3 Heartfelt Ballads That Will Always Make Reba McEntire Cry Onstage

Reba McEntire is a seasoned vet when it comes to performing, but she’s still human. Speaking to Taste of Country Nights, the actor/country star revealed the three heartfelt ballads that always seem to make her cry when she sings them.

We asked if she’s ever broken down onstage, emotionally speaking, and it was an immediate yes.

“Lots of times,” McEntire confirms. “Over many many years.”

The songs that always take her down?

“‘Somebody Should Leave’ is the one song I would always just break up and cry, I mean it was a very sad song — still is,” she says.

After a long pause, McEntire revealed even more ballads that she finds difficult to sing live.

“‘She Thinks His Name Was John’ is another one that always got me,” she explains. “I guess the one that got me more than anything was ‘The Greatest Man I Ever Knew.'”

McEntire still tours and plays live concerts for fans, but certainly not to the degree that she once did. Per Concert Archives, she played just 20 live shows in 2023.

But she’s had a long career, during much of which she balanced acting with singing. McEntire has played an estimated more than 800 concerts since she made her debut in the mid-1970s — for scale, Dolly Parton has played roughly 500 concerts in her career.

Catch McEntire on this season of The Voice — she just completed her team and is ready for battle!

Evan Paul is the host of Taste of Country Nights, a syndicated radio show heard on more than 130 country radio stations nationwide, every night from 7PM to midnight. He plays the best new country music and interviews today’s top stars, like Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Dan + Shay, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Chris Stapleton, Lady A, + more! 

The 50 Saddest Country Songs of All Time

Each one of the 50 saddest country songs of all time tells a story. Some of those stories are about the pain of heartbreak, while others explore the grief of losing a loved one. Some are about more unconventional subject matter — from infertility to the loss of the beloved family dog — while others tap into the universal subjects of heartbreak and loneliness. Flip through the gallery below for a list of the saddest country songs, ever.

30 Photos of Reba McEntire Young

Reba McEntire is one of the most revered country stars of all time — but also in entertainment. She’s been successful as both an actor and a singer since the 1970s, and nearly 50 years later, she’s in headlines as much as ever. Look back at photos of Reba when she was younger, before she became the star we know today.