration to other performers such as Sara Evans
, Kelly Clarkson
, Lee Ann Womack
, Terri Clark
, Taylor Swift
, Carrie Underwood
,. The Net Music Countdown second handedly reported, "That influence has manifested itself in many ways. As a role model, she's shown others how to handle fame with grace and good humor while never backing down from her values or goals. Just as importantly, she's shown others to refuse to accept limitations on what she can do or how much she can achieve." McEntire also explained to the online website, "Whatever I'm doing, I feel like I'm representing country music". "It's always been my main career, and it's where my loyalties lie. I feel like I'm waving the flag of country music wherever I go, and I couldn't be prouder to do it."
was a successful country artist in the late 1980s and early 90s. Her sister, Susie Luchsinger
, is a successful Christian music
singer. She also has an older sister, Alice.
In 1976, McEntire married national steer wrestling
champion and rancher, Charlie Battles. Together, the couple owned a ranch in Oklahoma and managed her career. In 1987, McEntire divorced Battles and moved to Nashville, Tennessee
. She later commented to Bob Allen of Country Music about their separation, saying, "I had to pack everything in one day and leave. I was totally starting over." McEntire later claimed that she wanted to focus more on her music career, while Battles insisted that she remain at home, helping to take care of the ranch. McEntire stated, "I wasn't the little girl anymore, taking orders, and doing what he said."
In 1989, McEntire married her manager and former steel guitar
player, Narvel Blackstock. The couple wed in a private ceremony on a boat in Lake Tahoe
. Together, the pair took over all aspects of McEntire's career, forming Starstruck Entertainment, which was originally designed to help manage her career. From her second marriage, McEntire inherited three stepchildren and gave birth to a son, Shelby Steven McEntire Blackstock on February 23, 1990. After the couple had celebrated their twentieth wedding anniversary, and McEntire states that the secrets to her marriage are "Respect, faith, love, trust, and lots of patience".
Top Female Vocalist Awards (seven), and American Music Awards
for Favorite Country Female Artist (twelve), and ties with Martina McBride
for most Country Music Association
Female Vocalist of the Year Awards (four), though McEntire does have the distinction of winning the award 4 times consecutively. She also is one of only two women in country music history to have attained a number one hit in four different decades, and the only female to achieve solo number ones across four decades.
Live albums
Compilation albums
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist and actress. She began her career in the music industry
Music of the United States
The music of the United States reflects the country's multi-ethnic population through a diverse array of styles. Among the country's most internationally-renowned genres are hip hop, blues, country, rhythm and blues, jazz, barbershop, pop, techno, and rock and roll. The United States has the...
as a high school student singing in the Kiowa High School band , on local radio shows with her siblings, and at rodeos. As a solo act, she was invited to perform at a rodeo in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
, which caught the attention of country artist Red Steagall
Red Steagall
Russell Steagall is a multitalented showbusiness personality whose career has covered a period of 35 years and has spanned the globe...
. He brought her to Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, where she eventually signed a contract with Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
in 1975. She released her first solo album in 1977 and released five additional studio albums under the label until 1983.
Signing with MCA Nashville Records, McEntire took creative control over her second MCA album, My Kind of Country (1984), which had a more traditional country sound and produced two number one singles: "How Blue
How Blue
"How Blue" is a song written by John Moffat and recorded by American country music artist, Reba McEntire. The song was produced by Harold Shedd for McEntire's second MCA studio album, My Kind of Country. Released in September 1984, it became her third number one single on the Billboard country...
" and "Somebody Should Leave
Somebody Should Leave
"Somebody Should Leave" is a song written by Harlan Howard and Chick Rains, and was recorded by American country music artist, Reba McEntire. The song was produced by Harold Shedd for her second MCA studio album, My Kind of Country...
". The album brought her breakthrough success, bringing her a series of successful albums and number one singles in the 1980s and 1990s. McEntire has since released 26 studio albums, acquired 35 number one singles, and 28 albums have been certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
.
In the early 1990s, McEntire branched into film starting with 1990's Tremors
Tremors (film)
Tremors is a 1990 American science fiction horror comedy film directed by Ron Underwood, based on a screenplay by Brent Maddock and S. S. Wilson, and starring Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross and Reba McEntire...
. She has since starred in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
revival of Annie Get Your Gun
Annie Get Your Gun (musical)
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley , who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.The 1946 Broadway production...
and starred in her television sitcom, Reba
Reba (TV series)
Reba is an American sitcom starring Reba McEntire, which ran from 2001 to 2007. For the show's first five seasons, it ran on The WB, with the show transitioning to The CW in its last year.-Synopsis:...
(2001–2007) for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series–Musical or Comedy. She has sometimes been referred to as "The Queen of Country", having sold 41 million records in the United States and more than 56 million worldwide. In the United States, she ranks as both the seventh best-selling female artist in all genres and the seventh best-selling country artist. She is the second best-selling female country artist of all time, behind Shania Twain
Shania Twain
Shania Twain, OC is a Canadian country pop singer-songwriter. Her album The Woman in Me , brought her fame and her 1997 album Come On Over, became the best-selling album of all time by a female musician in any genre, and the best-selling country album of all time. It has sold over 40 million...
.
Early life
Reba Nell McEntire was born on March 28, 1955, outside of Kiowa, OklahomaKiowa, Oklahoma
Kiowa is a town in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 693 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Kiowa is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....
, to Jacqueline Smith and Clark Vincent McEntire. Her father and grandfather were champion steer ropers
Steer roping
Steer roping, also known as steer tripping, is a rodeo event that features a steer and one mounted cowboy.The steer roper is behind a taut rope fastened with an easily broken string which is fastened to the rope on the steer. When the roper is ready he calls for the steer and the chute man trips a...
and her father was a World Champion Steer Roper three times (1957, 1958, and 1961). Her mother originally had plans to become a country music artist but decided not to pursue that professionally and worked as a schoolteacher. Instead, McEntire's mother taught her children how to sing. On car rides home from her father's rodeo trips, the McEntire siblings were taught songs and learned their own harmonies, eventually forming a vocal group called the "Singing McEntires". Consisting of her brother, Pake
Pake McEntire
Del Stanley McEntire is an American country music artist. He is the oldest brother of Reba McEntire and Susie Luchsinger and a younger brother of Alice Foran. He's also a country music artist...
, and her younger sister, Susie (her older sister, Alice did not participate), the group sang at rodeos and recorded "The Ballad of John McEntire" together. Released on an indie
Indie (music)
In music, independent music, often shortened to indie music or "indie" is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels or their subsidiaries, and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
label, Boss, the song pressed one thousand copies. In 1974, McEntire attended Southeastern Oklahoma State University
Southeastern Oklahoma State University
Southeastern Oklahoma State University, often referred to as Southeastern and abbreviated as SE, or SOSU, is a public university located in Durant, Oklahoma, with an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 4,229 as of 2009.-History:...
and intended on becoming an elementary school teacher (eventually graduating December 16, 1976). While not attending school, she also continued to sing locally. That same year she was also invited to perform the national anthem
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
at an Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
rodeo. At the club, country artist Red Steagall
Red Steagall
Russell Steagall is a multitalented showbusiness personality whose career has covered a period of 35 years and has spanned the globe...
(who was also performing that day) was impressed by her vocal ability and offered his help in making McEntire a country artist in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. After recording a demo tape, she eventually signed a recording contract with Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
in 1975.
1976–1983: Career launch at Mercury
McEntire made her first recordings for Mercury January 22, 1976, when she cut her debut singleSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
. Upon its release that year, "I Don't Want to Be a One Night Stand" failed to become a major hit on the Billboard country music chart
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
, peaking at No. 88 in May. She completed her second recording session September 16, which included the production of her second single, "(There's Nothing Like The Love) Between a Woman and Man", which only reached No. 86 in March 1977. She recorded a third single that April, "Glad I Waited Just for You", which reached number 88 by August. That same month, Mercury issued her self-titled debut album
Reba McEntire (album)
Reba McEntire is Reba McEntire's first studio album. It featured her first single I Don't Wanna Be A One Night Stand, as well as a cover of the Jennifer Warnes hit "Right Time of the Night". It was re-issued on CD in 1993...
. The album was a departure from any of McEntire's future releases, as it resembled the material of Tanya Tucker
Tanya Tucker
Tanya Denise Tucker is a female American country music artist who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13...
and Tammy Wynette
Tammy Wynette
Virginia Wynette Pugh, known professionally as Tammy Wynette , was an American country music singer-songwriter and one of the genre's best-known artists and biggest-selling female vocalists....
, according to Allmusic reviewer Greg Adams. The album itself did not chart the Billboard Top Country Albums chart upon its release. After releasing two singles with Jacky Ward
Jacky Ward
Jacky Ward is an American country music artist. Between 1972 and 1982, he recorded four albums for Mercury Records, and charted more than fifteen singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles Jacky Ward (born November 18, 1946 in Groveton, Texas) is an American country music artist. Between 1972...
("Three Sheets in the Wind" b/w "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight
I'd Really Love to See You Tonight
"I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" was written by Parker McGee and was a hit by England Dan & John Ford Coley from their 1976 album Nights Are Forever...
"; and "That Makes Two of Us" at number 20 and number 26, respectively), Mercury issued her second studio album in 1979, Out of a Dream
Out of a Dream (Reba McEntire album)
Out of a Dream is Reba McEntire's second studio album, released in September 1979. The first single off of the album, Last Night, Ev'ry Night, was her first top 30 hit....
. The album's cover of Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline , born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Gore, Virginia, was an American country music singer who enjoyed pop music crossover success during the era of the Nashville sound in the early 1960s...
's "Sweet Dreams" became McEntire's first Top 20 hit, reaching No. 19 on the Billboard country chart in November 1979. In 1976 she made two albums listed under the genre of 'urban cowboy' instead of 'country.'
In 1980, "You Lift Me Up (To Heaven)" brought her to the Top 10 for the first time. Her third studio album, Feel the Fire
Feel the Fire (Reba McEntire album)
Feel the Fire is Reba McEntire's third studio album. The album's first single release, "You Lift Me ", was her first Top 10 hit. This album is currently only available on iTunes.-Track listing:...
was released in October and spawned two additional Top 20 hit singles that year. In September 1981, McEntire's fourth album, Heart to Heart
Heart to Heart
Heart to Heart is Reba McEntire's fourth studio album. It was released via Mercury Records in 1981. The album includes the singles "Today All Over Again" and "Only You and You Alone," a cover of the doo-wop standard...
was issued and became her first album to chart the Billboard Top Country Albums list, peaking at No. 42. Its lead single, "Today All Over Again" became a top five country hit. The album received mainly negative reviews from critics. William Ruhlmann of Allmusic gave it two-and-a-half out of five stars, stating she did not get creative control of her music. Ruhlmann called "There Ain't No Love" "essentially a soft pop ballad". Most of the album's material consisted of mainly country pop
Country pop
Country pop, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock, is a subgenre of country music that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to Top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to...
-styled ballads, which was not well liked by McEntire herself. Her fifth album, Unlimited
Unlimited (Reba McEntire album)
Unlimited is Reba McEntire's fifth studio album. It featured her first number one single "Can't Even Get The Blues". It was re-issued on CD in 1990...
was issued in June 1982 and spawned her first Billboard Number One single in early 1983: "Can't Even Get the Blues" and "You're the First Time I've Thought About Leaving". The following year her sixth album, Behind the Scene
Behind the Scene
Behind the Scene is the sixth studio album by Reba McEntire. It was her final album for Mercury Records before switching over to Mercury's now-sister label MCA Nashville...
was released and was positively-received by music critics. In 1983, McEntire announced her departure from Mercury, criticizing the label's country pop
Country pop
Country pop, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock, is a subgenre of country music that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to Top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to...
production styles.
