48 Fun Facts About Reba

In which state was Reba McEntire born and raised?

Oklahoma — she was born in McAlester and grew up on a ranch near Chockie, the third of four children.

What did Reba's father and grandfather both win world championships in?

Steer roping — her grandfather John McEntire won the world title in 1934 and her father Clark took it three times, in 1957, 1958 and 1961.

Where was Reba singing the Star-Spangled Banner in 1974 when Red Steagall discovered her?

Steagall helped her land a deal with PolyGram/Mercury the following year.

What did Reba study to become at college in Durant?

A public-school teacher — she majored in elementary education at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, graduating in 1976 while gigging on the side.

Which label did Reba sign with in 1984 after leaving Mercury, launching her breakthrough?

MCA — her second MCA album, My Kind of Country (1984), produced the No. 1s 'How Blue' and 'Somebody Should Leave' and won her CMA Female Vocalist of the Year.

Which 1986 title track won Reba a Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance?

'Whoever's in New England' topped the country chart in 1986 and won Reba the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.

Reba's hit 'Fancy' was a cover of a 1969 song by which singer?

Bobbie Gentry wrote and recorded 'Fancy' in 1969; Reba's 1990 cover reached the country top 10 alongside 'You Lie'.

How many members of Reba's band died in a plane crash in March 1991?

Eight — the March 16, 1991 crash near San Diego, after a private show for IBM, killed eight members of her band and road crew plus both pilots.

Which 1991 album became Reba's best-seller, going four-times platinum in the US?

Its title track and 'Is There Life Out There' both hit No. 1.

With which then-unknown singer did Reba record the duet 'Does He Love You'?

Linda Davis, then little known, shared the 1993 duet; it won the Grammy for Best Country Vocal Collaboration, and a 2021 remake paired Reba with Dolly Parton.

What was Reba's first film role, in 1990?

Heather Gummer in Tremors (1990) — her screen debut, playing a gun-loving survivalist opposite Michael Gross, with Kevin Bacon in the lead.

Which role did Reba play on Broadway in 2001?

Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun — she took over the revival's lead in January 2001, the same year her sitcom Reba premiered on The WB.

How many times in a row did Reba win the CMA's Female Vocalist of the Year, a record at the time?

Four — Reba won CMA Female Vocalist every year from 1984 to 1987; Miranda Lambert tied the streak in 2013 and passed it with a fifth straight win in 2014.

In which year was Reba inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame?

2011 — Reba entered the Country Music Hall of Fame that year alongside songwriter Bobby Braddock and singer Jean Shepard.

Which honour did Reba share in 2018 with Cher, Philip Glass and Wayne Shorter?

The Kennedy Center Honors — the 2018 class was Reba, Cher, Philip Glass, Wayne Shorter and the creators of Hamilton, months after her gospel-album Grammy.

Which competition show added Reba McEntire as a coach in 2023?

The Voice — Reba joined NBC's singing competition as a coach for season 24 in fall 2023, alongside Niall Horan, John Legend and Gwen Stefani.

At which Super Bowl did Reba sing the national anthem in 2024?

Super Bowl LVIII, in Las Vegas on February 11, 2024 — deaf actor Daniel Durant performed the anthem in American Sign Language beside her.

Which Kelly Clarkson song did Reba remake as a duet with her for the 2007 album Reba: Duets?

'Because of You' — the Clarkson duet led Reba: Duets (2007), which became her first album to top the Billboard 200.

What is Reba McEntire's middle name?

Reba Nell McEntire was born on March 28, 1955, in McAlester, Oklahoma.

Which actor did Reba begin dating in 2020?

Rex Linn, a film and TV actor, went on to co-star with her in The Hammer.

On which network did the sitcom Reba premiere in October 2001?

The WB — the sitcom premiered there on October 5, 2001; its final season moved to The CW after The WB and UPN merged in 2006.

In which city is the sitcom Reba set?

Houston, Texas is home to Reba Hart's household of kids, her ex, his new wife and her son-in-law.

What is Brock Hart's profession on the show?

Dentist — Brock Hart runs a dental practice and leaves Reba for his much younger hygienist, Barbra Jean.

On the sitcom Reba, who plays Barbra Jean, the young dental hygienist Brock leaves Reba for?

Melissa Peterman and Reba performed Dolly Parton's '9 to 5' in the episode 'Driving Miss Kyra'.

What news does daughter Cheyenne deliver in the pilot?

She is pregnant by boyfriend Van, who gets kicked out by his parents and moves into Reba's house.

Who plays Van?

Steve Howey went on to play Kevin Ball on Shameless.

What is the name of Van and Cheyenne's daughter?

