It’s late January and the Norfolk Scope in Virginia is filled to capacity with fans of Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson. The two powerhouse singers have teamed up for their 15-city Two Worlds Two Voices concert tour. It’s obvious to everyone in the audience that these women are having a great time on stage. But for McEntire fans there is something odd about the night. McEntire isn’t center stage on every song. When Clarkson takes over that hallowed ground, McEntire moves out of the spotlight to sing backup for her young counterpart, the first person to be crowned American Idol.
The country music megastar has no problem singing backup. “I grew up as one of the three Singing McEntires,” McEntire says. “My older brother, Pake, usually sang lead while my little sister, Susie, and I sang the harmony parts. I love to sing harmony. So does Kelly. She grew up singing in choirs. So that was one of our favorite parts of the show, when we got to sing harmony with each other.”
The two had paired up previously at the CMA Music Festival in Nashville, Tenn., and on CMT’s popular “Crossroads” series. Their duet “Because of You” was featured on the “Reba Duets” album, which was certified platinum one month after it was released last October.
“The rewards of sharing the stage with Kelly are having a great time, getting to watch the audience react to her performances and getting to sing along with her on her songs, where I usually sing only my recorded songs,” McEntire says.
If there’s one thing you can say about McEntire, it’s that she is genuine. It shows in her performances, whether she’s singing to a sold-out arena, performing on the theatrical stage, acting in a film or starring in her own television sitcom.
“With Reba, what you see is what you get,” observes comedienne Melissa Peterman, who played Barbra Jean in the WB/CW’s top-rated sitcom “Reba” and has been performing with McEntire and Clarkson. “She’s not really different away from the cameras and the fans.”
McEntire is in an elite group of stars whose popularity crosses musical genres and artistic media. She’s sold more than 50 million records, had 33 No. 1 hits, won 15 American Music Awards, 12 Academy of Country Music Awards, seven Country Music Association Awards and two Grammys. She won the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Award for her work on Broadway in “Annie Get Your Gun” and starred in the top-rated sitcom “Reba” for six seasons, earning her a Golden Globe nomination and a People’s Choice Award.
She has her own clothing line of mix-and-match fashions as well as a line of footwear and a line of bedding and home products, everything from comforters to shower curtains. This month she will host the 43rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas – her 10th time hosting the star-studded show.
A native of Chockie, Okla., McEntire still carries the country twang and down-home values that were instilled in her as a child. In her 1994 autobiography, “Reba,” she talks of working alongside her parents and siblings, tending to the cattle on their ranch. That disciplined, often demanding life helped prepare her for her career. “My parents were very hard-working people,” she says. “All four of us kids had jobs and responsibilities on the 8,000-acre ranch where we grew up in Oklahoma. I learned at an early age how to take direction, follow orders and take responsibility.”
McEntire’s grandfather and father were well known in the rodeo world. But it was her mother, Jacqueline, who influenced her the most. “She taught me to be a strong woman, to follow my dreams and to stand on my own two feet,” McEntire says. And that’s exactly what she’s been doing since her early days of harmonizing with her siblings and singing in the Kiowa High School Cowboy Band.
Fans of McEntire’s are diehards in part because of her cheerful, perky I’m-having-a-good-time-and-so-should-you attitude. She’s one of only a handful of entertainers of her caliber who come across as approachable. Fans think of her as a friend who would welcome conversation. “I am a people person,” McEntire says. “I love to talk, visit and learn about other people in this world we live in. The people I hang with are not ‘yes’ people. They, along with my family, make sure my head is not in the clouds.”
One of McEntire’s closest advisers is her husband and manager, Narvel Blackstock. When the two were handed the script for the sitcom that eventually turned into “Reba,” they loved it. “Narvel and I wanted to do a TV show for several years,” McEntire says. “When we received the script, we jumped on it. I thought it was funny and its subject matter was something the country could relate to.”
Peterman had been a fan of McEntire’s for years before being cast for Barbra Jean, the ditzy wife of McEntire’s television ex-husband. “I became more of a fan after working with her,” Peterman says. “I didn’t meet Reba until the first day of the show. But like so many of her fans, I felt like I knew her and she seemed like someone I wanted to hang with.”
Peterman admits she was nervous when she first met McEntire. “I don’t think much was going through my mind other than ‘I can’t believe I am sitting across from Reba McEntire. I can’t believe I have a job on a TV show.’”
