Author: Ms Bich

  • Blake Shelton Shares the Most Exciting Part of Reba McEntire Joining ‘The Voice’

    Blake Shelton Shares the Most Exciting Part of Reba McEntire Joining ‘The Voice’

    Blake Shelton Shares the Most Exciting Part of Reba McEntire Joining ‘The Voice’

    Blake Shelton Shares the Most Exciting Part of Reba McEntire Joining ‘The Voice’

    Blake Shelton will be sitting in a different chair for Season 24 of The Voice: His recliner at home. He’s retiring as a coach, which means it’s time for someone new to keep the seat warm.

    Earlier this week it was revealed that Reba McEntire will be replacing the winningest coach in the reality singing competition’s history after he retires.

    Shelton tells E! News that he is eager to watch his country counterpart take the reins, but he’s more excited for the contestants on Team Reba.

    “I know she’s a fan of the show, so she’s probably had ideas of how she would do this for a long time, anyway,” he says, speaking of McEntire. “I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like for those kids to get a chance to work with Reba.”

    “She’s one of my heroes, she’s an icon,” he adds.

     

    The “No Body” singer also says this next chapter on The Voice is a full circle moment for both the show and McEntire.

    “It’s kind of meant to be, I think,” he explains. “From the versions of the story that I’ve heard, she was the original coach that they wanted here on The Voice to be the country representation.”

    “So, now that I’ve had my run, for her to finally get the job that she was meant to have to begin with, it will be fun.”

    Although the “Fancy” singer turned down the show’s offer ahead of Season 1, she did serve as a mentor for Team Shelton, as she has this season.

    “Timing is everything and everything happens for a reason,” McEntire tells E! News. “And 15, 16 years ago it wasn’t the right time for me and now it is. That’s about all I can say and I’m really looking forward to it.”

     

    Blake Shelton’s Winners From ‘The Voice’: Where Are They Now?

    How many of the eight Team Blake winners from The Voice can you name? Blake Shelton is the show’s winningest coach, and several have had hits at country radio and beyond. Several more have shifted genres, changed their name or just flat-out gone missing. Here is the latest on every Team Blake winner from The Voice.

  • The Top 20 Dolly Parton Songs, Ever

    The Top 20 Dolly Parton Songs, Ever

    There are many legends in the music business, with a select few considered icons and a smaller elite group known the world over by only their first names. Dolly Parton is one of those rare treasures.

    In addition to becoming one of the genre’s great songwriters, Parton has conquered the pop charts and Hollywood. She’s been on the cover of Rolling Stone, owns a successful theme park and a movie production company, is a favorite guest on many television shows and wrote a Tony-nominated Broadway musical (9 to 5).

    On top of her amazing success in pretty much any and every endeavor, Parton always takes the time to give back, open minds and spread love through her down-home country personality.

    This list of Top 20 Dolly Parton Songs salutes some of Parton’s best works — but they’re just a few from her deep, vast catalog.

    Top 20 Dolly Parton Songs: Her Biggest Hits And Most Underrated Deep Cuts

    There are many country music legends in the business, but you’d be hard-pressed to find another as universally revered as Dolly Parton. Here are 20 of her greatest songs of all time.

    20.
    20. “Hard Candy Christmas”

    Matt Winkelmeyer, Getty Images

    20. “Hard Candy Christmas”

    Parton’s “Hard Candy Christmas” — from the 1982 musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas — is often considered a Christmas song, but the singer herself says it’s not explicitly about the holiday season. Rather, it’s a song about the lean times in life, when families can only afford to buy inexpensive treats like bulk hard candy for their children. Whether you consider “Hard Candy Christmas” a holiday song or not, it’s a beautiful tune year-round about life’s hardest times — and its sweetest.

    19.
    19. “Backwoods Barbie”

    Jon Kopaloff, Getty Images

    19. “Backwoods Barbie”

    I’ve always been misunderstood because of how I look / Don’t judge me by the cover, ’cause I’m a real good book,” Parton sings in this quippy, autobiographical song from 2008. The singer wrote “Backwoods Barbie” solo, and it addresses something Parton’s dealt with her whole career: The fact that people only see her signature look, and not necessarily the talent beneath the surface when they lay eyes on her. This song also contains a lyric that’s gone on to become a bona fide Dolly-ism: “I might look artificial, but where it counts I’m real.”

    No. 18.
    No. 18. “Love Is Like a Butterfly”

    Jason Kempin, Getty Images

    No. 18. “Love Is Like a Butterfly”

    Dolly fans know that the singer loves butterflies: They’ve gone on to become a signature image for Parton, appearing in everything from her perfume brand logo to the gardens of her Dollywood theme park. In this 1974 classic, Parton sings about her insect of choice, with a voice that lightly lilts just as delicately as a butterfly landing on a flower.

    No. 17:
    No. 17: “Eagle When She Flies”

    Terry Wyatt, Getty Images

    No. 17: “Eagle When She Flies”

    Parton pulls on another animal metaphor — that of an eagle — in “Eagle When She Flies,” a power ballad from 1991. Its evocative story line traces all the different things the same woman can be — a mother, a lover, a friend, a wife and so much else — and underscores her dual powers of vulnerability and resilience, shifting from “a sparrow when she’s broken” to “an eagle when she flies.”

    No. 16:
    No. 16: “Touch Your Woman”

    Getty Images

    No. 16: “Touch Your Woman”

    Parton’s Grammy-nominated 1972 hit was a bit of a left turn for the singer at a time: It wasn’t upbeat and anthem like “9 to 5” and “Two Doors Down,” nor was it a heartrending ballad like “I Will Always Love You” or “Coat of Many Colors.” Instead, this R&B-tinged, mid-tempo number takes listeners inside a disagreement between two members of a couple and ultimately resolves with a desire to reconnect, and the assurance that “Everything’s gonna be alright.” This realtime look into mature, complex love marks another kind of story song for Parton, and one that had listeners looking into their own love stories, and rediscovering the good in them.

    No. 15:
    No. 15: “Light of a Clear Blue Morning”

    Rick Diamond, Getty Images

    No. 15: “Light of a Clear Blue Morning”

    If “I Will Always Love You” was written about Parton’s painful professional separation from her longtime mentor and collaborator Porter Wagoner, “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” was written about the positivity and freedom of the aftermath of that split. The singer has said as much in interviews, but even if you haven’t gone through a difficult but ultimately split from a longtime friend, there’s plenty in this song to relate to: Over the course of the power ballad, it’s easy to imagine the clouds parting, the storm clearing, and the hard times giving way to something much more hopeful and new.

    No. 14:
    No. 14: “Dumb Blonde”

    Jason Kempin, Getty Images

    No. 14: “Dumb Blonde”

    All the way back in 1966, when Parton was releasing her very first album, Hello, I’m Dolly, she already knew who she was. The jangly, honky-tonkin’ “Dumb Blonde” is her early-career autobiographical statement, demanding that people look past her bubbly exterior and listen to what she has to say. “Dumb Blonde” was Parton’s first song to ever make waves on the Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart, and made it clear to everyone in country music that “This dumb blonde ain’t nobody’s fool.”

    No. 13:
    No. 13: “Tennessee Homesick Blues”

    Kevin Winter, Getty Images

    No. 13: “Tennessee Homesick Blues”

    If you know Dolly Parton, you know she hails from the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee — and she’s dang proud of her country girl roots! Parton’s career has taken her to a whole lot of places, but no bright lights or fast-paced cities could ever drown out her memories of home, and this jumpy, string-filled 1984 chart-topper is a fitting tribute to the place Parton comes from.

