This Is Reba McEntire's Journey to Find True Love

Reba McEntire grew up on a cattle ranch and learned to be a rodeo rider like her father and grandfather. Then, she moved to Nashville and became a country music icon. She's often been unlucky in love, with her song lyrics demonstrating her unending search for the love of her life. So, to find out if she ever found Mr. Right, join us on Reba McEntire's journey to find true love...

Early Life

Reba Nell McEntire was born in McAlester, Oklahoma, on March 28th, 1955. She was the third of Clark and Jacqueline McEntire's four children. Her father and grandfather were rodeo champions, while her mom aspired to be a country singer but became a school teacher.

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While Jacqueline was loving, Clark was emotionless and distant. Reba explained, "When we were growing up, I used to regret that Daddy never told us that he loved us." The country star would spend the rest of her life searching for the love of a good man...

Meanwhile, Back on the Ranch

Reba grew up on the McEntire's family-owned cattle ranch in nearby Chockie, Oklahoma. Even the children were expected to muck in with ranch chores before and after school, which included cleaning the barns and feeding and castrating bulls.

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Jacqueline encouraged her brood of four to sing as they worked, and they all developed an interest in singing. On long car trips to their father's rodeo drives, mom taught the kids to harmonize, but one child shone head and shoulders above her siblings.

Rodeo Girl

As a girl, Reba had two loves: music and rodeo. She sang, played piano and guitar, and was a rodeo rider like her dad and granddad. Her event was barrel racing, which involves riding a horse in a cloverleaf pattern around barrels in the fastest time... but her rodeo champion father encouraged her to pursue singing instead.

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In 2011, Reba told CMT her dad's advice hurt, but she realized "When I got good attention from the singing," she said, "I knew that was probably where I needed to land."

The Singing McEntires

Reba first sang at school in first grade, performing "Away in a Manger" at a Christmas pageant. Aged four, she earned a nickel singing "Jesus Loves Me" in a hotel lobby in Cheyenne, Wyoming, where her dad was competing in a rodeo. By fifth grade, she won the Junior Act Division with "My Sweet Little Alice Blue Gown".

Instagram // @reba

By high school, three of the kids formed a trio called The Singing McEntires. In 1971, they released their first single, "The Ballad of John McEntire", about their famous grandfather.