McEntire sensed Peterman’s uneasiness and immediately calmed her down. “She walked over to me and introduced herself – like I didn’t know who she was – and she was so sweet and genuine that I immediately relaxed,” Peterman says.
Working with McEntire is an easy task, she adds. “There is no drama, do diva, no stress. She comes to play and have a great time but still get the job done. And, she is such a pro. She is always prepared but always ready to laugh. I could work with her forever. Hear that Red!”
The seasoned star taught her cast mate a few things about life. “I was hoping to learn to sing better but that didn’t happen; it doesn’t rub off,” Peterman jokes. “I think most importantly I learned that even in a business where people can sometimes be cruel or dishonest that you always need to remain who you are. Never lose yourself in the muck, always count your blessings and treat everyone the way you want them to treat you.”
McEntire learned a thing or two on set as well. “Way too much to answer in this interview,” she says. “I started from scratch. Chris Rich, who played my ex-husband on the show, helped me tremendously. I couldn’t have done it without him. I learned to memorize a script that wasn’t set to music and didn’t rhyme. That was hard.”
A devoted mother – she and her husband have a teenage son, Shelby – McEntire liked the hours involved in television. She says if she had to choose between a new television project and a Broadway show, she would opt for the TV project. “Shelby is still in school and the schedule is perfect for our family time,” she explains. “But I’d love someday to do another Broadway show. I love the theater and the people in it.”
When it comes to performing in front of an audience, McEntire likes both intimate venues and large arenas. “I love being close to my audience,” she says. “I enjoy playing all types of venues. There’s nothing like the excitement of a huge arena, but I also love the intimacy of a small theater.”
Over the years, McEntire’s styles on stage have changed from glitzy and glamorous to casual and comfortable. “I love a casual, tough, sexy and confident look and I love being comfortable,” she stresses. “If I’m comfortable, I have more confidence on stage.”
Her comfort zone also includes the recording studio. One of her latest ventures, the “Reba Duets” album, was the brainchild of her husband. “I’m so glad he thought of it because I had a blast recording with all the talented artists,” McEntire says.
When Blackstock tossed out the idea, McEntire sat down and made out a wish list that included both country and pop artists. “I started calling [them],” she says. “It meant the world to me that they said yes. I’m so proud of the finished product.”
McEntire can also be proud of the work that she’s done for charity. Her philanthropic efforts include working with Habitat for Humanity for the past 10 years and raising money for the Texoma Medical Center in Denison, Texas. The center serves residents of northern Texas and southern Oklahoma.
“The Nashville affiliate for Habitat for Humanity came to me over 10 years ago with an idea to build a house using all female volunteers,” McEntire recalls. “I thought it was a great idea and agreed to sponsor the house. It was such a fun project that we did it again the next year. A few years later, Whirlpool came to me and asked me to help them spread the Habitat message.”
Whirlpool donates a refrigerator and a range to every Habitat home built in North America. “Through my tours and Whirlpool’s commercials, we’ve been able to tell that story and encourage people to get involved with Habitat,” McEntire says. “It has been a blessing for me to be involved in such a great team effort.”
Helping people in the area where she grew up is important to the Oklahoma native. Through the money raised at years of Memorial Day concerts featuring McEntire, Texoma has been able to provide services that weren’t available to people living in that part of the country. “The money we’ve raised has built a ranch house for families of patients, a rehab center and a mobile mammography unit,” McEntire says. “I’m real proud of all the people we’ve helped there.”
Peterman, like McEntire’s fans and the thousands of people who have benefited from her community efforts, feels a real connection to the star, a natural chemistry. “I don’t know how to explain it,” she says. “You just have it with some people or you don’t, and we do. I think part of it is we really do like each other and make each other laugh and you can’t fake that.”
What is it that she loves about McEntire? “Her humor, her friendship, her kindness, her heart and [her] sharing so many adventures with me,” Peterman answers. “Oh, and if she reads this, her new gold hoop earrings – hint, hint.”
Even after passing the dreaded “50 year” milestone, McEntire looks young, sassy and vibrant. Her fan base continues to grow. But it’s not the awards or the stardom that she wants as her legacy. “I want to be remembered,” she says, “for being a fun and fair person who lives life to its fullest.”