    No. 12:
    No. 12: “Wildflowers”

    Michael Loccisano, Getty Images

    No. 12: “Wildflowers”

    Parton champions her Appalachian roots in “Wildflowers,” a tender, mid-1980s folk tune that the singer included on Trio, her collaborative album with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris. Rondstadt and Harris’ vocals provide powerful, folksy oomph to this performance, but it’s the song’s story — Parton’s tale of freedom and hearty resilience, just like the wildflowers that grow by the highway — that makes “Wildflowers” so special.

    No. 11:
    No. 11: “Just Because I’m a Woman”

    Kevin Winter, Getty Images

    No. 11: “Just Because I’m a Woman”

    “Just Because I’m a Woman” is another early career hit in which Parton demands respect, care and freedom to make her own mistakes — despite her sex. The singer lays out blistering societal double standards, and claps back at men who are just fine engaging in salacious behavior with an unmarried woman that can “ruin her reputation” — but see that same girl as too “tainted” to ever be a respectable long-term partner.

    No. 10:
    No. 10: “Joshua”

    David Becker, Getty Images

    No. 10: “Joshua”

    In 1970, Parton dropped “Joshua,” a rapid-fire story song that cruised to No. 1 on the country charts and eventually earned her her first-ever Grammy nomination. Its lyrics tell the story of a young woman who pays a visit to the town recluse, despite rumors that he’s “a mean and a vicious man,” but instead she finds that — well, you’re just going to have to listen to the song to find out. It’s an important reminder not to judge a book by its cover, and playful proof that sometimes the town grump isn’t quite what he appears.

    No. 9:
    No. 9: “Why’d You Come in Here Looking Like That”

    Terry Wyatt, Getty Images

    No. 9: “Why’d You Come in Here Looking Like That”

    It’s easy to see why “Why’d You Come in Here Looking Like That” was a No. 1 hit on country radio: It’s a feel-good, bop-along homage to a cowboy whose looks are just too good to be true, even though there might be a heartbreaker lurking underneath the surface. This playful fan-favorite came out in 1989 off Parton’s White Limozeen album, and here’s a fun fact: Among the all-star session players who cut the song with Parton were banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck and mandolin great and bluegrass artist Ricky Skaggs.

    No. 8:
    No. 8: “Little Sparrow”

    Rich Fury, Getty Images

    No. 8: “Little Sparrow”

    Appalachian folk has always been a big part of Parton’s musical background, and “Little Sparrow” is a great example of her knack for the folksier side of music making. Gentle strings and guitar are featured on the track, but it’s really Parton’s voice that’s at the center of it all: Her delicate soprano and rich, minor-key vocal harmonies paint a picture of a gentle little sparrow who flies high to transcend its fragility — just like the heart of a tender woman who’s been hurt too many times by careless men.

    No. 7:
    No. 7: “Two Doors Down”

    Rick Diamond, Getty Images

    No. 7: “Two Doors Down”

    True story: Parton wrote this bouncy, poppy late-’70s hit about her love of fried clams! Some details were changed in the writing of the song, and Parton’s FOMO about missing a fried clam buffet at a hotel stop transformed into the story of a broken-hearted woman debating whether or not to go to a neighbor’s party. The results were a country chart-topping single that also broke the Top 20 on the pop charts, too, proving that Parton could effortlessly and seamlessly captivate a pop audience without sacrificing her country bona fides.

    No. 6:
    No. 6: “Here You Come Again”

    Kevin Winter, Getty Images

    No. 6: “Here You Come Again”

    Parton is known for her songwriting, but she also occasionally cuts songs she didn’t write, and such is the case with “Here You Come Again.” You’d never know it: Parton’s vocal delivery is so expressive, effortlessly heartbroken and connected to her subject matter that it’s clear she feels every bit as passionate about the song as she would have had she penned it herself. “Here You Come Again” topped the country charts for five weeks straight, won a Grammy Award and also made it all the way up to No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.

    No. 5:
    No. 5: “Islands in the Stream”

    Terry Wyatt, Getty Images

    No. 5: “Islands in the Stream”

    “Islands in the Stream” is one of the most popular karaoke choices out there, but few karaoke night performers have the vocal chops to match Parton’s powerhouse performance. That’s no knock on them: Parton is at her stellar, stratospheric best in this duet performance with Kenny Rogers, which came out in 1983. The song comes by its poppy, R&B flair honestly, since it was written by members of the BeeGees, who ultimately gave it to Rogers to record. Once Parton signed on to the song, it became a massive crossover hit, and even accomplished the incredible feat of occupying the No. 1 slot on the Billboard pop, adult contemporary and country charts.

    No. 4:
    No. 4: “Coat of Many Colors”

    Michael Loccisano, Getty Images

    No. 4: “Coat of Many Colors”

    Parton’s memories of childhood are some of her biggest musical inspirations, and in “Coat of Many Colors,” she describes a coat her mother sewed for her, using rags of all different kinds of colors. A young Parton gets made fun of at school for her unfashionable, handmade coat, but it’s still a source of pride for the young girl, and a lingering memory of how a family’s love can triumph over poverty.

    No. 3:
    No. 3: “Jolene”

    Jason Kempin, Getty Images

    No. 3: “Jolene”

    Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene!” Parton introduced legions of fans to the red-haired, blindingly beautiful woman who made a pass at her husband in this canonical release from 1974. It was a massive country chart-topper in the mid-’70s, and a moderate crossover hit, too, but the legacy of “Jolene” has endured: Today, it’s one of Parton’s most recognizable songs, and a favorite with fans from all musical backgrounds. Parton has said that the song was inspired by a true story: Specifically, a bank teller who flirted with her husband Carl Dean when they were newly married. The name she chose for her title heroine isn’t based on that story, though. Instead, she came up with the name after a young fan named Jolene approached her and asked for an autograph.

    No. 2:
    No. 2: “9 to 5”

    Theo Wargo, Getty Images

    No. 2: “9 to 5”

    Perhaps Parton’s biggest pop crossover hit, “9 to 5” is a bouncy and infectious ode to life as a career woman. It appears in the comedy film of the same name, which co-starred Parton alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, and Parton borrowed the song’s name for an album title, too. “9 to 5” earned Parton numerous awards and nominations, and made her only the second woman ever to top both the U.S. Country Singles chart and the Billboard Hot 100 with the same single (the first was Jeannie C. Riley’s “Harper Valley PTA.”)

    No. 1:
    No. 1: “I Will Always Love You”

    Kevin Winter, Getty Images

    No. 1: “I Will Always Love You”

    What else could top a list of Dolly Parton’s best songs? “I Will Always Love You” is arguably Parton’s signature song, a plaintive and powerful ballad written about her professional break with longtime mentor and collaborator Porter Wagoner. In its lyrics, Parton professes enduring love for a person, even though she’s moving on with her life, and she hopes he does, too. Whitney Houston delivered a terrific rendition of this song, but to us, Parton will always be the original and ultimate “I Will Always Love You” performer.

  • How Dolly Parton Keeps Her 55-Year Marriage 

    How Dolly Parton Keeps Her 55-Year Marriage 

    Dolly Parton is famous for her glammed-up public persona, and the singer says she likes to get a little gussied up at home, too, even when it’s just her and her husband of 57 years, Carl Dean.

    “I like to dress up for Carl,” Parton admits during a 2022 interview with E! News’ Daily Pop.

    Dolly Parton reveals secrets to her 52-year marriage to Carl Thomas Dean

    “Every day, I put on some makeup and fix my hair, because I think, ‘Well, the whole world, I’m out here and everybody else sees me all dressed up.’ I’m not just gonna go home and flop on him.”

    After nearly six decades of marriage, Parton and Dean have seen just about every side of each other, and the singer says all the work she puts into her appearance is just as much for her benefit as it is for her husband’s.