Elizabeth — Van and Cheyenne's daughter, born in the season one finale and played by twins Alena and Gabrielle Leberger.

What is the name of Brock and Barbra Jean's son?

Henry — Brock and Barbra Jean's son, a half-brother to Reba's children Cheyenne, Kyra and Jake.

Which real-life illness limited Scarlett Pomers (Kyra) to two episodes in season five?

Anorexia — Pomers left for treatment in 2005 and appeared in only two season-five episodes, returning for the final season.

What is the title of the show's theme song, performed by Reba?

'I'm a Survivor', written by Shelby Kennedy and Phillip White, came from Reba's 2001 album Greatest Hits Volume III and was re-cut for the show's opening credits.

How was the sitcom's fate sealed in January 2007?

The CW declined to order the 'back nine' — season six stayed at 13 episodes, and the series finale aired on February 18, 2007.

How many seasons did the sitcom Reba run?

Six — the sitcom ran from October 2001 to February 2007 and earned Reba a Golden Globe nomination in 2004.

Which NBC sitcom grew out of a pitch Reba and Reba producer Kevin Abbott developed?

Happy's Place — the NBC sitcom from Reba producer Kevin Abbott premiered in October 2024, with Reba running a Tennessee tavern; her real restaurant is Reba's Place in Atoka, Oklahoma.

Which singer married Reba's stepson Brandon Blackstock in 2013?

Kelly Clarkson married Brandon Blackstock, son of Reba's then-husband Narvel Blackstock, in October 2013; the couple divorced in 2022.

What was Reba's first No. 1 country single, in 1983?

'Can't Even Get the Blues', from the 1982 album Unlimited, topped Billboard's country chart in January 1983 — Reba's first chart-topper after six years on Mercury.

Which two of Reba's siblings played in her band by 1980?

Susie and Pake — with Reba they had recorded as the Singing McEntires in the early 1970s, harmonies their mother drilled on drives to their father's rodeos.

Which Young Sheldon character did Reba play?

June Ballard — Dale's ex-wife, who becomes Meemaw's friend in a recurring role from season three; Reba also had a lead role in season three of Big Sky.

What was Reba's 1990 hit album that included 'You Lie'?

Rumor Has It (1990) produced the No. 1 'You Lie' plus the hits 'Fancy' and 'Fallin' Out of Love', and went triple platinum.

What was the name of Reba's first husband?

Charlie Battles, a rodeo steer wrestler, was married to Reba from 1976 to 1987; the split shaped her 1987 album The Last One to Know. She later married and divorced manager Narvel Blackstock.

Reba used her guest-judge buzzer on contortionist Sofie Dossi in 2016 on which show?

America's Got Talent — Reba was a guest judge in season 11 (2016) and used her Golden Buzzer to send the teenage contortionist straight to the live shows.

In 2018, Reba McEntire became the first woman to play which fast-food mascot in TV commercials?

Colonel Sanders got his first female portrayal in a KFC campaign that ran from January to the end of April 2018, the same year she collected a Kennedy Center Honor.

Which actor plays Brock Hart, Reba's dentist and golfer ex-husband, on the sitcom Reba?

Christopher Rich's Brock leaves Reba for his hygienist, yet the two households keep colliding under one roof for all six seasons.

Reba McEntire's 2012 ABC sitcom about a divorced mom restarting her music career was called what?

Malibu Country, with Lily Tomlin as Reba's mother, ran on ABC from November 2012 to March 2013 before cancellation after a single 18-episode season.

James Cameron cast Reba in Titanic as which real passenger before her tour got in the way?

Molly Brown — Reba accepted the role, but her tour dates clashed with the film's stretched schedule, so Kathy Bates played the 'unsinkable' Denver millionaire instead.

Reba married manager Narvel Blackstock in 1989 in a private ceremony held where?

On a boat at Lake Tahoe — the couple wed there on June 3, 1989, built Starstruck Entertainment together, and divorced in 2015 after 26 years.

Which Vince Gill duet gave Reba a No. 1 country hit in 1993?

'The Heart Won't Lie', from the album It's Your Call, topped the country chart in April 1993; Reba and Gill had first paired on 'Oklahoma Swing' in 1990.

Reba's 2023 Lifetime film The Hammer was inspired by a traveling judge in which state?

Nevada — the film draws on Judge Kim Wanker, who rode a circuit across rural Nevada; Reba played Judge Kim Wheeler, with partner Rex Linn as Bart Crawford.

In 2008 Reba left MCA and signed with which Big Machine imprint?

Valory Music Group — the 2008 deal put her under Big Machine chief Scott Borchetta, and her first Valory album, Keep On Loving You (2009), yielded the No. 1 'Consider Me Gone'.