Country legend Reba McEntire is reflecting on her entry to music, life’s struggles and God’s everlasting peace.
“I was 21 years old when I got my contract singing. I continued singing because that was where I could make the money,” McEntire said on the “Jesus Calling” podcast.
“What money I made I went off rodeo-ing; spent that on entry fees, then I’d go back singing and make a little more money. Everything was a baby step, very slow, and it took six years for me to have a number one record,” she said. “I didn’t get discouraged.”
McEntire is grateful for the people who worked with her because she would have been impatient with any lack of progress. As long as things moved forward, she kept on going.
“If I was standing still and going backwards, I probably would have quit,” she said. “Nowadays, that’s just unheard of. You know, I was very lucky that I came on the scene when I did and that they were patient with me.”
“They taught me, and it really built a strong foundation. Then by the time I did finally get a number one record, we had lots of friends, buddies, teachers and guides to celebrate with,” she said.
McEntire went through some tough times in her 69 years. She lost her mom in 2020, went through a tough divorce in 2015 after a 26-year marriage and in 1991, her entire band and tour manager, who were all her friends, died in a tragic plane crash.
In a 2012 interview with Oprah, the star said of the crash, “It’s been 20 years, but it’s just like — I don’t guess it ever quits hurting.”
Movieguide® reported that after McEntire’s mom passed, she didn’t want to sing anymore:
“Mama was the one that inspired us kids, taught us kids how to sing, took us to our singing gigs and was our biggest cheerleader,” she continued.
“We didn’t have radio in the car. It was four kids in the backseat, rough-housing and, you know, Mama would get us to sing to pass the time,” she said. “We were the singing McEntires.”
On a recent episode of THE DREW BARRYMORE SHOW, McEntire told Barrymore that her marriage failed because there was no love and “all business.”
The Jesus Calling and Jesus Always devotionals have helped McEntire in her walk with God.
She said, “I’d open it up on the day and read it and I thought, ‘Now how did that book know I needed that today?’ I’d call my sister Alice, I’d say, ‘listen to what this said today.’ She said, ‘Oh my gosh, that hit me so hard. I needed that today.’”
“You know there was one that said about peace, I was looking for it last night, and it was really uncanny that I needed that because of the peace. I listen to Rick Warren every day, and Rick was saying that if you’re not in peace with God, you’re not at peace with yourself; you can’t be,” she said.
In times of trouble, she would hear the words, “Be still.”
“And I’d say, ‘Lord, what do you want me to do?’ The next day, He’d say ‘Be still.’ I’ve finally figured out to ‘be still’; when you’re still, you could listen. If you’re not still, you can’t,” she said.
When she did some shows with entertainer Bob Hope, he taught her that as a star, it’s important to “give back.”
He said, “Reba, you’ve got to give back. You’ve got to help others. You know this is fine what we’re doing. But when you can give back and help others, that’s more than you being up on stage.”
“You’ve got to help them out and encourage,” he continued, “I learned from an early age. You’ve got to help other people.”
Some spiritual songs have a lot of impact on McEntire, like “How Great Thou Art,” which she says she doesn’t think she can sing live.
“I don’t know why I just get choked up when I say the words,” she said. “It just hits my soul so hard. I don’t know why, but it has ever since I recorded it.”
“The ones that I like to listen to and I’m really loving to sing on stage; ‘God and My Girlfriends’ and ‘Back to God.’ ‘Swing Low Sweet Chariot’ is a fun one with the band. ‘I Got The Lord On My Side’ is a song Mama and I wrote together. It’s fun to do,” the singer said.