1984–1990: Breakthrough
McEntire signed with MCA Nashville Records in 1984 and released her seventh studio album, Just a Little LoveJust a Little Love
Just a Little Love is the seventh studio album by Reba McEntire, but the first on her second label, MCA Records. The album's singles were its title track and "He Broke Your Memory Last Night." Both of these songs charted on Hot Country Songs, with the former reaching #5 and the latter reaching...
. Harold Shedd
Harold Shedd
Harold Shedd is a music industry executive and producer, best known for his role as producer of the country group Alabama as well as Reba McEntire, Shania Twain and Toby Keith...
was originally the album's producer; however, McEntire rejected his suggestions towards country pop
Country pop
Country pop, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock, is a subgenre of country music that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to Top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to...
arrangements. It was instead produced by Norro Wilson
Norro Wilson
Norris "Norro" Wilson is an American country music singer, songwriter and producer, and member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame....
, although the album still had a distinguishable country pop sound. Dissatisfied with the album's sound, she went to MCA president, Jimmy Bowen
Jimmy Bowen
Jimmy Bowen is an American record producer and former pop music performer.Bowen was born in Santa Rita, New Mexico. He began as a teenage recording star in 1957 with "I'm Stickin' With You," originally the flip side of the hit record "Party Doll" by Buddy Knox, but ultimately a Top 20 recording...
, who told McEntire to find material that was best-suited to her liking. Instead of finding new material, she found previously-recorded country hits from her own record collection, which was then recorded for the album. The album's material included songs originally released as singles by Ray Price
Ray Price (musician)
Ray Price is an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist. His wide-ranging baritone has often been praised as among the best male voices of country music...
("Don't You Believe Her", "I Want to Hear It from You"), Carl Smith
Carl Smith (country musician)
Carl Milton Smith was an American country music singer. Known as "Mister Country," Smith was the husband of June Carter and Goldie Hill, the drinking companion of Johnny Cash, and the father of Carlene Carter...
("Before I Met You"), Faron Young
Faron Young
Faron Young was an American country music singer and songwriter from the early 1950s into the mid-1980s and one of its most successful and colorful stars...
("He's Only Everything") and Connie Smith
Connie Smith
Connie Smith is an American country music artist. She began her career in 1963 after winning a local talent contest near Columbus, Ohio, which attracted the attention of country songwriter Bill Anderson...
("You've Got Me [Right Where You Want Me"]). The album spawned two number one singles: "How Blue
How Blue
"How Blue" is a song written by John Moffat and recorded by American country music artist, Reba McEntire. The song was produced by Harold Shedd for McEntire's second MCA studio album, My Kind of Country. Released in September 1984, it became her third number one single on the Billboard country...
" and "Somebody Should Leave
Somebody Should Leave
"Somebody Should Leave" is a song written by Harlan Howard and Chick Rains, and was recorded by American country music artist, Reba McEntire. The song was produced by Harold Shedd for her second MCA studio album, My Kind of Country...
". It was given positive reviews from critics, with Billboard Magazine praising McEntire as "the finest woman country singer since Kitty Wells
Kitty Wells
Ellen Muriel Deason , known professionally as Kitty Wells, is an American country music singer. Her 1952 hit recording, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels", made her the first female country singer to top the U.S. country charts, and turned her into the first female country star...
" and Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
critics honoring her as one of their Top 5 favorite country artists. Upon its release, My Kind of Country became her highest-peaking album on the Top Country Albums chart, reaching No. #13. The album also included instruments such as a fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
and pedal steel guitar
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
, and was aimed more towards a traditional country sound. McEntire was later praised as a "new traditionalist", along with Ricky Skaggs
Ricky Skaggs
Rickie Lee "Ricky" Skaggs is a country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, and banjo.-Early career:...
and George Strait
George Strait
George Harvey Strait is an American country music singer, actor, and music producer. Strait is referred to as the "King of Country," and critics call Strait a living legend. He is known for his unique style of western swing music, bar-room ballads, honky-tonk style, and fresh yet traditional...
. That year, she won the Country Music Association Awards
Country Music Association Awards
The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards, or the CMAs, and not to be confused with the ACM Awards, are voted on by business members of the Country Music Association. The first CMA awards were presented at an untelevised ceremony in Nashville's Municipal Auditorium in 1967...
' Female Vocalist of the Year, her first major industry award. The album was certified Gold.
In 1985, McEntire released her third MCA album, Have I Got a Deal for You
Have I Got a Deal for You
Have I Got a Deal for You is the ninth album of Reba McEntire, a continuation of the same style of music that made her previous album My Kind of Country a big seller...
, which followed the same traditional format as My Kind of Country. It was the first album produced by McEntire and was co-produced with Jimmy Bowen
Jimmy Bowen
Jimmy Bowen is an American record producer and former pop music performer.Bowen was born in Santa Rita, New Mexico. He began as a teenage recording star in 1957 with "I'm Stickin' With You," originally the flip side of the hit record "Party Doll" by Buddy Knox, but ultimately a Top 20 recording...
. Like her previous release, the album received positive feedback, including Rolling Stone, which called it a "promising debut". The album's second single, "Only in My Mind
Only in My Mind
"Only in My Mind" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist, Reba McEntire. The song was produced by Jimmy Bowen and McEntire for her 1985 entitled, Have I Got a Deal for You. It was the second single released from the album, peaking within the Top 5 on the Billboard Magazine...
" was entirely written by McEntire and reached number five on the Billboard country chart. On January 17, 1986, McEntire became a member of the Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
show in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, and has been a member ever since. In February 1986, McEntire's ninth studio album, Whoever's in New England
Whoever's in New England
Whoever's in New England is Reba McEntire's tenth album, and her first #1 album on the Billboard country charts. It also produced two singles that were #1 country hits: "Whoever's in New England" and "Little Rock."...
was released. For this album, McEntire and co-producer Jimmy Bowen incorporated her traditional music style into a mainstream sound that was entirely different than anything she had previously recorded. Country Music: The Rough Guide called the production of the title track
Whoever's in New England (song)
"Whoever's in New England" is the name of a popular single made famous by Reba McEntire in 1986. The song was considered one of her signature and breakthrough singles.-Song background:...
, "bigger and sentimentalism more obvious, even manipulative". The title track peaked at number one on the Billboard Country Chart
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
and won her a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Female Country Vocal Performance the following year. In addition, the album became McEntire's first release to certify gold in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(and was later certified Platinum). At the end of the year, McEntire won Entertainer of the Year from the Country Music Association, the highest honor in the awards show.
McEntire released a second album in 1986, What Am I Gonna Do About You
What Am I Gonna Do About You
What Am I Gonna Do About You is the eleventh album, and second straight #1 album for Reba McEntire on the Billboard country charts, containing two #1 singles, What Am I Gonna Do About You and One Promise Too Late....
. Allmusic critic William Ruhlmann was not overly pleased with album's production, saying that it lacked the features that had been set forth on Whoever's in New England
Whoever's in New England
Whoever's in New England is Reba McEntire's tenth album, and her first #1 album on the Billboard country charts. It also produced two singles that were #1 country hits: "Whoever's in New England" and "Little Rock."...
. Rulhlmann criticized the title track for "something of the feel of 'Whoever's in New England' in its portrayal of a woman trying to recover from a painfully ended love affair". The title track
What Am I Gonna Do About You (song)
"What Am I Gonna Do About You" is a song written by Jim Allison, Doug Gilmore, and Bob Simon. It was first recorded by American country music artist Con Hunley in 1986 on the Capitol Records label and later by Reba McEntire for her 1986 studio album of the same name...
was the lead single from the release and was a number one single shortly after its release. This album also spawned a second Number One in "One Promise Too Late". The following year, her first MCA compilation, Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (Reba McEntire album)
Greatest Hits is Reba McEntire's first compilation for MCA Records. It covers her hit singles from 1984, 1985 and 1986. No new material was recorded for the album. Greatest Hits peaked at No. 2 on the country album chart and at No. 134 on the Billboard 200...
was released and became her first album to be certified platinum in sales, eventually certifying triple-platinum. A twelfth studio album, The Last One to Know
The Last One to Know
The Last One to Know is the thirteenth album and twelfth studio album by Reba McEntire, released in 1987. The title song and "Love Will Find Its Way to You" were both Number One singles from the album. It was also her first album to chart on the Billboard 200, in addition to peaking at #3 on Top...
, was released in 1987. The emotions of her divorce from husband, Charlie Battles, were put into the album's material, according to McEntire. The title track from the release was a number one single in 1987 and the second single, "Love Will Find Its Way to You", also reached the top spot. In late 1987, McEntire released her first Christmas collection, Merry Christmas to You
Merry Christmas to You
Merry Christmas to You, released in 1987, is the fourteenth album and first Christmas album by Reba McEntire, with most of the tunes being McEntire's renditions of very familiar traditional Christmas fare. It is currently the latest album to bear McEntire's last name on the front cover...
, which sold two million copies in the United States, certifying double Platinum. The album included cover versions of "Away in a Manger
Away in a Manger
"Away in a Manger" is a Christmas carol first published in 1885 in Philadelphia and used widely throughout the English-speaking world. In Britain it is one of the most popular carols, a 1996 Gallup Poll ranking it joint second.-History of the lyrics:...
", "Silent Night
Silent Night
"Silent Night" is a popular Christmas carol. The original lyrics of the song "Stille Nacht" were written in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria, by the priest Father Joseph Mohr and the melody was composed by the Austrian headmaster Franz Xaver Gruber...
", and Grandpa Jones
Grandpa Jones
Louis Marshall Jones , known professionally as Grandpa Jones, was an American banjo player and "old time" country and gospel music singer...
's "The Christmas Guest".
Her thirteenth album, Reba
Reba (album)
Reba is the fifteenth studio album, released in 1988 by Reba McEntire, the title signifying that she had become so well known that she could be identified by first name alone, but also signaling an entirely different style to her music...
, was issued in 1988 and was not well-received by critics, who claimed she was moving farther away from her "traditional country" sound. Stereo Review
Stereo Review
Stereo Review was an American magazine first published in 1958 by Ziff-Davis with the title HiFi and Music Review. It was one of a handful of magazines then available for the individual interested in high fidelity. Throughout its life it published a blend of record and equipment reviews, articles...
disliked the album's contemporary style, stating, "After years of insisting that she'd stick to hard-core country 'because I have tried the contemporary-type songs, and it's not Reba McEntire—it's just not honest,' McEntire[...]has gone whole-hog pop. The album peaked at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and remained there for six consecutive weeks. Okay, so maybe that's not so terrible." Although it was reviewed poorly, the album itself was certified platinum in sales and produced two number one singles: "I Know How He Feels" and "New Fool at an Old Game". In addition, the release's cover version of Jo Stafford
Jo Stafford
Jo Elizabeth Stafford was an American singer of traditional pop music and jazz standards and occasional actress whose career ran from the late 1930s to the early 1960s...
's "A Sunday Kind of Love
A Sunday Kind of Love
"A Sunday Kind of Love" is a popular song composed by Barbara Belle, Anita Leonard, Stan Rhodes, and Louis Prima, published in 1946.The song has become a pop and jazz standard, recorded by many artists.- Notable recordings :...
