McEntire, Reba
Identification American country music singer
Born March 28, 1954; Chockie, Oklahoma
Reba McEntire was the most successful female countr y mu-
sic recording artist of the decade.
By 1990, Reba McEntire was already a popular coun-
try music singer with a large fan following. Her mu-
sic contract, signed in 1984 with MCA Nashville Re-
cords, had successfully propelled her to the status of
being among the best-selling country music artists of
all time. In 1990, she gave birth to her son, Shelby
Stephen, and released her fifteenth album,Rumor
Has It, which contained the number one hit “You
Lie” and what would become her signature song,
“Fancy.” Tragically, on March 16, 1991, seven of her
band members and her road manager were killed in
an airplane crash. One week after the accident, amid
criticism, McEntire performed the song, “I’m
Checking Out,” at the Academy Awards in honor of
her band members. In October 1991, she released
her sixteenth album,For My Broken Heart, which was
also dedicated to her band members.
In December, 1992, she released her seventeenth
album,It’s Your Call, which went triple platinum.
The song “The Heart Won’t Lie,” which was per-
formed as a duet with country singer Vince Gill,
reached number one on the country music charts
in April, 1993. Another duet on the album “Does He
Love You,” which she performed with Linda Davis,
also reached number one on the country charts
in November, 1993. In April, 1994, she produced
her eighteenth album, Read My Mind, as well as
her nineteenth album,Oklahoma Girl.Read My Mind
produced five country chart singles and went triple
platinum. Her twentieth album,Starting Over, was
released in October, 1995, and marked the singer’s
twentieth anniversary in the music industry. In No-
vember, 1996, she released her twenty-first album,
What If It’s You, in 1998 she released her twenty-
second album,If You See Him, and in November 1999,
she released her twenty-third album,So Good Together.
In addition to producing nine albums during the
1990’s, McEntire also toured with her band to pro-
mote her music. In 1994 and 1995, her stage shows
earned more money than any other concert tour in
country music at the time. As if her music did not
keep her busy enough, in 1994, she published her
autobiography,Reba: My Stor y. She also starred in sev-
eral television movies during the decade, including
The Gambler IV(1991), with Kenny Rogers,The Man
from Left Field(1993), with Burt Reynolds, andThe
Secret of Giving(1999). Throughout the 1990’s, Mc-
Entire also won numerous awards for her music, in-
cluding several American Music Awards, People’s
Choice Awards, and Academy of Country Music
Awards.Impact With diligence and hard work, Reba Mc-
Entire became a country music superstar during the
1990’s. She produced nine studio albums and two
compilation albums, performed hundreds of stage
shows, wrote her autobiography, and starred in sev-
eral television movies. She revolutionized the stereo-
typical image of a female country music star. Her up-
beat songs, elaborate stage shows, and vibrant
personality proved that a female country music star
could be as glamorous as any other music diva.The Nineties in America McEntire, Reba 537
Reba McEntire performs at the Country Music Association
Awards in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 4, 1995.(AP/Wide
World Photos)