Throughout her youth, Reba sang whenever she had the chance. She gave her first public performance in the first grade Christmas pageant, singing, "Away in a Manger". While in high school, Reba performed in honky tonks and at rodeos. In 1974, she was hired to sing the National Anthem at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City. A recording artist named Red Steagall heard Reba singing and told her if she would go to Nashville, he would help her all he could. Later that year, Reba, reluctantly set off for Nashville with her mother. While there, Reba recorded several demonstration tapes. She went back to Oklahoma to await a record deal. In November of 1975, she received one from Polygram Mercury Records. She released her first, self-titled, album in 1976.
Reba had met a man named Charlie Battles at a rodeo in 1971. At the time, Charlie was married with children, and Reba had no romantic interest toward him. However, they did develop a friendship. Eventually, Charlie was divorced and a relationship was kindled. Charlie was a lot like Reba's father, and Reba felt secure. She was a very naive young adult who was still afraid of the dark at age twenty-one, and she felt Charlie could protect her.
They were married on June 21, 1975. In the early years of their marriage, Reba and Charlie were extremely poor, but they were happy together. The first house they lived in was a shack that they rented for $10.00 a month. As Reba became more successful, they were able to afford more things, and eventually moved into a nice house. Reba's financial and professional life was thriving, but her marriage was beginning to die. The more successful she became, the more she and Charlie would have problems. The only times they spoke, if they were speaking at all, was to argue. After a great deal of contemplation, Reba filed for divorce in 1987.
The divorce proceeding was long and emotionally draining. As time went by, Reba found herself drawing closer to Narvel Blackstock for support. Narvel had been in Reba's band since 1980, and they had developed a close friendship. He was going through a divorce around the same time as Reba, so they cried on each other's shoulders ( their romantic relationship came after the divorce, it did not in any way cause the demises of both their marriages) . Eventually they fell in love, and were married on June 3, 1989.
While Reba and Narvel were on their honeymoon in Mexico, Reba became ill. She thought she was suffering from Montezuma's Revenge, and they cut their trip short, and returned to Nashville. Back home she discovered that she was not suffering from Montezumna's Revenge after all. She says, "I'll never forget the excitement when sitting on the side of the bathtub in our condo, the white dot on the pregancy tests turned bright pink." Reba was pregnant with her first child. Shelby Steven McEntire Blackstock was born February 23, 1990. Reba says that being a mother is the greatest gift God has given her, and she cherishes motherhood.
Shelby was a Godsend in many ways. Not only did he fill the void Reba had in her heart, he also helped her to get throught 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. 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. Every night at her show she tells the story of their early, tragic demise, and she dedicates the song "If I Had Only Known" to their memory.
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 successess in the music business and in her life. Reba has proven that dreams can come true if you are willing to persevere.
McEntire also began to build an empire, with her husband and manager Narvel Blackstock, that included a talent-management firm, a construction company, a horse farm, and a jet charter service. In March 1991, a plane carrying her tour manager and seven band members crashed near San Diego, CA.
McEntire was criticized for returning to the stage with new musicians within a month of their death, but her album For My Broken Heart answered critics by paying tribute to the victims. McEntire's autobiography Reba:My Story spent 16 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list in 1994. She has won more than 30 major awards and sold more than 20 million albums.