" became a Top 5 hit on the Billboard country music chart. Also in 1988, McEntire founded Starstruck Entertainment, which controlled her management, booking, publishing, promotion, publicity, accounting, ticket sales, and fan club administration. The company would eventually expand into managing a horse farm, jet charter service, trucking, construction, and book publishing.
McEntire's fourteenth studio album, Sweet Sixteen
Sweet Sixteen (Reba McEntire album)
Sweet Sixteen is the sixteenth studio album released by American country music singer Reba McEntire in 1989. It was released on MCA Records and it produced four singles for McEntire on the Billboard country charts: the Number One hits "Cathy's Clown" and "Walk On", and the Top Ten hits "Til Love...
, was released in May 1989; it spent sixteen weeks at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, while also becoming her first album to peak in the top 100 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, reaching No. 78. The album was given positive reviews because unlike her previous studio album, the release, "welcomes the fiddles and steel guitars back as she returns to the neo-traditionalist fold", according to Allmusic, which gave the release four-and-a-half out of five stars. Reviewer William Ruhlmann found Sweet Sixteen to "double back to a formula that worked for her in the past". The lead single was a cover of The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers
The Everly Brothers are country-influenced rock and roll performers, known for steel-string guitar playing and close harmony singing...
' "Cathy's Clown
Cathy's Clown
"Cathy's Clown" is a popular song, written and recorded by The Everly Brothers, in which an unnamed narrator informs Cathy that he "don't want your love anymore." It was their first single for Warner Bros., after spending three years on Archie Bleyer's Cadence label. "Cathy's Clown" sold eight...
", with McEntire's version reaching number one in July on the Billboard country music chart. Three more Top 10 hits followed from Sweet Sixteen: "Till Love Comes Again", "Little Girl", and "Walk On", at number four, seven and two, respectively. In September she released Reba Live
Reba Live
Reba Live is Reba McEntire's first and only live album to date. It features material primarily from her MCA recordings, including several covers . The album had no singles promoted from it, but still sold respectably...
, her first live album, which originally certified gold but certified platinum ten years later.
Sixteen months after the release of Sweet Sixteen and after giving birth to a child, McEntire transitioned into 1990 with the release of Rumor Has It
Rumor Has It (Reba McEntire album)
Rumor Has It is the seventeenth album by Reba McEntire, released in 1990. The album continued her streak of late-80s success. The album features one of her signature songs, "Fancy". CMT ranked "Fancy" at No. 26 on its list of the 100 Greatest Country Songs. Additionally, they ranked the video at...
. The album's "sound and production were almost entirely pop-oriented", according to Kurt Wolff of Country Music: The Rough Guide. Although Rumor Has It was an attempt to receive critical praise, many reviewers found the album to be "predictable". Stereo Review
Stereo Review
Stereo Review was an American magazine first published in 1958 by Ziff-Davis with the title HiFi and Music Review. It was one of a handful of magazines then available for the individual interested in high fidelity. Throughout its life it published a blend of record and equipment reviews, articles...
mainly found the recording displeasing in some places, but the reviewer also believed she "still leaves most of the competition in the dust", calling the album "glorious". Rumor Has It eventually sold three million copies by 1999, certifying triple-platinum by that year. It was prefaced by the single "You Lie", which became her fifteenth number one single on the country chart. In addition, the album's cover of Bobbie Gentry
Bobbie Gentry
Roberta Lee Streeter , professionally known as Bobbie Gentry, is a former American singer-songwriter notable as one of the first female country artists to compose and produce her own material...
's 1969 hit "Fancy" and a new track, "Fallin' Out of Love", became Top 10 hits on the same Billboard country chart.
1991: Aviation accident and For My Broken Heart
While on tour for her 1990 album, McEntire lost eight members of her road band (Chris AustinChris Austin (singer)
Chris Austin was a male country music singer. Austin was signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1988 and charted three singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart...
, Kirk Cappello, Joey Cigainero, Paula Kay Evans, Jim Hammon, Terry Jackson, Anthony Saputo, and Michael Thomas), plus pilot Donald Holmes and co-pilot Chris Hollinger, when their charter jet plane crashed near San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
on March 16, 1991. The accident occurred after McEntire's private performance for IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
executives the night before. The first plane was a Hawker Siddeley DH-125-1A/522
British Aerospace BAe 125
The British Aerospace 125 is a twin-engined mid-size corporate jet, with newer variants now marketed as the Hawker 800. It was known as the Hawker Siddeley HS.125 until 1977...
charter jet, believed to have taken off around 1:45 AM from the Brown Field Municipal Airport, located near the border of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. After reaching an altitude of about 3,572 feet above sea level, the Hawker aircraft crashed on the side of Otay Mountain, located ten miles east of the airport, while the second plane (carrying her other band members) did not crash. The accident was believed to have occurred due to poor visibility near Otay Mountain, which was not considered "prohibitive" for flying. The news was reported nearly immediately to McEntire and her husband, who were sleeping at a nearby hotel. A spokeswoman for McEntire at the time stated in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
that "she was very close to all of them. Some of them had been with her for years. Reba is totally devastated by this. It's like losing part of your family. Right now she just wants to get back to Nashville."
McEntire dedicated her sixteenth album, For My Broken Heart
For My Broken Heart
For My Broken Heart is the eighteenth album, released in 1991 by American country music singer Reba McEntire. It was the first album recorded after an airplane crash which killed most of the members of her touring band...
, to her deceased road band. Released in October 1991, it contained songs of sorrow and lost love about "all measure of suffering", according to Alanna Nash
Alanna Nash
Alanna Nash is an American journalist and biographer.Nash holds a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and is the author of several acclaimed books...
of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
. Nash reported that McEntire "still hits her stride with the more traditional songs of emotional turmoil, above all combining a spectacular vocal performance with a terrific song on "Buying Her Roses", a wife's head-spinning discovery of her husband's other woman". The release peaked at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, while also reaching number 13 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, and eventually sold four million copies. Its title track
For My Broken Heart (song)
"For My Broken Heart" is the title of a country music song written by Keith Palmer and Liz Hengber. It was recorded by American singer Reba McEntire on her 1991 studio album For My Broken Heart, from which it was released in September as the album's lead-off single. The song was a Number One hit...
became McEntire's sixteenth number one, followed by "Is There Life Out There
Is There Life Out There
"Is There Life Out There" is the title of a country music song written by Susan Longacre and Rick Giles. It was recorded by American singer Reba McEntire on her 1991 album For My Broken Heart, from which it was released in early 1992 as the album's second single...
", which also reached number one on the Billboard country music chart. The third single, "The Greatest Man I Never Knew" peaked in the Top 5 and her cover of Vicki Lawrence
Vicki Lawrence
Vicki Lawrence is an American actress, comedienne, and Billboard Hot 100 #1 singer, who was frequently a game show panelist in the 1970s and 1980s...
's "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia
The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia
"The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" is a Southern Gothic song written by songwriter Bobby Russell and performed in 1972 by his then-wife Vicki Lawrence...
" reached No. 12. "If I Had Only Known", a cut from this album, was later included in the soundtrack
8 Seconds (soundtrack)
-Chart performance:...
to the 1994 film 8 Seconds
8 Seconds
8 Seconds is a 1994 biographical film about American rodeo legend and world bull riding champion Lane Frost. It details his life from his youth learning how to ride bulls, until his death in 1989. It was directed by John G...
.
1992–1996: Continued success
In December 1992, McEntire's seventeenth studio album, It's Your CallIt's Your Call
-Personnel:As listed in liner notes.*Terry Crisp – steel guitar*Linda Davis – background vocals*Steve Gibson – acoustic guitar, electric guitar*Vince Gill – background vocals*Vicki Hampton – background vocals*John Barlow Jarvis – piano, synthesizer...
, was released. It became her first album to peak within the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
Top 10, reaching number eight. McEntire commented that the record was a "second chapter" to For My Broken Heart, while music reviewers such as Alanna Nash
Alanna Nash
Alanna Nash is an American journalist and biographer.Nash holds a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and is the author of several acclaimed books...
of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
disagreed, writing, "In truth, it isn't nearly as pessimistic as its predecessor — and unfortunately it isn't anywhere as involving." Nash called the album's title track—which peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart—"one of those moment-of-truth sagas at which McEntire excels. In the song, a wife answers the phone to find her husband's girlfriend on the other end and seizes the opportunity not only to inform her mate that she knows of his affair but to give him the ultimatum of choosing between the two. She's not the only one who's waitin' on the line, she sings, handing her husband the phone. It's your call." Christopher John Farley of Time Magazine wrote that the album ranged from being "relaxing" to "cathartic", and "these vocals from one of the best country singers linger in the mind". The album's preceding singles—"The Heart Won't Lie
The Heart Won't Lie
"The Heart Won't Lie" is a duet between American country music artists Reba McEntire and Vince Gill that reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart...
" (a duet with then-labelmate Vince Gill
Vince Gill
Vincent Grant "Vince" Gill is an American neotraditional country singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman to the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s, and as a solo artist beginning in 1983, where his talents as a...
) and "Take It Back"—were Top 10 hits on the Billboard country chart, reaching number one and number five respectively. Like its preceding album, It's Your Call sold over a million copies, eventually certifying by the RIAA in sales of double-platinum.
In October 1993, McEntire's third compilation album, Greatest Hits Volume Two
Greatest Hits Volume Two (Reba McEntire album)
-Sales chart positions:Album-Certifications/sales:Singles-References:...
was released, reaching number one and number five on the Billboard Top Country Albums and Billboard 200 charts respectively, selling 183,000 copies during Christmas week 1993. Out of the ten tracks were two new singles: the first, "Does He Love You
Does He Love You
"Does He Love You" is a song performed by Reba McEntire and Linda Davis from McEntire's 1993 album Greatest Hits Volume Two.The Reba McEntire/Linda Davis version of this song was one of the most-awarded songs of McEntire's career despite initial resistance from the record label. MCA Records didn't...
", was a duet with Linda Davis
Linda Davis
Linda Kaye Davis is an American country music singer. Before beginning a career as a solo artist, she charted three minor country singles as one half of the duo Skip & Linda. In her solo career, Davis has recorded five major-label studio albums and more than 15 singles...
. The song later went on to reach number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and win both women a Grammy for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. Its second single, "They Asked About You", was also a Top 10 hit. The additional eight songs were some of McEntire's biggest hit singles during a course of five years including "The Last One to Know", "I Know How He Feels", "Cathy's Clown", and "The Heart Won't Lie". After originally selling two million copies upon its initial release (2× Multi-Platinum), Greatest Hits Volume Two would later certify at 5× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA in 1998.
Her eighteenth studio release was 1994's Read My Mind
Read My Mind (album)
-Personnel:*Larry Byrom - acoustic guitar, electric guitar*Terry Crisp - steel guitar*Reba McEntire - lead vocals*Joe McGlohon - saxophone*Steve Nathan - Hammond B-3 organ, piano, synthesizer*Matt Rollings - piano, Hammond B-3 organ, synthesizer, Wurlitzer...
. The album spawned five major hit singles onto the Billboard Country chart, including the number one single "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (song)
"The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter" is the title of a country music song written by Mark D. Sanders, Kim Williams and Ed Hill. It was recorded by Reba McEntire on her 1994 album Read My Mind, from which it was released in 1995 as the album's fourth single. The song became a Number One on both the U.S...
