Reba McEntire
A country music powerhouse who reshaped the genre for a modern audience while building a vast empire in entertainment and business.
Born 1955 (age 71)·American country singer and actress·Birthday: March 28·Baby Boomers
Biography
Reba McEntire's story begins on an Oklahoma ranch, where she learned the work ethic that would fuel a five-decade reign. Discovered singing the national anthem at a rodeo, her early records established a pure, traditional country voice, but her ambition was boundless. In the 1980s and 90s, she fused country storytelling with pop production and theatrical live shows, becoming a multimedia superstar. Her savvy extended beyond music; she conquered television with her sitcom 'Reba,' launched successful clothing lines, and became a Broadway performer. More than just a singer, McEntire is a brand and a boss, a figure who expanded the very idea of what a country artist could be while never losing touch with the emotional core of her music.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Reba was born in 1955, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Reba Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Reba's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 70
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 71 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Has sold over 75 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
- Starred in her own television sitcom, 'Reba,' which ran for six seasons and 127 episodes.
- Has won 16 Academy of Country Music Awards, including being named Entertainer of the Year multiple times.
- Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2011.
- Has charted over 100 singles on the Billboard country charts, with 25 reaching number one.
Did You Know?
She was a competitive barrel racer in her youth and is a member of the National Cowgirl Museum Hall of Fame.
She designed and marketed her own successful clothing line, 'Reba by Justin.'
She made her Broadway debut in 2001 as Annie Oakley in 'Annie Get Your Gun.'
Her mother, Jacqueline, originally submitted a tape of Reba singing to a Nashville record producer.
She is the voice of the lead character in the animated film 'The Fox and the Hound 2.'
“To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone.”