    Look: Dolly Parton shares throwback photo with husband Carl Thomas Dean -  UPI.com

    “He would love me either way,” she continues, “But it’s important to me that I look as good as I can.”

    When asked if that’s her secret to keeping her marriage fresh after all these years, Parton says, “Well, I think it helps!” adding that “Nobody wants to make out with a slouch.”

    ” I think it kinda helps, keeping things, you know, spicy.”

    Parton’s keeping things “spicy” in her career, too: In November, the country legend and new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member will release her debut rock album, Rock Star, featuring a long list of who’s who in that genre as collaborators.

    The icon debuted the first song from that project, “World on Fire,” during the 2023 ACM Awards, which she co-hosted with Garth Brooks.

  • Dolly Parton Staggering Net Worth Revealed

    Dolly Parton Staggering Net Worth Revealed

    Dolly Parton is country music’s wealthiest woman. A new ranking of the most successful female entrepreneurs, executives and entertainers finds Parton in the Top 100.

    She’s not a billionaire — there’s just one of those who made her living in song or on stage — but she is country music’s wealthiest woman, however, and it’s not even close. No other country ladies make the Top 100.

    What Is Dolly Parton’s Net Worth?
    Forbes’ new list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women finds Parton at No. 59. She’s tied with Reese Witherspoon, both of whom have a net worth of $440 million. The two women are on very different trajectories, however.

    Parton’s net worth jumped from $375 million between 2022 and 2023.
    Witherspoon’s net worth remained flat ($420 million to $430 million) in the last year. Her big jump came between 2020 ($200 million) and 2022, when she sold her Hello Sunshine Production company.

    Dolly Parton's Staggering Net Worth Revealed

    Celine Dion ($480 million), Beyonce ($540M), Madonna ($580M), Taylor Swift ($740M) and Rihanna ($1.4 billion) are the only musicians ahead of Parton on the Forbes list.

    How Did Dolly Parton Make Her Money?

    A deeper look into Parton’s net worth shows that more than one-third ($150 million) of her wealth is in her song catalog. The bulk of the rest is from her 50 percent stake in Dollywood, which Forbes reported was worth $165 million in 2021. Additionally, she is co-owner of nearby Splash Country and DreamMore Resort and Spa, worth about $20 million and $15 million to her, respectively.

    Dolly Parton Has A High Net Worth (But It Should Be Higher)

    While the 77-year-old is closing in on a half-billion dollars, she’ll need to multiply that by a factor of 30 to catch the No. 1 woman on this list. ABC Supply chair Diane Hendricks is worth $15 billion, Forbes says. There’s far more money in roofing than country music, it would seem.

  • Kelly Clarkson Gets Candid About Her Friendship Status With Reba McEntire

    Kelly Clarkson Gets Candid About Her Friendship Status With Reba McEntire

    Kelly Clarkson may be starting a new chapter post-divorce from Brandon Blackstock, but she hasn’t cut ties with former stepmother-in-law, Reba McEntire.

    See Kelly Clarkson Live-Get tickets as low as $260.00

    During the June 27 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Clarkson confirmed that the split hadn’t changed the personal dynamic between the two artists.

    “Not at all,” she insists. “We were friends before [Blackstock and I] even got together. As a matter of fact, we were talking before she signed up to The Voice, we were texting each other about that and we text each other all the time.”

    Clarkson filed for divorce from Blackstock in 2020 after nearly seven years of marriage. McEntire and Brandon’s father, Narvel Blackstock, wed in 1989 and went through a highly-publicized divorce in 2015. Although both artists have moved on to new relationships, their experiences created a different, unexpected bond between them.

    “I think we’re both women of sound mind that know that life doesn’t work out sometimes. I mean, well, she would know best,” Clarkson says with a chuckle. “It’s literally the same thing. So, yeah, no hard feelings there … just feelings.”

    During her Q&A with Cohen, Clarkson also squashed rumors about a supposed feud between her and fellow American Idol alum Carrie Underwood.

  • What Is Reba McEntire’s Net Worth and How Much Does She Make on ‘The Voice’?

    What Is Reba McEntire’s Net Worth and How Much Does She Make on ‘The Voice’?

    What Is Reba McEntire’s Net Worth and How Much Does She Make on ‘The Voice’? Here Are All the Deets

    It should come as no surprise that Reba McEntire’s net worth is sky-high. (Well, $95 million, to be exact.)

    Throughout her decades-long career, the Queen of Country, 68, has sold over 90 million records worldwide, earning three Grammys and 19 Academy of Country Music Awards along the way. Not to mention her Emmy-nominated sitcom, Reba, which ran for six seasons. And the singer was chosen to sing the National Anthem at the 2024 Super Bowl.

    To top it off, it was announced last year that McEntire would join season 24 of The Voice, alongside Gwen Stefani, Niall Horan and John Legend. While speaking with USA Today about her experience so far, she said, “You always want to learn new things. That was what was so much fun sitting and listening to the other coaches, what they would say to the contestants. It just made it very interesting to apply to my own career, because you’re always looking for advice yourself.”

    Not surprisingly, McEntire coached her first team like a pro and will return for season 25 on February 26—and we imagine that with her coaching gig her net worth will soar even higher. But how exactly did the country singer earn her fortune? And how much does McEntire make on The Voice? Keep reading for details on Reba McEntire’s net worth.

    reba mcentire net worth 2

    Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images

    1. What Is Reba McEntire’s Net Worth in 2024?

    According to Celebrity Net Worth, McEntire is worth an estimated $95 million. Not too shocking, since she’s one of the greatest country artists of all time.

    reba mcentire net worth 3

    John Shearer/Getty Images

    2. How Much Did Reba Make from Her Music?

    Her exact earnings from album sales haven’t been made public, but we do know that the Oklahoma native has released 32 studio albums—27 of which are certified gold. She also scored 13 number one albums on Billboard’s Top Country Albums, and 106 of her singles have made it to Billboard’s Hot Country Songs. But if you think that’s impressive, just wait until you hear about her live shows.

    To date, the “I’m a Survivor” singer has headlined at least 23 tours, sharing the stage with artists like Kelly Clarkson, Martina McBride and Brad Paisley. Her profits are unknown, but we do know that in 2013, she earned $300,000 after performing at the New York State Fair, making her one of the highest-paid acts.

    While it’s tough to estimate her earnings, we can safely assume that McEntire made a pretty penny, given the massive success of her live shows. For instance, McEntire extended her most recent tour, Reba: Live in Concert, due to a string of sold out shows in 2022.

    She told Live Nation Entertainment, “I am very grateful we’re continuing this tour on into 2023. I’ve had so much fun being back out on the road and doing what I love to do most, entertaining people. And now getting to headline places like Madison Square Garden and bring my buddies Terri Clark and The Isaacs with me? Well, that’s just the extra icing on an already triple-layered, stuffed and filled, iced and frosted cake!”

    reba mcentire the voice coach

    TYLER GOLDEN/NBC/GETTY IMAGES

    3. How Much Does She Make on The Voice?

    Her salary hasn’t been made public, but in 2016, The Wrap reported that country star Blake Shelton was making about $13 million per season as a coach, after being on the show for ten seasons. Given that his replacement, McEntire, is a country icon who has already appeared on the series several times, we’d assume that she’s making at least $13 million as her starting salary.

    reba mcentire net worth sitcom

    4. How Much Did She Make from Her TV Shows?

    According to The Wall Street Journal, McEntire was new to the small screen when she landed her own sitcom, Reba, and it was reflected in her paychecks during the show’s earlier seasons. Her co-stars reportedly made $100,000 per episode while she earned less, but her salary most likely increased significantly over time.

