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Reba McEntire Reba McEntire has sold more than 50 million albums, scored more than two dozens number one hits, and joined the company of those recognized worldwide by merely her first name. Although she has won scores of honors including Grammy awards and People's Choice awards, the major contribution of the feisty redhead may be that she has shattered stereotypes within and without the country music industry. She has shown Nashville that girl singers may be limited in their achievements, but women singers can play with the big boys, and she has shown the music industry at large that a country singer can be as glamorous and as successful as any pop diva. Reba Nell McEntire was born March 28, 1955 in McAlester, Oklahoma.
Her early years she spent on a cattle ranch in Cookie together with her siblings Alice, Page and Susie. Reba's mother, Jackie was a teacher at the nearest school. Father, Clark was a rancher and rodeo-cowboy. Future pop superstar was born in misery. Her family was very poor. However, the lack of material possessions did not bother much members of the family.
During those happy years in her family Reba experienced first love, trust, and hope, things which were crucial for her family (Microsoft Encarta, 2002). From the early childhood Reba together with her siblings got used to harsh labor, since family could not afford to hire workers. They usually helped gathering, feeding and caring the cattle during long, hard hours. However, children did not complain since everyone in the family understood the importance of everyones contribution. Reba McEntire has interesting and full of emotions personal life.
She got married early. Being only 16 years old, she met Charlie Battles at a rodeo. He was a marries man with children and from the beginning Reba did not have any romantic interest toward him. They became friends. Being very inexperienced and young he loved a man she felt herself secure with.
They were married on June 21, 1775. Again like in childhood, her own family was very poor from the beginning. They rent a house, likely to be a shack for 10 dollars a month. However, the more successful Reba became the more problems her marriage was experienced. Reba filed for divorce in 1987. However, soon she became closer to man named Novel Blackstock, which was staying by Reba's side during the whole divorce process and supported her a lot (web).
They were married on June, 1989. Reba McEntire remembers in her book My story, Ill never forget the excitement when sitting on the side of the bathtub in our condo, the white dot on the pregnancy tests turned bright pink. (R. McEntire, My story) Thus, Shelby Steven McEntire Blackstock was born February 23, 1990. For Reba her mother experience was the greatest gift God has given to her. Shelby became not only the best son to her, but also the best friend ever. He helped her to get through the most traumatic time in her life.
On March 16, 1991, a plane carrying seven members of Reba's band and her tour manager, crashed into the side of a mountain (web). The crash occurred because of a miscommunication between the pilot and the tower. These friends that she lost will always hold a special place in Reba's heart. Through all of the adversities in her life, Reba has came out on top. She has overcame poverty, a bad marriage, and the deaths of several of her closest friends. Despite these hindrances, she has had tremendous successes in the music business and in her life.
Because she has diversified into movies and assorted business interests, McEntire is frequently compared to Dolly Parton, but a more telling comparison may be to Loretta Lynn, who earned her fame singing songs of womens lives. McEntire, whose songs reflect the lives of women of her own generation, has sung of women surviving on their own, of women refusing to be used, and of women suffering from AIDS. But the defining song of her career may be Is There Life Out There? The video shows Reba as a young woman struggling to balance home and children with a low-paying job and college classes.
The happy ending on graduation day suggests that there is a life for women beyond the domestic sphere, a reality McEntire and thousands of her listeners have discovered for themselves. McEntire is not alone in selecting material clearly crafted for a female audience, but no other woman has yet achieved her level of success. Her first charting record came in 1978, and her accomplishments increased over the next two decades as her album sales and concert revenues placed her in competition not merely with the men of country music but also with major artists in other music formats. Barbra Streisand is the only other woman who has reached this pinnacle. Like many successful women, McEntire has been the target of criticism for her ambition, but she remains undeterred by these attacks. She was discovered while she was singing The Star Spangled Banner at the 1974 National Rodeo Finals.
Just after she signed a contract with Mercury in 1977, but her early efforts were mediocre thanks to the pop veneer that muted her distinctive sound and minimized her emotional range. The 1980 s brought a change of direction with a more mature McEntire assuming control of her career. She signed on as opening act for established artists such as the Statler Brothers and Conway Twitty, a decision that gave her expert tutelage in the profession and exposure to core country audiences, a move both wise and timely. By the time she signed with MCA in 1984, two of her songs for Mercury had reached number one, including Can't Even Get The Blues, an upbeat tune that reversed the woman as victim stereotype.
McEntire was beginning to understand what she had to offer (web). In Jimmy Bowen, president of MCAs Nashville division, she had someone secure enough to encourage artist involvement and smart enough to allow McEntire to return to her distinctive voice and style. The first result of their collaboration was My Kind of Country (1984), which included Somebody Should Leave, a Harlan Howard tune that showcased the emotional power of McEntire's voice. The song became her first number one on her new label.
Not only did My Kind of Country fit seamlessly into the wave of New Traditionalism that was capturing country audiences in the 1980 s, but it also hit as The Nashville Network (TNN) and Country Music Television (CMT) became established venues for country artists. Mcentire's sassy persona and down home accent had immense appeal for TNN and CMT audiences, and she proved as well to have a deft touch with videos. Country music's audience was also changing. Baby boomers dissatisfied with pop lyrics were searching for a new musical format and discovering the appeal of country. Audiences were more diverse and, in significant ways, more sophisticated. A real cowgirl, McEntire had the credentials to satisfy traditional country audiences, but she was also part of a college-educated, television-addicted generation for whom regional barriers were blurring.
She was poised to take advantage of the changes. In 1986, her career exploded. With Whoever's in New England, she had a crossover hit in both audio and video. The album (by the same title) went gold, and McEntire was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. Both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music named her female vocalist of the year, and CMA added the coveted Entertainer of the Year trophy. The redhead from Oklahoma had arrived, and her world was about to grow larger.
Determined to control all aspects of her career, she created Starstruck Entertainment in 1988, a corporation that expanded as Reba saw need. Starstruck now encompasses everything from music production, publishing, booking, management, and publicity to film production, construction, and a charter jet service. References web internet music portal Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Deluxe, 2002 music section McEntire, My Story, Bantam Books, 1999 Lycos Music web
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