Before she was “The Queen of Country,” Reba McEntire was just a ranch girl from Chockie, Oklahoma, with a rodeo background and a voice that carried across the plains. Her early career wasn’t paved with instant fame — it was filled with small stages, one-night gigs, and long drives across dusty highways. But then came the moment that changed everything.
In 1974, after singing the National Anthem at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City, Reba caught the attention of country legend Red Steagall, who recognized the power and purity in her voice. That chance performance led to her first trip to Nashville, her first demo, and eventually her signing with Mercury Records.
The road wasn’t easy — her first singles barely cracked the charts, and she often questioned whether her dream was slipping away. But Reba’s resilience, her fiery red hair and even fierier determination, turned setbacks into stepping stones. The breakthrough came in 1982 with “Can’t Even Get the Blues” — her first No. 1 hit.
Looking back, Reba has often called those early struggles her “real education.” That turning point — from a rodeo anthem to the Grand Ole Opry stage — was the moment she stopped being just a girl with a gift and became an artist with a destiny.