    Although the show came to an end after season six, McEntire and her co-stars are still entitled to a percentage of syndication profits, which means she’s now earning extra bucks from those reruns. Plus, in addition to Reba, she landed lead roles in Malibu Country and Big Sky. You may have also spotted the star’s guest appearances in sitcoms like Young Sheldon, Baby Daddy and Working Class.

    reba mcentire net worth super bowl

    Casey Durkin/NBC/Getty Images

    5. How Much Will Reba McEntire Get Paid for the Super Bowl?

    McEntire will not get paid to sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl. In fact, none of the artists receive a paycheck for their participation—including the Halftime performers.

    Back in 2016, NFL spokesperson Joanna Hunter told Forbes, “We do not pay the artists. We cover expenses and production costs.”

    reba mcentire net worth 4

    Gety Images

    6. What About Her Real Estate?

    Per Variety, McEntire and her ex-husband, Narvel Blackstock, purchased a 9,000-square-foot Beverly Hills mansion for $9 million in 2003. In 2015, she sold the lavish estate for a whopping $22.5 million.

    Additionally, according to Taste of Country, the singer sold another stunning waterfront property for $5 million in 2017. The buyer, a Nashville businessman named Deron Lichte, has since turned it into a venue called the Estate at Cherokee Dock.

    7. Is It True That She Runs a Restaurant?

    Call her the Jill of all Trades, because yes, she’s also a restaurant owner.

    The singer officially launched Reba’s Place—a three-story restaurant, bar and entertainment venue—in January 2023. Naturally, the menu is inspired by McEntire’s own life, including items like beef steak, slow-smoked brisket and Nashville hot chicken.

    According to Southern Living, the first floor includes the restaurant, bar and stage for live performances. Meanwhile, the second floor has private rooms for parties and a wrap-around balcony, and the third floor has the official store for merchandise.

    The restaurant is pretty new, so there haven’t been any reports of earnings just yet. Still, it looks like McEntire is well on her way to multiplying her fortune.

  • Dolly Parton Now Holds 10 Guinness World Record Titles

    Dolly Parton Now Holds 10 Guinness World Record Titles

    DOLLY PARTON NOW HOLDS 10 GUINNESS WORLD RECORD TITLES

    Is there anything Dolly Parton cannot do? At 77 years young, the veteran country singer has been hosting awards shows, writing books and singing in holiday specials. And lately, she’s been setting new world records.

    Dolly Parton Now Holds 10 Guinness World Record Titles

    There’s not too much empty space on Parton’s list of accolades, but there’s certainly room for not one, not two, but three new Guinness World Records titles. This brings her overall total of record holdings to 10.

    “I am humbled every time I receive a new Guinness World Record title,” the singer-songwriter says.

    Dolly Parton earns new Guinness World Records for musical achievements -  CBS News

    Here are Parton’s newest record-breaking achievements:

    Most studio albums released by a female country singer (65 albums)
    Most entries on the Top Country Albums chart by a female artist (48 entries)
    Longest span of No. 1 hits on the Top Country Albums chart by a female artist (43+ years)

    The “9 to 5” singer’s first album, Hello, I’m Dolly, was released in 1967, with her most recent offering, Run, Rose, Run, arriving in 2022. She’ll bump that total number of albums up to 66 this fall with the release of her first rock album, Rock Star, which only make her record harder to top.

    Parton’s first Top 10 album came in 1968 with a project she worked on with Porter Wagoner, titled Just Between You and Me. Her 48 collection of songs to land in the Top 10 came in 2022 with Diamonds & Rhinestones: The Greatest Hits Collection. Of the 48 albums to chart in the Top 10 of the Top Country Albums chart, eight were No. 1 hits.

    Dolly Parton Earns 3 New Guinness World Records Titles

    The first chart-topper was the album New Harvest… First Gathering, which arrived in 1977. Her most-recent No. 1 was A Holly Dolly Christmas in 2020. She sits behind Johnny Cash (50+ years) and Merle Haggard (48+ years).

    Here’s a list of the Guinness World Records Parton already held:

    First country singer to be nominated for the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony)
    Most Grammy nominations for a female country artist (51)
    Most No. 1 hits on the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart by a female artist (25)
    Most hits on the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart by a female artist (109)
    Longest span of No.1 hits on the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart (35+ years)
    Most decades on the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart by a female artist (7)
    Most decades with a top 20 hit on the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart (6)

  • Dolly Parton Was the Only One Who Knew This Was Going to Happen

    Dolly Parton Was the Only One Who Knew This Was Going to Happen

    You’ve probably seen Dolly Parton’s performance from the halftime show for the Thanksgiving Day game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Commanders.

    Dolly Parton Was the Only One Who Knew This Was Going to Happen

    Parton wow’d the world when she popped up on national television, saying, “Y’all like my outfit?”

    Then, she encouraged the Cowboys and the Commanders to, “stop fighting long enough to say hello to me.”

    With Parton, most everything in her life and career is mapped out, well-planned ahead of time. She has so many things going on and so many places to be, it has to be a well-oiled machine.

    But sometimes, she goes rogue.

    Exclusive: Dolly Parton on Rock, Rhinestones and Her Genre-Busting Career

    According to the country music icon, she surprised everyone when she stepped out for her Thanksgiving Day performance wearing that glimmering Dallas Cowboys cheerleading outfit.

    Even her team didn’t know about it!

    “When she came out of the dressing room, myself, the security, and my staff fainted. That’s the genius of Dolly, and people are talking about it,” her manager tells Billboard.

    “I couldn’t tell the difference between Dolly and the cheerleaders,” he adds.

    Dolly Parton wants to rock and the music industry can't wait

    Dolly Parton Interview — And Reba McEntire Reveals What She First Thought of Garth Brooks

    Separate interviews with two country legends, Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire. Dolly tells Evan Paul about (1:20) the artists she couldn’t get for her new Rockstar album before (3:59) lauding Taylor Swift and (7:30) what she misses about touring. Then Reba McEntire spends 15 minutes with Evan and explains (13:00) what she loves about being on The Voice, (13:55) which songs are the most difficult to perform and the first time she met (14:40) Dolly Parton and (16:04) Garth Brooks. Then the (18:10) juice on wedding plans with Rex Linn and the (21:07) Night Cap with Billy Dukes.

    It is important to note, however, that Parton’s outfit was only inspired by the Cowboys cheerleaders’ uniforms: Hers was a little less revealing than the actual outfit that the cheerleaders wear, but it was close enough in detail to look almost identical.

  • The Untold Truth Of Reba McEntire

    The Untold Truth Of Reba McEntire

    The Untold Truth Of Reba McEntire

    Reba McEntire isn’t just one of the greatest country singers alive today — she is also one of the greatest country singers of all time. The powerhouse has been on the music scene for decades. According to The Boot, she has won dozens of awards for her work, including Grammys, American Music Awards, CMA awards, and ACM awards. In addition to being a talented singer, she’s also a talented actress, so you’ve almost definitely seen her on the big or small screen at some point over the years.

    Reba McEntire

    There’s no doubt about it: McEntire is one of the queens of country, and it doesn’t look like she’s slowing down any time soon. How did she get to the top? What is the secret to her enduring career? Here’s how music icon Reba McEntire grew from a country girl raised in a small town to one of the biggest superstars in the world.

    Reba McEntire

    Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    Reba McEntire and her family are very close. She told Southern Living that she grew up in a small town in Oklahoma with only 18 people in her graduating class. She also had a lot of family nearby. McEntire described her small town as “a family community” where “you didn’t get away with much if anything.”