". The further releases ("Till You Love Me", "Why Haven't I Heard from You", and "And Still") became Top 10 singles on the same chart, with "Till You Love Me" also reaching number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, a chart that she had not previously entered. The album itself reached number two on the both the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and Top Country Albums charts. Charlotte Dillon of Allmusic gave the album four out of five stars, calling it "another wonderful offering of songs performed by the gifted country singer Reba McEntire". Dillon also felt that the album's material had "a little soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, a little swing, and some pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, too". Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Alanna Nash
Alanna Nash
Alanna Nash is an American journalist and biographer.Nash holds a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and is the author of several acclaimed books...
also gave the album positive feedback, viewing the album to have "enough boiling rhythms and brooding melodies to reflect the anger and disillusionment of the middle class in the '90s", calling the track "She Thinks His Name Was John
She Thinks His Name Was John
"She Thinks His Name Was John" is a 1994 song from American country music artist Reba McEntire, and was the second single, from her 1994 album Read My Mind...
" to be the best example of that idea. The song was eventually spawned as a single and was considered controversial for its storyline, which described a woman who contracts AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
from a one-night stand. Because of its subject, the song garnered less of a response from radio and peaked at number 15. Read My Mind became another major seller for McEntire and her label, selling three million copies by 1995 and certifying at 3× Multi-Platinum from the RIAA.
After many years of releasing studio albums of newly-recorded material, McEntire's nineteenth studio album, Starting Over
Starting Over (Reba McEntire album)
-Production:*Produced By Tony Brown & Reba*Engineered & Mixed By John Guess & Derek Bason*Recorded By Terry Christian & Grant Greene *Overdubs Recorded By Terry Christian & King Williams-Album:...
(1995) was collection of her favorite songs originally recorded by others from the 1950s through the early '80s. The album was made to commemorate twenty years in the music industry, but many music critics gave it a less positive response than her previous release. Allmusics Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
commented that although the album was considered a "rebirth" for McEntire, he thought that some tracks were recorded for merely "nothing more than entertainment". The album paid tribute to many of McEntire's favorite artists and included cover versions of "Talking In Your Sleep
Talking in Your Sleep (Crystal Gayle song)
"Talking in Your Sleep" is a song written by Roger Cook and Bobby Wood, that was the second single released by Country-Pop crossover singer, Crystal Gayle, to become a hit on both the country and pop charts. It was a hit in 1978...
" originally sung by Crystal Gayle
Crystal Gayle
Crystal Gayle is an American country music singer best known for her 1977 country-pop hit, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". An award-winning singer, she accumulated 18 number one country hits during the 1970s and 1980s...
, "Please Come to Boston
Please Come to Boston
"Please Come to Boston" is the title of a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Dave Loggins. It was released in May 1974 as the first single from Loggins' album Apprentice and was produced by Jerry Crutchfield. The song spent two weeks at number five on the Billboard Hot 100...
", "Starting Over Again
Starting Over Again
"Starting Over Again" was a 1980 U.S. pop and country hit single for Dolly Parton. Telling the story of a middle aged couple separating after 30 years of marriage, the song was written by Donna Summer and her husband Bruce Sudano...
", cowritten by Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
and originally a hit for Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
, "On My Own", and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix
By the Time I Get to Phoenix
"By the Time I Get to Phoenix" is the title of a song written by Jimmy Webb. Originally recorded by Johnny Rivers in 1965, it was made famous by American country music singer Glen Campbell, appearing as the opening track on the latter's 1967 album of the same name. Campbell's version reached #2 on...
". "On My Own" featured guest vocals from Davis, as well as Martina McBride
Martina McBride
Martina McBride is an American country music singer and songwriter. McBride has been called the "Céline Dion of Country Music" for her big-voiced ballads and soprano range....
and Trisha Yearwood
Trisha Yearwood
Patricia Lynn Yearwood, professionally known as Trisha Yearwood , is an American country music artist. She is best known for her ballads about vulnerable young women from a female perspective that have been described by some music critics as "strong" and "confident."Trisha Yearwood signed with MCA...
. Despite negative reviews, Starting Over was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
within the first two months of its release, but only one single—a cover of Lee Greenwood
Lee Greenwood
Melvin Lee Greenwood is an American country music artist. Active since the early 1980s, he has released more than twenty major-label albums and has charted more than 35 singles on the Billboard country music charts....
's "Ring on Her Finger, Time on Her Hands"—was a Top 10 hit single.
1997–1998: What If It's You
McEntire made a major comeback into the music industry the following year with her twentieth studio album, What If It's YouWhat If It's You
What If It's You, released in 1996, is the twenty-third album from Reba McEntire. The album peaked at #1 on the Billboard country chart and #15 on the Billboard 200. It is certified 2× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA. What If It's You was the first album she did not use studio musicians, relying...
. The album's lead single, "The Fear of Being Alone" reached number two on the country charts, and its further two singles ("How Was I to Know
How Was I to Know (Reba McEntire song)
"How Was I To Know" is a single by country music singer Reba McEntire that reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. It was the second single released from her CD, What If It's You.-Chart positions:-References:...
" and "I'd Rather Ride Around with You") reached number one and number two respectively. The release garnered higher critical acclaim than Starting Over, with Thom Owens of Allmusic calling the album "nevertheless an excellent reminder of her deep talents as a vocalist". MCA Nashville chairman Bruce Hinton told Billboard how pleased he was with McEntire's release, calling the album's ten tracks "powerful" and concluding by stating, "There are so many writers and so many great songs in Nashville, and Reba has collected her disproportionate share[...]She's country music's female artist of the 90's." What If It's You peaked at number one Top Country Albums and No. 15 on the Billboard 200, while also becoming her first album in three years to certify in multi-platinum sales, selling two million copies by 1999. At the end of 1997, McEntire also charted at number 23 the charity single "What If
What If (Reba McEntire song)
"What If" written by Diane Warren, is a song recorded by Reba McEntire, released as a promotional single in 1997. This single was released commercially to benefit the Salvation Army with all proceeds being donated to their service. The song was performed by Reba at the Dallas Cowboys Halftime Game...
". The proceeds of sales for this single were donated to the Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
.
In 1997, McEntire headlined a tour with Brooks & Dunn
Brooks & Dunn
Brooks & Dunn was an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, who were both vocalists and songwriters. They were paired by record producer Tim DuBois in 1990. Before the duo's foundation, both members of the duo were solo recording artists...
that led to the recording of "If You See Him/If You See Her
If You See Him/If You See Her
"If You See Him/If You See Her" is the title of a song released in 1998 by American country music artist Reba McEntire, along with the duo Brooks & Dunn. It served as the title track to each artist's respective 1998 albums , both released on June 2 of that year...
" with the duo the following year. This song was included on McEntire's If You See Him
If You See Him
If You See Him is the twenty-fourth album, released in 1998 by American country music artist Reba McEntire. The lead single was "If You See Him/If You See Her", a duet with Brooks & Dunn, which was concurrently released on Brooks & Dunn's corresponding album If You See Her; the song reached Number...
album and Brooks & Dunn's If You See Her
If You See Her
If You See Her is the fifth studio album by country music duo Brooks & Dunn, released in 1998 on Arista Nashville. The album featured five chart singles: "If You See Him/If You See Her" , "How Long Gone" , "Husbands and Wives" , "I Can't Get Over You" , and "South of Santa Fe"...
album, both of which released on June 2. Thom Owens of Allmusic reported in its review that both album titles were named nearly the same as "a way to draw attention for both parties, since they were no longer new guns — they were veterans in danger of losing ground to younger musicians". The duet reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in June 1998 and spawned an additional three Top 10 hits during that year: "Forever Love", "Wrong Night", and "One Honest Heart". In addition, If You See Him peaked within the Top 10 on both the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and Top Country Albums chart, reaching number eight and number two, respectively.
1999–2001: If You See Him and So Good Together
For 1999, McEntire released two albums. In September she issued her second Christmas album, The Secret of Giving: A Christmas CollectionThe Secret of Giving: A Christmas Collection
The Secret of Giving: A Christmas Collection is Reba McEntire's twenty-fifth album, and second Christmas album, the follow-up to her 1987 album Merry Christmas to You. The album features mostly new, original holiday tunes with only a couple of traditional favorites...
, which eventually sold 500,000 copies in the United States. In November, her twenty second studio album, So Good Together
So Good Together
So Good Together is the twenty-sixth album from Reba McEntire. It was released in 1999 and was preceded by the single What Do You Say. What Do You Say peaked at #3 on the country chart and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Short Form Video. It also became her highest charting single on the...
was released, spawning three singles. The first release, "What Do You Say" and the second release, "I'll Be" both reached the Top 5 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. So Good Together also brought her into the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time, peaking at No. 31 there. The album would eventually certify Platinum by the end of the decade. What Do You Say became her first crossover
Crossover (music)
Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers appearing on two or more of the record charts which track differing musical tastes, or genres...
hit as well and made her one of the most successful crossover artists. Unlike any of her previous albums, So Good Together was produced by three people, including McEntire. Entertainment Weekly commented that most of the album's material was "an odd set — mostly ballads, including an English/Portuguese duet with Jose e Durval
Chitãozinho & Xororó
Chitãozinho & Xororó are a Brazilian sertanejo duo. Chitãozinho is the stage name of José Lima Sobrinho and Xororó that of Durval de Lima. Their music, which combines traditional Brazilian caipira with pop, was instrumental in establishing the sertanejo genre...
on Boz Scaggs
Boz Scaggs
William Royce "Boz" Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He gained fame in the 1970s with several Top 20 hit singles in the United States, along with the #2 album, Silk Degrees. Scaggs continues to write, record music and tour.-Early life and career:Scaggs was born in Canton,...
' 'We're All Alone'".
In 2001, McEntire returned with her third greatest-hits album: Greatest Hits Vol. 3: I'm a Survivor
Greatest Hits Vol. 3: I'm A Survivor
Greatest Hits Volume III: I'm a Survivor is the third greatest hits compilation released by Reba McEntire. Released in 2001, it featured 12 of her hits from the 1990s plus three new songs. The lead single, "I'm a Survivor", peaked at number 4 on the Hot Country Songs charts...
. The album helped McEntire receive her third gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, which made her the most certified female country artist in music history. It spawned the number three hit "I'm a Survivor
I'm a Survivor
"I'm a Survivor" is the title of a song written by Shelby Kennedy and Phillip White, and recorded by American country music singer, Reba McEntire...
", which would be her last major hit for two years, as McEntire would go on a temporary hiatus to focus on her television sitcom, Reba
Reba (TV series)
Reba is an American sitcom starring Reba McEntire, which ran from 2001 to 2007. For the show's first five seasons, it ran on The WB, with the show transitioning to The CW in its last year.-Synopsis:...
. The album's only other single, a cover of Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
' "Sweet Music Man", went to No. 36.
2003–2007: Return to the music industry
McEntire's seventy-sixth chart single, "I'm Gonna Take That Mountain", released in mid-2003, ended her two-year break from recording. In November 2003, her twenty-third studio album, Room to BreatheRoom to Breathe (Reba McEntire album)
-Personnel:Musicians* Bob Bailey – background vocals* Lisa Cochran – harmony vocals* J.T. Corenflos – electric guitar* Chip Davis – background vocals, harmony* Linda Davis – background vocals, harmony...
