Reba McEntire - Early Life

Early Life

Reba Nell McEntire was born on March 28, 1955, outside Kiowa, Oklahoma, to Jacqueline (née Smith; born November 6, 1927) and Clark Vincent McEntire (born November 30, 1927). She was named for her maternal grandmother Reba Brassfield. Her father and grandfather were both 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 hired to perform the national anthem at the National Rodeo in Oklahoma City. Country artist Red Steagall (who was also performing that day) was impressed by her vocal ability and later agreed to 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.