    McEntire’s family helps her stay grounded. Even though she’s a famous country music star, her siblings treat her no differently than they treat each other, and, when she goes home, she’s just like everybody else. She even joins in and helps do chores when the family gets together. If her ego ever gets too inflated, she can count on her family to bring her back down to earth. “We support each other, and we’ve always been there for each other,” she told Cowboys & Indians. “So that does ground you because you’ve got somebody, they’re going, ‘Hey, get off your high horse. You’re just like us.’”

    How Reba McEntire realized she had talent

    Reba McEntire

    Jeff Haynes/Getty Images

    Reba McEntire has been singing ever since she was a little girl. When she was in first grade, she landed a solo singing “Away in a Manger” in a Christmas program, and the rest is history. McEntire told CMT News that she realized she was talented because of how her family responded to her voice. Instead of telling her to leave the room or to play outside like they did when she tried to interrupt the family to speak, everyone would stop whatever they were doing to listen to her whenever she started singing.

    Seeing the attention she got for her singing didn’t just help McEntire realize her talent — it was also how she stood out as one of the middle children in the family. “I wasn’t the oldest or the youngest,” she explained. “I wasn’t the only boy, and I was usually in the way. … So when I got good attention from the singing, I knew that was probably where I needed to land.”

    Reba McEntire was a competitive barrel racer

    Reba McEntire

    Ethan Miller/Getty Images

    Reba McEntire grew up on a ranch and soon enough entered the rodeo circuit as a competitive barrel racer. The rodeo runs in her blood, as her father and grandfather were both world-champion steer ropers. While McEntire loved the sport — and a video uploaded to YouTube of her riding at the rodeo proves her talent — her dad discouraged her from pursuing the sport professionally, saying she just wasn’t good enough.

    “[My parents] were always encouraging us to follow our dreams, but don’t stay too long,” she told CMT News. “And my dream at the time, when I was younger, was to be a world-champion barrel racer.” She continued, “Daddy would just point-blank tell me, ‘Reba, I don’t know why you want to do something you’re not good at.’”

    Her dad told her that she should be singing instead of barrel racing, but it would be a while before the young McEntire took his advice. “I couldn’t practice singing, but I could go practice running barrels,” said McEntire. “That was fun. And keeping a horse in shape — that was fun.”

    You may have heard of Reba McEntire’s siblings

    Reba McEntire and sister Susie McEntire

    Instagram

    Music is something that runs in the McEntire family. Two of Reba McEntire’s siblings are also talented singers. Her brother, Pake, and her sister, Susie, have both had successful music careers, although they aren’t as well known as their famous sister. Before the three of them had successful solo careers, they were creating music together as The Singing McEntires while McEntire was still in high school.

    Being a member of The Singing McEntires gave the singer her first real taste of the spotlight. The trio played at their school and also started performing at clubs on the weekends, with their mother driving them to each appearance. The siblings were often out all night performing. “We played 9 to 1 for our show money,” McEntire told CMT News of those early gigs. “Then if there was enough people wanting to hang around, we’d play from 1 to 3 and just pass the hat. So I’ve been in front of audiences a long time.”

    Reba McEntire went to college and nearly followed a different career path

    Reba McEntire

    Chris Weeks/Getty Images

    Even though Reba McEntire had gotten a taste of show business life as a member of The Singing McEntires, she still went off to college. According to her bio on her website, the singer graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 1976 with a degree in elementary education and a minor in music. McEntire told CMT News that she “loved college,” but her dad ended up pushing her towards a career in music instead of becoming a teacher.

    McEntire said that her dad encouraged her to get a job singing at the National Finals Rodeo while she was still in college. Figuring she could get in to the rodeo free that way, she applied for the job. McEntire landed the gig in 1974 and caught the attention of country legend Red Steagall, who helped her record her first demo.

    McEntire’s teaching degree didn’t go to waste, though. In 2016, McEntire announced (via People) that she would be giving music lessons through MasterClass for those looking to break into the industry.

    A devastating tragedy impacted Reba McEntire’s life and career

    Reba McEntire

    Kevin Winter/Getty Images

    In 1991, a horrible tragedy shook Reba McEntire’s world when seven of her band members and her tour manager died in a plane crash. McEntire dedicated her next album, For My Broken Heart, to the people who died in the crash, as noted by The Boot. In the liner notes, she wrote, “It seems your current emotional status determines what music you’d like to hear. That’s what happened on the song selection for this album. If for any reason you can relate to the emotion packed inside these songs, I hope it’s a form of healing for all our broken hearts.”

    The songs on the album may all be sad, but they’re what the singer needed to heal from the devastating tragedy. McEntire told The Saturday Evening Post that it was her music that helped pull her through that dark time.

    For My Broken Heart ended up going platinum. McEntire also nabbed an Academy of Country Music award that year for best female vocalist. In a tearful acceptance speech, she dedicated the win to her “eight buddies” who died in the crash.

    Reba McEntire helped pave the way for other female country artists

    Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton, and Carrie Underwood

    Terry Wyatt/Getty Images

    When Reba McEntire’s career was starting out in the 1970s, country music was still dominated by men. McEntire’s success helped pave the way for future female country singers. “Well, it was my responsibility,” she told Parade of blazing a trail for other women. “It was my duty.”

    McEntire said that she sees herself as another female country singer in a long line that includes Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton. Just as the singers who came before her opened doors for artists of her generation, she has always viewed it as her task to pave the way for the generations that come after her.

    Growing up on the ranch and on the rodeo circuit taught McEntire that “we are livin’ in a man’s world,” as she told N Focus. She noted, “So that was something I was used to, and in the world of entertainment, I realized that I was going to have to work harder to get ahead, and so I just accepted that and continued to work hard.”

    How Reba McEntire really feels about her trademark accent

    Reba McEntire

    Terry Wyatt/Getty Images

    These days, Reba McEntire’s thick Southern drawl is her trademark. While some people feel pressured to lose their accents when entering show business, it never occurred to McEntire to try to be anything other than who she is. “I like my accent,” she told Southern Living. “It’s done all right for me.”

    McEntire also encourages others to be true to themselves. In an interview with Cowboys & Indians, she shared the advice she gave to her niece, Garrett, when she moved to California to pursue an acting career. Garrett’s agent told her that she needed to dye her hair blonde and also urged her to lose her “thick Oklahoma accent.”

    McEntire told her niece not to change a thing and to just be herself. “You can’t be cookie-cutter,” she advised. “You’ve got to stand out and be different. A good kind of different.”

    Reba McEntire always wanted to be a movie star

    Reba McEntire with the cast of Reba

    Kevin Winter/Getty Images

    While Reba McEntire has established herself as one of the leading stars in country music, she’s also a talented actress. The singer admitted to CMT News that she always had dreams of acting. “I always wanted to be a movie star,” she said.

    McEntire has starred in films like Tremors and The Little Rascals and even had her own self-titled show, Reba, in the 2000s. The redheaded star also appeared on Broadway in the 2001 revival of Annie Get Your Gun, which she told Playbill “was the hardest job I ever had in my life.”

    While most fans know her more for her music than for her acting, that may change in the future. The country sensation told Billboard that she would love the chance to return to TV and perhaps star in more movies. One thing McEntire would particularly love to star in is a reboot of Reba. “We’ve kept working on it and right now, the reruns make it the most popular syndicated show next to M*A*S*H,” she said of the show’s potential return in a 2018 interview with The Saturday Evening Post.

    Reba McEntire went through two painful divorces

    Reba McEntire and her ex-husband

    Vince Bucci/Getty Images

    Reba McEntire has been married and divorced twice, and she relied on music to help her through both of her divorces. According to Taste of Country, McEntire’s 1987 album, The Last One to Know, was nicknamed the “divorce album” by the singer, who poured her emotions about separating from Charlie Battles after 11 years into the album. The record went platinum.