, marked her first release of new material in four years. Writing for The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
, Steve Morse found the album's material to have a variety of musical stylings, saying the track "Love Revival" sounded like Tanya Tucker
Tanya Tucker
Tanya Denise Tucker is a female American country music artist who had her first hit, "Delta Dawn", in 1972 at the age of 13...
and calling "If I Had Any Sense at All" "a mournful country ballad". Dan MacIntosh of Country Standard Time
Country Standard Time
Country Standard Time is a website dedicated to country music and related genres such as Bluegrass and Rockabilly. It provides news and musical reviews pertaining to the genre. It was established in 1992 by Jeffrey B. Remz as a print magazine, which was first published only in New England but went...
gave Room to Breathe a less-received review, reporting that "it ultimately falls short of leaving the listener breathless". He highlighted "I'm Gonna Take That Mountain" for sounding like a Bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
-inspired song such as music by Ricky Skaggs
Ricky Skaggs
Rickie Lee "Ricky" Skaggs is a country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, and banjo.-Early career:...
or Patty Loveless
Patty Loveless
Patty Loveless , is an American country music singer.Since her emergence on the country music scene in late 1986 with her first album, Loveless has been one of the most popular female singers of the Neotraditional country movement, although she has also recorded albums in the Country pop and...
. The album itself reached a peak of number four on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and No. 25 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, staying at the position for only one week. The second single, "Somebody", also recorded by Mark Wills on his "Loving Every Minute" release, became her twenty-second number one single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart and first since "If You See Him/If You See Her" six years previous. This became her thirty-third number one single overall. It took longer than expected to become a hit, according to McEntire, who said, "Yeah, that had us concerned. The album came out in November and it took 30 weeks for "Somebody" to work its way up the charts. Usually, it's 15 weeks. But this one had a resurgence of life, especially after the video came out. MCA is really kicking butt with it." Its second single, "He Gets That from Me" reached number seven, followed by the Amy Dalley
Amy Dalley
Amy Dalley is an American country music artist. Signed to Curb Records in 2003 she left the label in 2008. Dalley has released seven singles, of which five have entered the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, despite never releasing an album. Her highest-peaking single is "Men Don't Change",...
co-written track "My Sister", which reached number 16.
In 2005, McEntire released the compilation Reba #1's
Reba 1's
Reba #1's is a double-disc compilation album released in 2005 celebrating Reba McEntire's thirty years in the music industry. It is the first compilation of her career to include tracks from her early Mercury Records years along with her MCA recordings. The album features all of McEntire's solo...
. The album comprised all thirty-three Number One hits in her career on all major trade charts. Two new songs were included on the album: "You're Gonna Be" and "Love Needs a Holiday". Both were released as singles, peaking at number 33 and number 60, respectively, with the latter becoming her first single in 27 years to miss the country top 40 entirely. Country Standard Time called the tracks "Whoever's in New England
Whoever's in New England
Whoever's in New England is Reba McEntire's tenth album, and her first #1 album on the Billboard country charts. It also produced two singles that were #1 country hits: "Whoever's in New England" and "Little Rock."...
" and "You Lie" the album highlights. The album reached a peak of number three on the Top Country Albums chart and number 12 on the Billboard 200 upon its release, certifying 2× Platinum by the RIAA within two years. On August 30, 2007, McEntire received two CMA
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
nominations: Female Vocalist of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year. With those two nominations plus another in 2008 and two more in 2009, Reba became the female artist with the most nominations (forty-eight) in the forty-three year history of the CMA Awards, surpassing Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
, who has forty-three.
In mid 2007, McEntire announced the release of her twenty-fifth studio album, Reba: Duets
Reba: Duets
Reba: Duets is the twenty fourth studio album by American country music artist, Reba McEntire. The album was released September 18, 2007 on MCA Nashville Records and September 24, 2007 on Humphead Records in the UK, and was produced by Tony Brown, Dann Huff, McEntire, and Justin Timberlake.Reba:...
, on September 18. McEntire stated that out of all the albums she had previously recorded, her newest release was particularly special: "This is an album that will go down in history as probably my favorite album to record because I got to work and sing and be with my friends. Out of everything in this whole career that I can say that I'm the most proud of, are my friends. And here's the proof." In promotion for the album, McEntire made appearances at radio shows and on The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
September 19. The album's lead single, "Because of You
Because of You (Kelly Clarkson song)
"Because of You" is a ballad written by pop rock singer Kelly Clarkson with David Hodges and Ben Moody, and produced by Hodges and Moody, both formerly of Evanescence. It is the fourth single from Clarkson's second album, Breakaway...
"—a duet with Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
, who originally recorded the song—became her fifty fifth Top 10 single on the Billboard Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart, tying her with Dolly Parton, who also had the same amount of Top 10 records. The album was given high critical praise from magazines such as PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
, which called McEntire's vocals, "to sound sweet without being syrupy, while being extremely powerful. McEntire’s vocal strength yields a different kind of authority than the bluesy, drawling growl of Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
, the weathered rasp of Marianne Faithful, or even the soul-shrieking powerhouse of Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
. Instead, Reba's voice combines the aspects of all three singers but tempers it with a Southern sweetness and an unmistakable femininity." The album contained ten tracks of duets with country and pop artists, including Kenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney
Kenneth "Kenny" Arnold Chesney is an American country music singer and songwriter. Chesney has recorded 15 albums, 14 of which have been certified gold or higher by the RIAA. He has also produced more than 30 Top Ten singles on the U.S...
, LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes is an American country/pop singer. She is known for her rich vocals and her rise to fame as an eight-year-old champion on the original Ed McMahon version of Star Search, followed by the release of the Patsy Cline-intended single "Blue" when Rimes was only age 13, resulting in her...
, Trisha Yearwood
Trisha Yearwood
Patricia Lynn Yearwood, professionally known as Trisha Yearwood , is an American country music artist. She is best known for her ballads about vulnerable young women from a female perspective that have been described by some music critics as "strong" and "confident."Trisha Yearwood signed with MCA...
, Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
, and Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
. Reba: Duets peaked at number one on the Top Country Albums chart, while also becoming her first album in her thirty-year career to peak and debut at number one on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, with 300,536 copies (according to Nielsen Soundscan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
) sold within its first week of release. On January 17, 2008, McEntire embarked on the 2 Worlds 2 Voices Tour with Clarkson, which began in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. A month after its release, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
on October 19, 2007. The album's only other single was "Every Other Weekend
Every Other Weekend
"Every Other Weekend" is a duet by American country music artists Reba McEntire and Kenny Chesney, recorded on the former's 2007 album Reba: Duets. The song, written by Skip Ewing and Connie Harrington, is the third and final single from the album...
". Recorded on the album as a duet with Chesney, it was released to radio with its co-writer, Skip Ewing
Skip Ewing
Donald Ralph "Skip" Ewing is an American country music singer and songwriter. Active since 1988, Ewing has recorded nine studio albums, and has charted fifteen singles on the Billboard country charts.-Career:...
, as a duet partner.
2008–2011: Move to Valory
Cowgirls Don't Cry
"Cowgirls Don't Cry" is a song recorded by American country music duo Brooks & Dunn on their 2007 album Cowboy Town, from which it was released as the fourth single. It was written by Ronnie Dunn, one-half of the duo, and Terry McBride, former lead singer of McBride & the Ride. One month after its...
". McEntire is featured in the video, but not on the version found on the album Cowboy Town
Cowboy Town
Cowboy Town is the tenth and final studio album by country music duo Brooks & Dunn. It was released October 2, 2007 on Arista Nashville. Produced by the duo and Tony Brown, the album has accounted for four singles on the Billboard country singles charts: "Proud of the House We Built", "God Must...
. It became McEntire's fifty-sixth Top Ten country hit, breaking Dolly Parton's record for the most Top Ten country hits for a solo female. In November 2008, McEntire announced that she would be departing from her label of twenty-five years and signing with the Valory Music Group, an imprint of Big Machine Records
Big Machine Records
Big Machine Records is an Independent American record label specializing in country music artists. It was launched in 2005 by former DreamWorks Records executive Scott Borchetta. The label was part of a joint venture between Borchetta and country singer Toby Keith, although Keith dropped his...
(coincidentally distributed by MCA and Mercury's parent, Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
). Under MCA, she had sold a total of sixty-seven million records worldwide and won two Grammys. The switch to Valory reunited McEntire with the label's president, Scott Borchetta, who had worked as senior vice president of promotion at MCA during most of the 1990s. McEntire later commented on her label switch, stating, "I am thrilled to be joining the Valory team. Scott and I worked together on some of the biggest singles of my career, and I am excited to renew our partnership."
On April 5, 2009, McEntire debuted her first single, "Strange
Strange (Reba McEntire song)
"Strange" is the title of a song written by Wendell Mobley, Jason Sellers and Neil Thrasher. It was recorded by American country music artist Reba McEntire as her first release for the Valory label, a sister label of Big Machine Records. McEntire debuted the song on the Academy of Country Music...
", on Valory at the 2009 Academy of Country Music Awards. The song debuted at No. 39 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart, giving McEntire the highest single debut of her career, and went on to peak at No. 11. Her twenty-sixth studio album, Keep On Loving You
Keep on Loving You (album)
Keep On Loving You is the twenty-fifth studio album and twenty-fourth solo album by American country artist, Reba McEntire. The album was released August 18, 2009 on Starstruck/Valory and on Humphead Records in the UK, and was produced by Tony Brown, Mark Bright, and McEntire.Keep On Loving You is...
was released August 18, 2009 and became McEntire's first solo studio album in six years. The album gained fairly positive reviews from most album critics, including Jim Malec of The 9513, which gave Keep on Loving You three and a half out of five stars. Malec favored "Strange", calling McEntire's performance of the song "stellar". Criticism was given to the album's fourth track, "I Want a Cowboy", characterizing the song as an "annoying stop-and-go melody and lyrics more befitting a 17 year old Lila McCann
Lila McCann
Lila Elaine McCann is an American country music singer who made her debut at age sixteen with the single "Down Came a Blackbird." Reaching a peak of #28 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, the song was the first release from her 1997 album Lila, which became the highest-selling...
, it is a song so generic and irrelevant that it would be album filler on the worst albums". On August 26, Keep on Loving You became McEntire's second album to top both the Billboard Country and 200 charts, selling almost 96,000 copies within its first week. With the album, McEntire broke the record for the female country artist with the most Billboard number one albums, which was previously held by Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
.
On August 18 the label released the album's second single, "Consider Me Gone
Consider Me Gone
"Consider Me Gone" is the title of a song written by Steve Diamond and Marv Green. It was recorded by American country music artist Reba McEntire as her second release for the Valory label, a sister label of Big Machine Records. It is also the second single from her twenty-sixth studio album Keep...
", and it debuted at number 51 on The Hot Country Single's Chart. The single became McEntire's thirty fourth number one on the Billboard chart in December. With a four-week stay at Number One, this song became the longest-lasting Number One of her career, as well as the first multi-week Number One by a female country singer since Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America...
's "Our Song
Our Song (song)
"Our Song" is a country music song performed by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The song was written by Swift and produced by Nathan Chapman. It was released on August 22, 2007 by Big Machine Records as the third single from Swift's eponymous debut album, Taylor Swift...
" in 2007.
McEntire's thirty-fourth studio album, All the Women I Am
All the Women I Am
Upon its release, All the Women I Am received generally positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 74, based on 5 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable...
, was released on November 9, 2010 under Valory Music Group/Starstruck Records. The album's lead single called "Turn On the Radio
Turn On the Radio
"Turn On the Radio" is the title of a song recorded by American country music singer Reba McEntire to serve as the lead single for her 34th career album, All the Women I Am, which was released on November 9, 2010. It was released to country radio on July 7, 2010, and debuted at #54 on the U.S....
