Today, the legendary Reba McEntire turns 69, and she deserves every bit of praise. It feels like she’s been part of our lives forever — and for many of us, she has.
Reba was born in 1955 in McAlester, Oklahoma, and raised on her family’s 8,000-acre ranch in tiny Chockie. Her childhood was filled with hard work, rodeo traditions, and a tough but loving family. By age five she was steering her dad’s truck through cattle fields, and music soon became a family bond encouraged by her mother, Jacqueline.
Growing up, Reba sang everywhere — in school, at 4-H, and with her siblings in their trio, The Singing McEntires. Their talent led to local success, but everything changed in 1974 when Reba performed the national anthem at the National Finals Rodeo. Country singer Red Steagall heard her and invited her to Nashville. With her mother’s encouragement, she recorded a demo and signed with Mercury Records in 1975.
Reba’s rise was slow at first, but by the mid-1980s she had become one of country music’s biggest stars, earning Grammys and defining the genre with hits like “Whoever’s in New England.”
Tragedy struck in 1991 when a plane crash killed eight of her band members and two pilots. Reba was devastated but honored them with her album For My Broken Heart. She continued to find success through the ’90s and 2000s, expanding into acting and releasing chart-topping music.
After her father’s death in 2014 and her mother’s passing in 2020, Reba considered quitting music, admitting she had “always done it for Mama.” But with support from her sister, she found her voice again.
Despite fame and fortune, Reba has stayed connected to her roots. In 2023, she partnered with the Choctaw Nation to open Reba’s Place in Atoka, giving back to the community that shaped her.
Her career came full circle in 2024 when she performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” at Super Bowl LVIII — a powerful echo of the performance that first launched her career 50 years earlier.
From ranch life to superstardom, Reba McEntire’s journey is proof that grit, heart, and faith can take you anywhere.