    In 2015, the outlet announced that McEntire’s divorce from her second husband, Narvel Blackstock, had been finalized. McEntire said that, again, music helped her heal from the heartbreak. “The world doesn’t stop for a broken heart, and that’s the truth,” she told The Saturday Evening Post. “You’ve got to go on, but you’ve got to express your pain, and the way I did it was through my music.”

    McEntire explained that most of the songs she chooses are sad songs for a good reason. “It’s relatable,” she said. “When a person is sad, they don’t listen to happy songs. I guess misery loves company.”

    Reba McEntire branched into a new genre of music

    Reba McEntire

    Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

    Recording her gospel album, Sing It Now: Songs of Faith and Hope, helped Reba McEntire through her second divorce. Pouring her emotions into her music paid off, as  the album won a Grammy Award for best roots gospel album in 2017. Making the award even more significant was that the album was McEntire’s first gospel album ever.

    McEntire drew on her childhood to record the album, telling Cowboys & Indians that she chose some of her favorite gospel songs from her youth for the album. McEntire even got her family involved, with her mother and her sisters Susie and Alice singing along with her on the record, and the entire process proved to be healing for McEntire.

    While Sing It Now: Songs of Faith and Hope was McEntire’s first gospel album, it probably won’t be her last. She said that she has enough material for several more gospel albums.

    This is the silliest thing Reba McEntire ever did

    Reba McEntire

    Jason Kempin/Getty Images

    While it’s evident that Reba McEntire is pretty down to earth and has a good sense of humor, one thing that her fans may not know is that she’s also a bit of a practical joker. In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, she admitted that she’s done “so many silly things,” when asked what the “silliest thing” she’d ever done was.

    The silliest involved a joke she played on a friend, Vanessa Foster. McEntire revealed that she and Foster were in a bathroom together one night when she had the urge to play a prank on her pal. McEntire stood up on the toilet seat in her stall, reached over the wall, and poured salt onto Vanessa’s hair. “That’s real hard to get out!” she said.

    When asked why she happened to have the salt shaker with her in the bathroom, McEntire’s practical joker side really came out. “Why, I went into the stall with it, with the purpose of pouring it into Vanessa’s hair,” she answered.

    Reba McEntire isn’t afraid to talk about her faith

    Reba McEntire

    Amy Sussman/Getty Images

    Reba McEntire is deeply religious, and she isn’t afraid to let the world know it. While she talks (and sings) about her faith a lot, McEntire isn’t trying to preach to anyone — she just wants people to see how happy her faith makes her and hopefully inspire them through her example. “It’s a relief to me that God is always taking care of me, always helped me through the hard times, and is always there with me in the great times,” she told The Saturday Evening Post.

    In an interview with CMT News, McEntire said that her faith had “helped [her] tremendously” over the years and that it is something she has always depended on. The country star is also a big believer in the power of prayer, revealing that she has relied on her faith to guide her career. “On a large business decision, I always talk to God about it,” she said.

    This is Reba McEntire’s personal style

    Reba McEntire

    David Becker/Getty Images

    Reba McEntire may be one of the biggest names in the music industry, but she’s not letting that change who she is. At her core, she’s still a simple country girl, and her personal fashion style reflects that. For McEntire, style is all about comfort. She told Cowboys & Indians that she can typically be found wearing boots, tennis shoes, or sneakers, blue jeans, and “a comfortable top.” While McEntire does have to dress up sometimes to go to awards shows or perform — and usually makes best-dressed lists — she doesn’t like to wear heels for very long “because they kill [her] feet.”

    McEntire’s personal style really shines through in her Reba by Justin boot line. “I wanted high-end,” she explained of starting the line. “I wanted great quality. I wanted comfort.” She also pushed to add tennis shoes and sneakers to the line to give women something more comfortable to change into when they take off their boots.

    Reba McEntire misses this kind of country music

    Reba McEntire

    Jason Kempin/Getty Images

    While a lot of modern country music has a crossover feel to it, Reba McEntire prefers the kind of country music she grew up with. In 2019, she released the album Stronger Than the Truth, calling it “a stone-cold country album” filled with the kind of music she grew up singing with The Singing McEntires. The group performed at a lot of venues where people wanted to hear dance music. “And so that’s what we have on this album,” McEntire told The Boot.

    McEntire isn’t a fan of what she calls the “bro trend” in country music, which she explained to PBS NewsHour is usually about the “good ol’ boys” getting together and going fishing. Instead of “bro music,” McEntire would like country to return to its roots. “The country of Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty, Ronnie Milsap, Mel Tillis,” she said. “I miss that kind of country.” We wonder what McEntire thinks of popular country singers like Miranda Lambert, Faith Hill, and Kacey Musgraves!The Untold Truth Of Reba McEntire

    Reba McEntire isn’t just one of the greatest country singers alive today — she is also one of the greatest country singers of all time. The powerhouse has been on the music scene for decades. According to The Boot, she has won dozens of awards for her work, including Grammys, American Music Awards, CMA awards, and ACM awards. In addition to being a talented singer, she’s also a talented actress, so you’ve almost definitely seen her on the big or small screen at some point over the years.

     

    There’s no doubt about it: McEntire is one of the queens of country, and it doesn’t look like she’s slowing down any time soon. How did she get to the top? What is the secret to her enduring career? Here’s how music icon Reba McEntire grew from a country girl raised in a small town to one of the biggest superstars in the world.

    Reba McEntire grew up in an incredibly close-knit family
    Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    Reba McEntire and her family are very close. She told Southern Living that she grew up in a small town in Oklahoma with only 18 people in her graduating class. She also had a lot of family nearby. McEntire described her small town as “a family community” where “you didn’t get away with much if anything.”

    McEntire’s family helps her stay grounded. Even though she’s a famous country music star, her siblings treat her no differently than they treat each other, and, when she goes home, she’s just like everybody else. She even joins in and helps do chores when the family gets together. If her ego ever gets too inflated, she can count on her family to bring her back down to earth. “We support each other, and we’ve always been there for each other,” she told Cowboys & Indians. “So that does ground you because you’ve got somebody, they’re going, ‘Hey, get off your high horse. You’re just like us.’”

     

    How Reba McEntire realized she had talent
    Jeff Haynes/Getty Images

     

    Reba McEntire has been singing ever since she was a little girl. When she was in first grade, she landed a solo singing “Away in a Manger” in a Christmas program, and the rest is history. McEntire told CMT News that she realized she was talented because of how her family responded to her voice. Instead of telling her to leave the room or to play outside like they did when she tried to interrupt the family to speak, everyone would stop whatever they were doing to listen to her whenever she started singing.

    Seeing the attention she got for her singing didn’t just help McEntire realize her talent — it was also how she stood out as one of the middle children in the family. “I wasn’t the oldest or the youngest,” she explained. “I wasn’t the only boy, and I was usually in the way. … So when I got good attention from the singing, I knew that was probably where I needed to land.”

     

    Reba McEntire was a competitive barrel racer
    Ethan Miller/Getty Images

     

    Reba McEntire grew up on a ranch and soon enough entered the rodeo circuit as a competitive barrel racer. The rodeo runs in her blood, as her father and grandfather were both world-champion steer ropers. While McEntire loved the sport — and a video uploaded to YouTube of her riding at the rodeo proves her talent — her dad discouraged her from pursuing the sport professionally, saying she just wasn’t good enough.

    “[My parents] were always encouraging us to follow our dreams, but don’t stay too long,” she told CMT News. “And my dream at the time, when I was younger, was to be a world-champion barrel racer.” She continued, “Daddy would just point-blank tell me, ‘Reba, I don’t know why you want to do something you’re not good at.’”