" was released on August 3, 2010 and the music video premiered on August 18, 2010. Upon its release, All the Women I Am received generally positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 72, based on 4 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". On November 10, 2010, McEntire appeared at the Country Music Association Awards performing "If I Were a Boy". On December 20, 2010, McEntire scored her 35th Billboard number one single in the U.S. with "Turn On the Radio
Turn On the Radio
"Turn On the Radio" is the title of a song recorded by American country music singer Reba McEntire to serve as the lead single for her 34th career album, All the Women I Am, which was released on November 9, 2010. It was released to country radio on July 7, 2010, and debuted at #54 on the U.S....
". The second single from All the Women I Am, "If I Were a Boy", was released in January 2011. However, unlike her previous single, "If I Were A Boy" flopped at radio, and only had a peak of No. 22 at country radio. McEntire later announced that she will be visiting 31 cities on her All the Women I Am Tour
All the Women I Am Tour
The All the Women I Am Tour is a concert tour by American recording artist, Reba McEntire. Visiting Canada and the United States, the tour will support the singers studio album, All the Women I Am. The tour follows the co-headlining tour with George Strait and Lee Ann Womack—which became one...
this fall with The Band Perry, Steel Magnolia and Eden's Edge as opening acts on different stops of the tour. Dates for the tour were announced July 6, 2011.
On March 1, 2011, the Country Music Association announced that McEntire will be inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame. McEntire was unable to attend the announcement after her father slipped into a coma following a stroke. Reba was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on May 22, 2011 at a Medallion Ceremony that took place at the Country Music Hall of Fame. Reba's Idol, Dolly Parton, inducted her.
1990–1999: Entrance into film and television
During the late 1980s, many of McEntire's music videos were being described as "mini movies". In each video, she would portray a different character, which distinguished her music videos from other videos released by artists during that time. In the late 1980s, McEntire became interested in an acting career, eventually hiring an agent. In 1989, she co-hosted Good Morning AmericaGood Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
on the ABC network
ABC Network
ABC Network may refer to any of the following:*American Broadcasting Company, a private television network in the United States.*Asahi Broadcasting Corporation, regional radio and television broadcaster in Japan....
.
In 1990, she obtained her first film role playing Heather Grummer in the horror comedy Tremors
Tremors (film)
Tremors is a 1990 American science fiction horror comedy film directed by Ron Underwood, based on a screenplay by Brent Maddock and S. S. Wilson, and starring Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross and Reba McEntire...
, along with Kevin Bacon
Kevin Bacon
Kevin Norwood Bacon is an American film and theater actor whose notable roles include Animal House, Diner, Footloose, Flatliners, Wild Things, A Few Good Men, JFK, Apollo 13, Mystic River, The Woodsman, Trapped, Friday the 13th, Hollow Man, Tremors, Death Sentence, Frost/Nixon, Crazy, Stupid, Love....
. The film told the story of a small group of people living in Nevada who were fighting subterranean worm-like creatures. After the film's release, McEntire developed a strong interest in acting and made it her second career. The following year, she starred along with Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
and Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
in the made-for-television movie, The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw. In 1994, McEntire worked with director, Rob Reiner
Rob Reiner
Robert "Rob" Reiner is an American actor, director, producer, writer, and political activist.As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence as Archie and Edith Bunker's son-in-law, Michael "Meathead" Stivic, on All in the Family. That role earned him two Emmy Awards during the 1970s...
in the film, North
North (film)
North is an American 1994 comedy film directed by Rob Reiner, and starring Elijah Wood, Bruce Willis, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Dan Aykroyd, Reba McEntire, and Alan Arkin...
, playing Ma Tex. The film obtained negative reviews, receiving only two and a half stars from Allmovie.
In 1994, McEntire starred in Is There Life Out There?, a television movie based on her song of the same name
Is There Life Out There
"Is There Life Out There" is the title of a country music song written by Susan Longacre and Rick Giles. It was recorded by American singer Reba McEntire on her 1991 album For My Broken Heart, from which it was released in early 1992 as the album's second single...
. The following year, she appeared in Buffalo Girls
Buffalo Girls
Buffalo Girls is a 1990 novel written by American author Larry McMurtry about Calamity Jane . It is written in the novel prose style mixed with a series of letters from Calamity Jane to her daughter. In her letters, Calamity describes herself as being a drunken hellraiser but never an outlaw...
, which was based upon the life of western cowgirl, Calamity Jane
Calamity Jane
Martha Jane Cannary Burke , better known as Calamity Jane, was an American frontierswoman, and professional scout best known for her claim of being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok, but also for having gained fame fighting Native Americans...
(played by Anjelica Huston
Anjelica Huston
Anjelica Huston is an American actress. Huston became the third generation of her family to win an Academy Award, for her performance in 1985's Prizzi's Honor, joining her father, director John Huston, and grandfather, actor Walter Huston. She later was nominated in 1989 and 1990 for her acting in...
). Playing Jane's friend, Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley , born Phoebe Ann Mosey, was an American sharpshooter and exhibition shooter. Oakley's amazing talent and timely rise to fame led to a starring role in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, which propelled her to become the first American female superstar.Oakley's most famous trick is perhaps...
, Buffalo Girls was nominated for an Emmy award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
. In 1996, McEntire was cast by director James Cameron
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
as Molly Brown in his film Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
. However, when it became apparent production for the film would extend well beyond its original length, McEntire had to turn down the part, as she had already scheduled prior concert engagements. The role was recast with Kathy Bates
Kathy Bates
Kathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
. In 1998, she starred as Lizzie Brooks in Forever Love, which was based upon McEntire's hit single of the same name.
2000–2007: Broadway and television series
In early 2001, McEntire expanded into theater, starring in the Broadway revival of Annie Get Your GunAnnie Get Your Gun (musical)
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley , who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.The 1946 Broadway production...
. Playing Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley , born Phoebe Ann Mosey, was an American sharpshooter and exhibition shooter. Oakley's amazing talent and timely rise to fame led to a starring role in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, which propelled her to become the first American female superstar.Oakley's most famous trick is perhaps...
(whom she previously portrayed in Buffalo Girls), McEntire's performance was critically acclaimed by several newspapers, including The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, which commented, "Without qualification the best performance by an actress in a musical comedy this season." McEntire personally called the musical, "some of the hardest work I've ever done in my life".
In 2005, McEntire starred as Nellie Forbush in the Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
concert production of the Broadway musical South Pacific
South Pacific (musical)
South Pacific is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. The story draws from James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947 book Tales of the South Pacific, weaving together characters and elements from several of its...
. She also starred alongside Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
as Luther Billis and Brian Stokes Mitchell
Brian Stokes Mitchell
Brian Stokes Mitchell is an American stage, film and television actor. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theatre since the early 1990s...
as Emile de Becque. The concert went under the direction of Walter Bobbie
Walter Bobbie
Walter Bobbie is an American theatre director, choreographer, and occasional actor and dancer. Bobbie has directed both musicals and plays on Broadway and Off-Broadway, and was the Artistic Director of the New York City Center Encores! concert series...
and featured an adapted script by David Ives
David Ives
David Ives is a contemporary American playwright. A native of South Chicago, Ives attended a minor Catholic seminary and Northwestern University and, after some years' interval, Yale School of Drama, where he received an MFA in playwriting...
. The Thirteen Network
WNET
WNET, channel 13 is a non-commercial educational public television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey. With its signal covering the New York metropolitan area, WNET is a primary station of the Public Broadcasting Service and a primary provider of PBS programming...
taped the concert as part of the channel's syndicated broadcast of Great Performances. The musical aired on television in 2006.
In October 2001, McEntire premiered her half-hour television sitcom Reba
Reba (TV series)
Reba is an American sitcom starring Reba McEntire, which ran from 2001 to 2007. For the show's first five seasons, it ran on The WB, with the show transitioning to The CW in its last year.-Synopsis:...
on the WB network
The WB Television Network
The WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
. The show was based around divorced mother Reba Hart, who learns how to handle life situations after her husband divorces her and their teenage daughter becomes pregnant. Reba garnered critical acclaim and success, becoming the network's highest-rated television show for adults ranging from the ages of eighteen to forty nine. The show would run for six seasons and nominate McEntire for a Golden Globe award. In 2006, the series was moved to the CW network
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
and remained there for one more season before its cancellation on February 18, 2007, and the series finale gained 8.7 million viewers world-wide.
2011-present: Return to television
In September 2011, McEntire confirmed on her website that ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
had ordered a pilot for her second television series, Malibu Country
Malibu Country
Malibu Country is an upcoming American comedy television pilot starring and produced by Reba McEntire. McEntire will play a divorced mother of three who moves to Malibu, California to restart her music career. The pilot will be filmed in April 2012 and will begin production on its first season in...
. McEntire will play a divorced mother of three who moves to Malibu, California to restart her music career. The pilot will be filmed in April 2012 and will begin production on its first season in August, if picked up as new series for the tv network.
Musical styles and legacy
Bob Wills
James Robert Wills , better known as Bob Wills, was an American Western Swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader, considered by music authorities as the co-founder of Western Swing and universally known as the pioneering King of Western Swing.Bob Wills' name will forever be associated with...
, Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard is an American country music singer, guitarist, fiddler, instrumentalist, and songwriter. Along with Buck Owens, Haggard and his band The Strangers helped create the Bakersfield sound, which is characterized by the unique twang of Fender Telecaster guitars, vocal harmonies,...
, Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
, Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Ann Mandrell is an American country music singer best known for a 1970s–1980s series of Top 10 hits and TV shows that helped her become one of country's most successful female vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s...
, and Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline , born Virginia Patterson Hensley in Gore, Virginia, was an American country music singer who enjoyed pop music crossover success during the era of the Nashville sound in the early 1960s...
. In college, McEntire would sneak into local dances at the Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
-Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
border so she could dance to Wills's music, commenting that, "it didn't get any better than dancing to Bob Wills music". She also explained Merle Haggard's influence on her career, stating "I had every album he ever put out", and would sing "every song he did", along with her brother, Pake and sister, Susie. In addition, her first major hit, "Sweet Dreams" was a remake of Patsy Cline's version of the song, according to McEntire herself. McEntire's music has been described to not only be built upon traditional country music, but also expand into the genres of Country pop
Country pop
Country pop, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock, is a subgenre of country music that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to Top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to...
, Mainstream pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, Soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, Adult Contemporary, and R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
. At times, her music has often been criticized for moving away from traditional country music. Many music critics have often called her music to be "melodramatic", "formulaic", and "bombastic", particularly after her 1988 album, Reba
Reba (album)
Reba is the fifteenth studio album, released in 1988 by Reba McEntire, the title signifying that she had become so well known that she could be identified by first name alone, but also signaling an entirely different style to her music...
. Studio releases such as Sweet Sixteen
Sweet Sixteen (Reba McEntire album)
Sweet Sixteen is the sixteenth studio album released by American country music singer Reba McEntire in 1989. It was released on MCA Records and it produced four singles for McEntire on the Billboard country charts: the Number One hits "Cathy's Clown" and "Walk On", and the Top Ten hits "Til Love...
, Rumor Has It
Rumor Has It (Reba McEntire album)
Rumor Has It is the seventeenth album by Reba McEntire, released in 1990. The album continued her streak of late-80s success. The album features one of her signature songs, "Fancy". CMT ranked "Fancy" at No. 26 on its list of the 100 Greatest Country Songs. Additionally, they ranked the video at...
, It's Your Call
It's Your Call
-Personnel:As listed in liner notes.*Terry Crisp – steel guitar*Linda Davis – background vocals*Steve Gibson – acoustic guitar, electric guitar*Vince Gill – background vocals*Vicki Hampton – background vocals*John Barlow Jarvis – piano, synthesizer...
