Reba McEntire Reveals She Almost Left The Music Industry Because Of A Devastating Incident

Oct 13, 2023

Reba McEntire is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She has been called the "Queen of Country Music" and has sold over 75 million records around the world. With more than 100 singles making it to the Billboard Country Charts, Reba has solidified herself as a household name. 

She first started recording songs in the late 1970s but hit her stride in the early 1980s. From 2001 to 2007, the singer starred in her own sitcom called "Reba," and launched herself to even higher success. 

The singer's first number-one song was "Can't Even Get the Blues" in 1982. Then, in 1984, Reba signed with MCA Records, and her second studio album, "My Kind of Country," became her breakthrough release. 

Her best-selling album came after losing eight of her band members in a plane crash in 1991. The album is called "For My Broken Heart," and it garnered critical acclaim. One of her signature songs came from her 1990 release "Rumor Has It." The song was actually a cover called "Fancy," and it is possibly her most popular song.

In her personal life, Reba has been married twice. Her first marriage was from 1976 to 1987 to a rancher named Charlie Battles. They lived together on a ranch in Oklahoma, where Reba is from. 

After ending the marriage, the singer moved to Nashville to further her career in music. In 1989, Reba married her manager Narvel Blackstock. She became a stepmother to his three children, and together they only had one son, Shelby Blackstock. 

Most people might consider Reba as a legend because of her contributions to the country music industry, but there was a point in her successful career when she thought of quitting because of her grief after the death of a loved one.

Reba McEntire’s mom Jacqueline McEntire’s dream was to become a country singer back in the day, but she went the completely opposite route and became a public school teacher, a librarian, and a secretary instead.

Even though she wasn’t able to achieve her ambitions, Jacqueline was able to teach her children to use their voices to harmonize whenever they go on rodeo trips with their father.

According to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Reba’s family later established a vocal group called the Singing McEntires, which consisted of the country star, her brother Pake, and her younger sister Susie.

Although their audiences were small at the time, they managed to record an album called “The Ballad of John McEntire,” which only had a thousand copies.

Unfortunately, Jacqueline passed away from cancer at the age of 93 in March 2020, according to Country Living.

At the time, Reba took to social media to pay tribute to her late mother, as she wrote in the caption: “She had a wonderful, full, healthy life and was absolutely ready to go. The cancer might think it won the battle but we’re giving God all the credit on selecting the time for her to go home to Him.”

Her mom’s death made a lasting impact on Reba, as she mentioned in an interview with TODAY in October 2023 that there was a point in her career where she almost quit music as her passion also died down.

“Oh I didn’t want to (sing). I told my little sister Susie when we were working at the house, I said, ‘I don’t know if I want to sing anymore.’ She said, ‘Why?’ I said, ‘Because I always sang for Mama,’” she explained.

Reba further gave details about her mother’s wish to become a singer that she never had the chance to achieve.

"She said, 'Reba, I will be living my dreams through you.' So golly, why wouldn't you want to go sing?" she said.

The singer also opened up that Jacqueline was the biggest supporter of her and her siblings back when they were still in a group.

“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 says.

Fortunately, Reba was able to find her rhythm and didn’t quit music. In 2023, she released a new song accompanied by a music video titled “Seven Minutes In Heaven.”

In an announcement, the singer said it was an emotional ride to film the music video as she wrote: “This one was an emotional one to film, but I'm sure glad we did. Who would you like to spend seven minutes in heaven with?”

According to an article published by Taste of Country in October 2023, Reba’s song was her imagination of what she would do if given a chance to go to heaven for a few minutes.

The video revealed her desires as it featured an actor who resembled Jacqueline even though the face was not shown. The two of them had a conversation in what appeared to be a booth in a restaurant. 

"If I had seven minutes in Heaven, I'd spend them all with you,” Reba sang in the song.

What do you think of Reba McEntire’s decision to almost quit music? Do you think it was the correct choice for her to further her career? Let us know your thoughts, and make sure to pass this on to your friends and family.