    Her dad told her that she should be singing instead of barrel racing, but it would be a while before the young McEntire took his advice. “I couldn’t practice singing, but I could go practice running barrels,” said McEntire. “That was fun. And keeping a horse in shape — that was fun.”

     

    You may have heard of Reba McEntire’s siblings
    Instagram

     

    Music is something that runs in the McEntire family. Two of Reba McEntire’s siblings are also talented singers. Her brother, Pake, and her sister, Susie, have both had successful music careers, although they aren’t as well known as their famous sister. Before the three of them had successful solo careers, they were creating music together as The Singing McEntires while McEntire was still in high school.

    Being a member of The Singing McEntires gave the singer her first real taste of the spotlight. The trio played at their school and also started performing at clubs on the weekends, with their mother driving them to each appearance. The siblings were often out all night performing. “We played 9 to 1 for our show money,” McEntire told CMT News of those early gigs. “Then if there was enough people wanting to hang around, we’d play from 1 to 3 and just pass the hat. So I’ve been in front of audiences a long time.”

     

    Reba McEntire went to college and nearly followed a different career path
    Chris Weeks/Getty Images

     

    Even though Reba McEntire had gotten a taste of show business life as a member of The Singing McEntires, she still went off to college. According to her bio on her website, the singer graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 1976 with a degree in elementary education and a minor in music. McEntire told CMT News that she “loved college,” but her dad ended up pushing her towards a career in music instead of becoming a teacher.

    McEntire said that her dad encouraged her to get a job singing at the National Finals Rodeo while she was still in college. Figuring she could get in to the rodeo free that way, she applied for the job. McEntire landed the gig in 1974 and caught the attention of country legend Red Steagall, who helped her record her first demo.

    McEntire’s teaching degree didn’t go to waste, though. In 2016, McEntire announced (via People) that she would be giving music lessons through MasterClass for those looking to break into the industry.

     

    A devastating tragedy impacted Reba McEntire’s life and career
    Kevin Winter/Getty Images

     

    In 1991, a horrible tragedy shook Reba McEntire’s world when seven of her band members and her tour manager died in a plane crash. McEntire dedicated her next album, For My Broken Heart, to the people who died in the crash, as noted by The Boot. In the liner notes, she wrote, “It seems your current emotional status determines what music you’d like to hear. That’s what happened on the song selection for this album. If for any reason you can relate to the emotion packed inside these songs, I hope it’s a form of healing for all our broken hearts.”

    The songs on the album may all be sad, but they’re what the singer needed to heal from the devastating tragedy. McEntire told The Saturday Evening Post that it was her music that helped pull her through that dark time.

    For My Broken Heart ended up going platinum. McEntire also nabbed an Academy of Country Music award that year for best female vocalist. In a tearful acceptance speech, she dedicated the win to her “eight buddies” who died in the crash.

     

    Reba McEntire helped pave the way for other female country artists
    Terry Wyatt/Getty Images

     

    When Reba McEntire’s career was starting out in the 1970s, country music was still dominated by men. McEntire’s success helped pave the way for future female country singers. “Well, it was my responsibility,” she told Parade of blazing a trail for other women. “It was my duty.”

    McEntire said that she sees herself as another female country singer in a long line that includes Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton. Just as the singers who came before her opened doors for artists of her generation, she has always viewed it as her task to pave the way for the generations that come after her.

    Growing up on the ranch and on the rodeo circuit taught McEntire that “we are livin’ in a man’s world,” as she told N Focus. She noted, “So that was something I was used to, and in the world of entertainment, I realized that I was going to have to work harder to get ahead, and so I just accepted that and continued to work hard.”

     

    How Reba McEntire really feels about her trademark accent
    Terry Wyatt/Getty Images

     

    These days, Reba McEntire’s thick Southern drawl is her trademark. While some people feel pressured to lose their accents when entering show business, it never occurred to McEntire to try to be anything other than who she is. “I like my accent,” she told Southern Living. “It’s done all right for me.”

    McEntire also encourages others to be true to themselves. In an interview with Cowboys & Indians, she shared the advice she gave to her niece, Garrett, when she moved to California to pursue an acting career. Garrett’s agent told her that she needed to dye her hair blonde and also urged her to lose her “thick Oklahoma accent.”

    McEntire told her niece not to change a thing and to just be herself. “You can’t be cookie-cutter,” she advised. “You’ve got to stand out and be different. A good kind of different.”

     

    Reba McEntire always wanted to be a movie star
    Kevin Winter/Getty Images

     

    While Reba McEntire has established herself as one of the leading stars in country music, she’s also a talented actress. The singer admitted to CMT News that she always had dreams of acting. “I always wanted to be a movie star,” she said.

    McEntire has starred in films like Tremors and The Little Rascals and even had her own self-titled show, Reba, in the 2000s. The redheaded star also appeared on Broadway in the 2001 revival of Annie Get Your Gun, which she told Playbill “was the hardest job I ever had in my life.”

    While most fans know her more for her music than for her acting, that may change in the future. The country sensation told Billboard that she would love the chance to return to TV and perhaps star in more movies. One thing McEntire would particularly love to star in is a reboot of Reba. “We’ve kept working on it and right now, the reruns make it the most popular syndicated show next to M*A*S*H,” she said of the show’s potential return in a 2018 interview with The Saturday Evening Post.

     

    Reba McEntire went through two painful divorces
    Vince Bucci/Getty Images

     

    Reba McEntire has been married and divorced twice, and she relied on music to help her through both of her divorces. According to Taste of Country, McEntire’s 1987 album, The Last One to Know, was nicknamed the “divorce album” by the singer, who poured her emotions about separating from Charlie Battles after 11 years into the album. The record went platinum.

    In 2015, the outlet announced that McEntire’s divorce from her second husband, Narvel Blackstock, had been finalized. McEntire said that, again, music helped her heal from the heartbreak. “The world doesn’t stop for a broken heart, and that’s the truth,” she told The Saturday Evening Post. “You’ve got to go on, but you’ve got to express your pain, and the way I did it was through my music.”

    McEntire explained that most of the songs she chooses are sad songs for a good reason. “It’s relatable,” she said. “When a person is sad, they don’t listen to happy songs. I guess misery loves company.”

     

    Reba McEntire branched into a new genre of music
    Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

     

    Recording her gospel album, Sing It Now: Songs of Faith and Hope, helped Reba McEntire through her second divorce. Pouring her emotions into her music paid off, as  the album won a Grammy Award for best roots gospel album in 2017. Making the award even more significant was that the album was McEntire’s first gospel album ever.

    McEntire drew on her childhood to record the album, telling Cowboys & Indians that she chose some of her favorite gospel songs from her youth for the album. McEntire even got her family involved, with her mother and her sisters Susie and Alice singing along with her on the record, and the entire process proved to be healing for McEntire.

    While Sing It Now: Songs of Faith and Hope was McEntire’s first gospel album, it probably won’t be her last. She said that she has enough material for several more gospel albums.

     

    This is the silliest thing Reba McEntire ever did
    Jason Kempin/Getty Images

     

    While it’s evident that Reba McEntire is pretty down to earth and has a good sense of humor, one thing that her fans may not know is that she’s also a bit of a practical joker. In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, she admitted that she’s done “so many silly things,” when asked what the “silliest thing” she’d ever done was.

    The silliest involved a joke she played on a friend, Vanessa Foster. McEntire revealed that she and Foster were in a bathroom together one night when she had the urge to play a prank on her pal. McEntire stood up on the toilet seat in her stall, reached over the wall, and poured salt onto Vanessa’s hair. “That’s real hard to get out!” she said.

    When asked why she happened to have the salt shaker with her in the bathroom, McEntire’s practical joker side really came out. “Why, I went into the stall with it, with the purpose of pouring it into Vanessa’s hair,” she answered.