, and Starting Over
Starting Over (Reba McEntire album)
-Production:*Produced By Tony Brown & Reba*Engineered & Mixed By John Guess & Derek Bason*Recorded By Terry Christian & Grant Greene *Overdubs Recorded By Terry Christian & King Williams-Album:...
have often been described by these terms.
McEntire possesses a contralto
Contralto
Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
vocal range and performs "vocal gymnastics" with her voice, a musical technique in which a singer twirls a note
Note
In music, the term note has two primary meanings:#A sign used in musical notation to represent the relative duration and pitch of a sound;#A pitched sound itself....
around, using their vibrato
Vibrato
Vibrato is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. Vibrato is typically characterised in terms of two factors: the amount of pitch variation and the speed with which the pitch is varied .-Vibrato and...
. McEntire has often credited Dolly Parton for influencing this trait, stating that she would always listen to Parton's records and find her style of vocal gymnastics, "so pretty".
McEntire has often been regarded as one of country music's most influential female vocalists and most beloved entertainers. She has also been highly-credited for remaining one of country's most popular female artists for over two decades, maintaining her success by continually incorporating contemporary musical sounds without changing her traditional vocal style. For many new artists, she has been credited as the inspiration to their careers in country music, including, Faith Hill
Faith Hill
Faith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
, Martina McBride
Martina McBride
Martina McBride is an American country music singer and songwriter. McBride has been called the "Céline Dion of Country Music" for her big-voiced ballads and soprano range....
, Trisha Yearwood
Trisha Yearwood
Patricia Lynn Yearwood, professionally known as Trisha Yearwood , is an American country music artist. She is best known for her ballads about vulnerable young women from a female perspective that have been described by some music critics as "strong" and "confident."Trisha Yearwood signed with MCA...
, and LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes is an American country/pop singer. She is known for her rich vocals and her rise to fame as an eight-year-old champion on the original Ed McMahon version of Star Search, followed by the release of the Patsy Cline-intended single "Blue" when Rimes was only age 13, resulting in her...
. She has also been credited as an inspiration to other performers such as Sara Evans
Sara Evans
Sara Lynn Evans is an American country singer and songwriter.Evans was one of the few traditional-styled singers to emerge from Nashville in the late 1990s, according to Allmusic. Since emerging in the late 1990s, Evans has made five No. 1 Country hits and Gold and Platinum-certified albums by...
, Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
, Lee Ann Womack
Lee Ann Womack
Lee Ann Womack is an American country music singer and songwriter, who is best known for her old fashioned-styled country music songs that often discuss subjects such as cheating and lost love....
, Terri Clark
Terri Clark
Terri Lynn Sauson , known professionally as Terri Clark, is a Canadian country music artist who has had success in both Canada and the United States. Signed to Mercury Records in 1995, she released her self-titled debut that year...
, Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift is an American country pop singer-songwriter, musician and actress.In 2006, she released her debut single "Tim McGraw", then her self-titled debut album, which was subsequently certified multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America...
, Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
,. The Net Music Countdown second handedly reported, "That influence has manifested itself in many ways. As a role model, she's shown others how to handle fame with grace and good humor while never backing down from her values or goals. Just as importantly, she's shown others to refuse to accept limitations on what she can do or how much she can achieve." McEntire also explained to the online website, "Whatever I'm doing, I feel like I'm representing country music". "It's always been my main career, and it's where my loyalties lie. I feel like I'm waving the flag of country music wherever I go, and I couldn't be prouder to do it."
Personal life
McEntire's two siblings (both from the Singing McEntires) have also maintained careers in the music industry. Her brother, Pake McEntirePake McEntire
Del Stanley McEntire is an American country music artist. He is the oldest brother of Reba McEntire and Susie Luchsinger and a younger brother of Alice Foran. He's also a country music artist...
was a successful country artist in the late 1980s and early 90s. Her sister, Susie Luchsinger
Susie Luchsinger
Susie McEntire-Eaton is an American CCM singer. She is the younger sister of Reba McEntire, Alice Foran and Pake McEntire .- Early years :...
, is a successful Christian music
Christian music
Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely across the world....
singer. She also has an older sister, Alice.
In 1976, McEntire married national steer wrestling
Steer wrestling
Steer wrestling, also known as bulldogging, is a rodeo event in which a horse-mounted rider chases a steer, drops from the horse to the steer, then wrestles the steer to the ground by twisting its horns. Like all rodeo events, there are concerns from the animal rights community that the competition...
champion and rancher, Charlie Battles. Together, the couple owned a ranch in Oklahoma and managed her career. In 1987, McEntire divorced Battles and moved to Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. She later commented to Bob Allen of Country Music about their separation, saying, "I had to pack everything in one day and leave. I was totally starting over." McEntire later claimed that she wanted to focus more on her music career, while Battles insisted that she remain at home, helping to take care of the ranch. McEntire stated, "I wasn't the little girl anymore, taking orders, and doing what he said."
In 1989, McEntire married her manager and former steel guitar
Steel guitar
Steel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
player, Narvel Blackstock. The couple wed in a private ceremony on a boat in Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the United States. At a surface elevation of , it is located along the border between California and Nevada, west of Carson City. Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. Its depth is , making it the USA's second-deepest...
. Together, the pair took over all aspects of McEntire's career, forming Starstruck Entertainment, which was originally designed to help manage her career. From her second marriage, McEntire inherited three stepchildren and gave birth to a son, Shelby Steven McEntire Blackstock on February 23, 1990. After the couple had celebrated their twentieth wedding anniversary, and McEntire states that the secrets to her marriage are "Respect, faith, love, trust, and lots of patience".
Awards
McEntire holds the record for the most Academy of Country MusicAcademy of Country Music
The Academy of Country Music was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Whereas the Country Music Association, founded in 1958, was based in Nashville, the Academy sought to promote country music in the western states. Among those involved in the...
Top Female Vocalist Awards (seven), and American Music Awards
American Music Awards
-Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC...
for Favorite Country Female Artist (twelve), and ties with Martina McBride
Martina McBride
Martina McBride is an American country music singer and songwriter. McBride has been called the "Céline Dion of Country Music" for her big-voiced ballads and soprano range....
for most Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
Female Vocalist of the Year Awards (four), though McEntire does have the distinction of winning the award 4 times consecutively. She also is one of only two women in country music history to have attained a number one hit in four different decades, and the only female to achieve solo number ones across four decades.
Discography
Studio albums
- 1977: Reba McEntireReba McEntire (album)Reba McEntire is Reba McEntire's first studio album. It featured her first single I Don't Wanna Be A One Night Stand, as well as a cover of the Jennifer Warnes hit "Right Time of the Night". It was re-issued on CD in 1993...
- 1979: Out of a DreamOut of a Dream (Reba McEntire album)Out of a Dream is Reba McEntire's second studio album, released in September 1979. The first single off of the album, Last Night, Ev'ry Night, was her first top 30 hit....
- 1980: Feel the FireFeel the Fire (Reba McEntire album)Feel the Fire is Reba McEntire's third studio album. The album's first single release, "You Lift Me ", was her first Top 10 hit. This album is currently only available on iTunes.-Track listing:...
- 1981: Heart to HeartHeart to HeartHeart to Heart is Reba McEntire's fourth studio album. It was released via Mercury Records in 1981. The album includes the singles "Today All Over Again" and "Only You and You Alone," a cover of the doo-wop standard...
- 1982: UnlimitedUnlimited (Reba McEntire album)Unlimited is Reba McEntire's fifth studio album. It featured her first number one single "Can't Even Get The Blues". It was re-issued on CD in 1990...
- 1983: Behind the SceneBehind the SceneBehind the Scene is the sixth studio album by Reba McEntire. It was her final album for Mercury Records before switching over to Mercury's now-sister label MCA Nashville...
- 1984: Just a Little LoveJust a Little LoveJust a Little Love is the seventh studio album by Reba McEntire, but the first on her second label, MCA Records. The album's singles were its title track and "He Broke Your Memory Last Night." Both of these songs charted on Hot Country Songs, with the former reaching #5 and the latter reaching...
- 1984: My Kind of Country
- 1985: Have I Got a Deal for YouHave I Got a Deal for YouHave I Got a Deal for You is the ninth album of Reba McEntire, a continuation of the same style of music that made her previous album My Kind of Country a big seller...
- 1986: Whoever's in New EnglandWhoever's in New EnglandWhoever's in New England is Reba McEntire's tenth album, and her first #1 album on the Billboard country charts. It also produced two singles that were #1 country hits: "Whoever's in New England" and "Little Rock."...
- 1986: What Am I Gonna Do About YouWhat Am I Gonna Do About YouWhat Am I Gonna Do About You is the eleventh album, and second straight #1 album for Reba McEntire on the Billboard country charts, containing two #1 singles, What Am I Gonna Do About You and One Promise Too Late....
- 1987: The Last One to KnowThe Last One to KnowThe Last One to Know is the thirteenth album and twelfth studio album by Reba McEntire, released in 1987. The title song and "Love Will Find Its Way to You" were both Number One singles from the album. It was also her first album to chart on the Billboard 200, in addition to peaking at #3 on Top...
- 1988: RebaReba (album)Reba is the fifteenth studio album, released in 1988 by Reba McEntire, the title signifying that she had become so well known that she could be identified by first name alone, but also signaling an entirely different style to her music...
- 1989: Sweet SixteenSweet Sixteen (Reba McEntire album)Sweet Sixteen is the sixteenth studio album released by American country music singer Reba McEntire in 1989. It was released on MCA Records and it produced four singles for McEntire on the Billboard country charts: the Number One hits "Cathy's Clown" and "Walk On", and the Top Ten hits "Til Love...
- 1990: Rumor Has ItRumor Has It (Reba McEntire album)Rumor Has It is the seventeenth album by Reba McEntire, released in 1990. The album continued her streak of late-80s success. The album features one of her signature songs, "Fancy". CMT ranked "Fancy" at No. 26 on its list of the 100 Greatest Country Songs. Additionally, they ranked the video at...
- 1991: For My Broken HeartFor My Broken HeartFor My Broken Heart is the eighteenth album, released in 1991 by American country music singer Reba McEntire. It was the first album recorded after an airplane crash which killed most of the members of her touring band...
- 1992: It's Your CallIt's Your Call-Personnel:As listed in liner notes.*Terry Crisp – steel guitar*Linda Davis – background vocals*Steve Gibson – acoustic guitar, electric guitar*Vince Gill – background vocals*Vicki Hampton – background vocals*John Barlow Jarvis – piano, synthesizer...
- 1994: Read My MindRead My Mind (album)-Personnel:*Larry Byrom - acoustic guitar, electric guitar*Terry Crisp - steel guitar*Reba McEntire - lead vocals*Joe McGlohon - saxophone*Steve Nathan - Hammond B-3 organ, piano, synthesizer*Matt Rollings - piano, Hammond B-3 organ, synthesizer, Wurlitzer...
- 1995: Starting OverStarting Over (Reba McEntire album)-Production:*Produced By Tony Brown & Reba*Engineered & Mixed By John Guess & Derek Bason*Recorded By Terry Christian & Grant Greene *Overdubs Recorded By Terry Christian & King Williams-Album:...
- 1996: What If It's YouWhat If It's YouWhat If It's You, released in 1996, is the twenty-third album from Reba McEntire. The album peaked at #1 on the Billboard country chart and #15 on the Billboard 200. It is certified 2× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA. What If It's You was the first album she did not use studio musicians, relying...