     

    Reba McEntire isn’t afraid to talk about her faith
    Amy Sussman/Getty Images

     

    Reba McEntire is deeply religious, and she isn’t afraid to let the world know it. While she talks (and sings) about her faith a lot, McEntire isn’t trying to preach to anyone — she just wants people to see how happy her faith makes her and hopefully inspire them through her example. “It’s a relief to me that God is always taking care of me, always helped me through the hard times, and is always there with me in the great times,” she told The Saturday Evening Post.

    In an interview with CMT News, McEntire said that her faith had “helped [her] tremendously” over the years and that it is something she has always depended on. The country star is also a big believer in the power of prayer, revealing that she has relied on her faith to guide her career. “On a large business decision, I always talk to God about it,” she said.

     

    This is Reba McEntire’s personal style
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    Reba McEntire may be one of the biggest names in the music industry, but she’s not letting that change who she is. At her core, she’s still a simple country girl, and her personal fashion style reflects that. For McEntire, style is all about comfort. She told Cowboys & Indians that she can typically be found wearing boots, tennis shoes, or sneakers, blue jeans, and “a comfortable top.” While McEntire does have to dress up sometimes to go to awards shows or perform — and usually makes best-dressed lists — she doesn’t like to wear heels for very long “because they kill [her] feet.”

    McEntire’s personal style really shines through in her Reba by Justin boot line. “I wanted high-end,” she explained of starting the line. “I wanted great quality. I wanted comfort.” She also pushed to add tennis shoes and sneakers to the line to give women something more comfortable to change into when they take off their boots.

     

    Reba McEntire misses this kind of country music
    Jason Kempin/Getty Images

     

    While a lot of modern country music has a crossover feel to it, Reba McEntire prefers the kind of country music she grew up with. In 2019, she released the album Stronger Than the Truth, calling it “a stone-cold country album” filled with the kind of music she grew up singing with The Singing McEntires. The group performed at a lot of venues where people wanted to hear dance music. “And so that’s what we have on this album,” McEntire told The Boot.

    McEntire isn’t a fan of what she calls the “bro trend” in country music, which she explained to PBS NewsHour is usually about the “good ol’ boys” getting together and going fishing. Instead of “bro music,” McEntire would like country to return to its roots. “The country of Merle Haggard, Conway Twitty, Ronnie Milsap, Mel Tillis,” she said. “I miss that kind of country.” We wonder what McEntire thinks of popular country singers like Miranda Lambert, Faith Hill, and Kacey Musgraves!

  • Reba McEntire Reveals Her True Feelings On Being Called An “Icon”

    Reba McEntire Reveals Her True Feelings On Being Called An “Icon”

    Reba McEntire Reveals Her True Feelings On Being Called An “Icon”

    Reba said she thinks of the likes of Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, Barbara Mandrell and more when she hears the word “icon” or “legend.”

    Reba McEntire; Photo Courtesy of TODAY

    Reba McEntire; Photo Courtesy of TODAY

    It’s not uncommon for celebrity icons to be recognizable on a first-name basis. After all, they are larger than life. Take, for example, Madonna, Whitney, Mariah, Dolly, and Shania. Inarguably, all of them can drop the last name, and people would still know who they are.

    And then there is Reba.

    People from all over the country know that when someone mentions the name “Reba,” you can bet they are talking about the 68-year-old legendary singer herself, Reba McEntire. Despite that, McEntire still goes by her first and last name. And perhaps it’s because she admittedly says that being labeled an “icon” still makes her feel uncomfortable.

    Why Does Reba McEntire Feel Uncomfortable Being Called An “Icon” Or “Legend”?

    Indeed, Reba McEntire has earned icon status, building an impressive resume, which includes 24 hit songs like “Fancy,” “I’m a Survivor,” “Is There Life Out There,” and countless others, becoming a successful actress alongside being a music mogul, winning numerous awards and accolades, and paving the way for so many up-and-coming female artists. But regardless of all of that, she seems to think she doesn’t fit the criteria of being referenced as an “icon,” “legend,” or a “trailblazer.”

    “When I hear those words, I think Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, Barbara Mandrell, Anne Murray, Minnie Pearl, all of those women are the pioneers, the icons, the legends that I got to learn from,” McEntire reasoned during a recent interview with the host of NBC News’ Sunday TODAY, Willie Geist.

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    Dolly Parton Previously Shared That She Thinks Of Herself As An “Eyesore” Not An “Icon”

    McEntire isn’t alone in processing the hard-to-reach level of stardom, though. Even Dolly Parton has previously shared her reaction to earning an “icon” status.

    “Well, I always think of myself more as an eyesore than an icon,” she joked while appearing on The Kelly Clarkson Show. “Not actually. I used to think when I was young, if I made like I’d hoped I would, how people would remember me when I was older. Now I’m older, and it’s really nice to look back and think that I might have done something that’s helped inspire.”

    Although she appreciates the well-earned recognition, Reba McEntire says receiving such a label comes with a lot of responsibility, especially, because she is being held up on a pedestal by older and younger generations.

    “It’s a cool feeling. It’s a huge responsibility because, in my span that I get to do this, I wanna find ways of doing it better to make it easier on them,” McEntire says of the artists coming after her. “Then it’s their responsibility to move forward, find a better way of doing something for the people coming up next behind them.”

    Reba McEntire; Photo ProvidedReba McEntire; Photo Provided

    Reba Recently Served As A Mega Mentor On The Voice

    McEntire, who considers herself a small-town girl at heart, has certainly put her celebrity to good use. Most recently, she has taken to Season 23 of The Voice as a Mega Mentor, offering her wisdom, advice, and support to inspiring music artists on the show, fighting for the crowning title.

    Releasing A New Book, Not That Fancy

    McEntire, who is the author of two books – Reba: My Story and Reba McEntire: Comfort From A Country Quilt – also recently announced a new lifestyle book called, Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots. To coincide with the book’s release, she will release an album entitled NOT THAT FANCY.

    “I’m so excited to announce the release of my new book, #NotThatFancy, and the companion album,” McEntire, last week, captioned a photo of the book cover on Instagram. “Tune into @talkshoplivetoday at 7 ET / 6 CT PM, where I’ll be talking about it with my buddy @garthbrooks. RSVP and pre-order your autographed copy at the link in bio!”

    “The Book Is A Fun Book”

    In the book, McEntire said, “We talk about family, friends, and how to throw a party that’s not that fancy. That’s my kind of party. You know, I don’t really care if everything matches. Sometimes, I ask to use real plates instead of paper plates. But I love solo cups. I think that’s the main message of the book. Don’t not have a party because everything doesn’t look right or you didn’t have time to get this ready. Just go have fun.”

    “The book is a fun book,” she told Carson Daly on TODAY of the 288-page offering, which will include plenty of recipes, lifestyle tips, new stories, and photographs from McEntire’s career and personal life. “You know, sometimes you have books, autobiographies, that are really diving into stuff. This is just a fun book. You can look through it. You can read it front to back. It’s got recipes, stories, and new pictures people haven’t seen before. Talking about my family, my faith, my friends, and then recipes that are from the restaurant in Atoka, OK, called Reba’s Place.”

    Reba McEntire; Photo Courtesy of TODAYReba McEntire; Photo Courtesy of TODAY

    Garth Brooks Wrote The Book’s Foreword

    In addition, Garth Brooks has written the foreword for the book, sharing a loving message about McEntire’s work ethic.

    Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots will be available as a hardcover, digital book, and audiobook at Barnes & Noble, Target, and many other book retailers.

    The book is available for pre-order now and will be released on Tuesday (October 10). The accompanying album, NOT THAT FANCY, features remastered tracks plus four new songs and will be available on Friday (October 6).