- 1998: If You See HimIf You See HimIf You See Him is the twenty-fourth album, released in 1998 by American country music artist Reba McEntire. The lead single was "If You See Him/If You See Her", a duet with Brooks & Dunn, which was concurrently released on Brooks & Dunn's corresponding album If You See Her; the song reached Number...
- 1999: So Good TogetherSo Good TogetherSo Good Together is the twenty-sixth album from Reba McEntire. It was released in 1999 and was preceded by the single What Do You Say. What Do You Say peaked at #3 on the country chart and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Short Form Video. It also became her highest charting single on the...
- 2003: Room to BreatheRoom to Breathe (Reba McEntire album)-Personnel:Musicians* Bob Bailey – background vocals* Lisa Cochran – harmony vocals* J.T. Corenflos – electric guitar* Chip Davis – background vocals, harmony* Linda Davis – background vocals, harmony...
- 2007: Reba: DuetsReba: DuetsReba: Duets is the twenty fourth studio album by American country music artist, Reba McEntire. The album was released September 18, 2007 on MCA Nashville Records and September 24, 2007 on Humphead Records in the UK, and was produced by Tony Brown, Dann Huff, McEntire, and Justin Timberlake.Reba:...
- 2009: Keep On Loving YouKeep on Loving You (album)Keep On Loving You is the twenty-fifth studio album and twenty-fourth solo album by American country artist, Reba McEntire. The album was released August 18, 2009 on Starstruck/Valory and on Humphead Records in the UK, and was produced by Tony Brown, Mark Bright, and McEntire.Keep On Loving You is...
- 2010: All the Women I AmAll the Women I AmUpon its release, All the Women I Am received generally positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 74, based on 5 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable...
Other albums
Christmas albums- 1987: Merry Christmas to YouMerry Christmas to YouMerry Christmas to You, released in 1987, is the fourteenth album and first Christmas album by Reba McEntire, with most of the tunes being McEntire's renditions of very familiar traditional Christmas fare. It is currently the latest album to bear McEntire's last name on the front cover...
- 1999: The Secret of Giving: A Christmas CollectionThe Secret of Giving: A Christmas CollectionThe Secret of Giving: A Christmas Collection is Reba McEntire's twenty-fifth album, and second Christmas album, the follow-up to her 1987 album Merry Christmas to You. The album features mostly new, original holiday tunes with only a couple of traditional favorites...
Live albums
- 1989: Reba LiveReba LiveReba Live is Reba McEntire's first and only live album to date. It features material primarily from her MCA recordings, including several covers . The album had no singles promoted from it, but still sold respectably...
Compilation albums
- 1985: The Best of Reba McEntireThe Best of Reba McEntireMercury Records released The Best of Reba McEntire in 1985 after McEntire had left the label for MCA. It includes two number one singles along with her more minor hits while on the label...
- 1986: Reba Nell McEntireReba Nell McEntireReba Nell McEntire is Reba McEntire's eleventh album, a collection of songs recorded in her time at Mercury Records but not released until her departure from the label. It features songs that were most likely deemed not good enough to include on an album. They found their way onto this disc along...
- 1987: Greatest HitsGreatest Hits (Reba McEntire album)Greatest Hits is Reba McEntire's first compilation for MCA Records. It covers her hit singles from 1984, 1985 and 1986. No new material was recorded for the album. Greatest Hits peaked at No. 2 on the country album chart and at No. 134 on the Billboard 200...
- 1993: Greatest Hits Vol. 2Greatest Hits Volume Two (Reba McEntire album)-Sales chart positions:Album-Certifications/sales:Singles-References:...
- 1994: Oklahoma GirlOklahoma GirlOklahoma Girl is the twenty-first album, a double-disc 40-track retrospective of Reba McEntire's early years on Mercury Records. The tracks included are primarily minor hits released before she became a superstar in the '80s and '90s on MCA Records. No new material was recorded for this...
- 1998: Moments and Memories: The Best of RebaMoments and Memories: The Best of RebaMoments and Memories: The Best of Reba is a compilation album by Reba McEntire, released in 1999 on MCA Nashville. Three versions of this album were released in three separate countries, Australia/Brazil, Canada, and Europe...
- 2000: I'll BeI'll Be (album)I'll Be is a compilation album by Reba McEntire, released in 2001 on MCA Nashville. The album is only available in Europe.The album peaked at #134 on the UK Album Charts.-Tracklist:#"If I Fell" - 2:59#*previously unreleased...
- 2001: Greatest Hits Volume III: I'm a Survivor
- 2003: 20th Century Masters: The Christmas Collection: The Best of Reba20th Century Masters: The Christmas Collection: The Best of Reba20th Century Masters – The Christmas Collection: The Best of Reba McEntire is a compilation of songs from Reba McEntire's two Christmas albums for release in 2003 on a 20th Century Masters Christmas collection...
- 2005: Reba #1's
- 2006: 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Reba McEntire20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Reba McEntire-Critical reception:20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Reba McEntire received two-and-a-half out of five stars from William Ruhlmann of Allmusic...
- 2008: Love RevivalLove RevivalLove Revival is a compilation album by country singer Reba McEntire. The album was released on January 2, 2008 exclusively at Hallmark gift and card stores in the United States. It did not chart because of the reason that it is only sold at Hallmark gift and card stores in the United States only.On...
- 2008: 50 Greatest Hits
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Tremors Tremors (film) Tremors is a 1990 American science fiction horror comedy film directed by Ron Underwood, based on a screenplay by Brent Maddock and S. S. Wilson, and starring Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross and Reba McEntire... |
Heather Gummer | Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress |
| 1994 | Maverick Maverick (film) Maverick is a 1994 Western comedy film based on the 1950s television series of the same name, created by Roy Huggins. The film was directed by Richard Donner from a screenplay by William Goldman and features Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner, as well as several cameo appearances... |
spectator | uncredited |
| 1994 | North North (film) North is an American 1994 comedy film directed by Rob Reiner, and starring Elijah Wood, Bruce Willis, Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Dan Aykroyd, Reba McEntire, and Alan Arkin... |
Ma Tex | |
| 1994 | A.J. Ferguson | ||
| 2001 | One Night at McCool's One Night at McCool's One Night at McCool's is a 2001 American dark comedy/neo-noir film, directed by Harald Zwart and starring Liv Tyler, Matt Dillon, Michael Douglas, John Goodman, Paul Reiser, Reba McEntire and Andrew Dice Clay.-Plot:... |
Dr. Green | |
| 2006 | Dixie | voice | |
| 2006 | Charlotte's Web Charlotte's Web (2006 film) Charlotte's Web is a 2006 American live-action/computer-animated feature film, based on the popular book of the same name by E. B. White. It is directed by Gary Winick and produced by Paramount Pictures, Walden Media, The K Entertainment Company, and Nickelodeon Movies... |
Betsy the Cow | voice |
| 2011 | Wanderlust Wanderlust (2011 film) Wanderlust is a 2012 comedy film directed by David Wain, starring Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd, as a married couple who try to escape modern society by leaving their cushy lives in New York.-Plot:... |
Naomi | |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Burgundy Jones | ||
| 1993 | Evening Shade Evening Shade Evening Shade was an American sitcom television series that aired on CBS from 1990 to 1994. The series starred Burt Reynolds as Wood Newton, an ex-professional football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who returns to rural Evening Shade, Arkansas to coach a high school football team with a long... |
Herself | one 2-part episode: "Ava Takes a Shower" |
| 1993 | Nancy Lee Prinzi | ||
| 1994 | Frasier Frasier Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars... |
Rachael | one episode; "Fortysomething" |
| 1994 | Is There Life Out There Is There Life Out There (film) Is There Life Out There is a 1994 made-for-tv movie starring Reba McEntire, who also sings the title song.-Plot:Lily Marshall has a loving, supportive husband, two great kids and an unfulfilled dream: to return to college and get the degree she always wanted. "Is there life beyond her family and... |
Lily Marshall | |
| 1995 | Buffalo Girls Buffalo Girls Buffalo Girls is a 1990 novel written by American author Larry McMurtry about Calamity Jane . It is written in the novel prose style mixed with a series of letters from Calamity Jane to her daughter. In her letters, Calamity describes herself as being a drunken hellraiser but never an outlaw... |
Annie Oakley Annie Oakley Annie Oakley , born Phoebe Ann Mosey, was an American sharpshooter and exhibition shooter. Oakley's amazing talent and timely rise to fame led to a starring role in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, which propelled her to become the first American female superstar.Oakley's most famous trick is perhaps... |
|
| 1997 | Diagnosis: Murder Diagnosis: Murder Diagnosis: Murder is a mystery/medical/crime drama television series starring Dick Van Dyke as Dr. Mark Sloan, a medical doctor who solves crimes with the help of his son, a homicide detective played by his real-life son Barry Van Dyke. The series began as a spin-off of Jake and the Fatman... |
Herself | 1 episode: "Murder, Country Style" |
| 1998 | Forever Love | Lizzie Brooks | |
| 1998 | Hercules | Artemis | 2 episodes: "Hercules and the Falling Stars" & "Hercules and the Caledonian Boar" |
| 1999 | Secret of Giving | Rose Cameron | |
| 2001– 2007 |
Reba Reba (TV series) Reba is an American sitcom starring Reba McEntire, which ran from 2001 to 2007. For the show's first five seasons, it ran on The WB, with the show transitioning to The CW in its last year.-Synopsis:... |
Reba Hart | People's Choice Award for Favorite Female Performer in a New Television Series People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show recognizing the people and the work of popular culture. The show has been held annually since 1975 and is voted on by the general public. The People's Choice Awards air on CBS and are produced by Procter & Gamble and Survivor magnate Mark Burnett... (2002) Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy (2004) |
| 2009 | Herself | 1 episode: Season 2 Premier, Episode 202 | |
| 2010 | The Buried Life The Buried Life The Buried Life is a reality documentary series on MTV. The series features Duncan Penn, Jonnie Penn, Ben Nemtin and Dave Lingwood attempting to complete a list of "100 things to do before you die." The pilot episode aired on January 18, 2010, and the show was renewed for a second season in 2010.... |
Herself | 1 episode : Season 2 Episode 2 "#59: Ask Out the Girl of Your Dreams (Part II)" |
| 2010 | Better With You | Lorraine Ashley | 1 episode : Season 1 Episode 8 "Better With Flirting)" |
| 2011 | Working Class Working Class (TV series) Working Class is an American television sitcom created by Jill Cargerman, which premiered on CMT on January 28, 2011. The network ordered twelve episodes for the comedy, which is the first scripted series for the network.... |
Renee | 1 episode : Season 1 Episode 4 "Sugar Mama" |
| 2011 | When I Was 17 When I Was 17 When I Was 17 is an MTV television show which features celebrities of today and looks back on "when they were 17". The show features photos as well as interviews with family and friends... |
Herself | Season 2 Episode 45 |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Annie Get Your Gun Annie Get Your Gun (musical) Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley , who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.The 1946 Broadway production... |
Annie Oakley Annie Oakley Annie Oakley , born Phoebe Ann Mosey, was an American sharpshooter and exhibition shooter. Oakley's amazing talent and timely rise to fame led to a starring role in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, which propelled her to become the first American female superstar.Oakley's most famous trick is perhaps... |
Drama Desk Special Award Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category... Theatre World Award Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:... |
| 2006 | South Pacific: In Concert from Carnegie Hall | Nellie Forbush |
Further reading
- Bufwack, Mary A. (1998). "Reba McEntire". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 339 (birth year listed as 1954).