After 30 years in the biz, Reba McEntire admits she’s got nothing to lose, conquering her fears while embracing holistic healing and healthier habits.
TEXT BY BONNIE SIEGLER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RUSS HARRINGTON
MAKE UP AND HAIR BY BRETT FREEDMAN • STYLING BY TERRY GORDON
As she relaxes in the airy kitchen of her Nashville, Tennessee home, Reba McEntire could be mistaken for any working mom on her day off. But behind her girl-ish grin and fiery red hair, there’s a 54 year-old wife, mother, entrepreneur and in-demand performer. On top of her current weekly to-do list, the Oklahoma native is preparing for a photoshoot for her 33rd album cover, then off to Wyoming to film her portion of the state’s documentary, finally flying back to Nashville to pack up for a long-anticipated road trip with her mom and two sisters. “We’re going to Georgia and South Carolina,” she says enthusiastically. “But it’s spending a week with my mother and sisters that I’m really looking forward to. I’ve got my all my CDs ready of the music we’ll be listening to the entire week.”
It’s a hectic life, and Reba is enjoying every minute — all the more since being booed off the stage at the very beginning of her career. “It was 1978 at the Pick n’ Party in Fort Worth, Texas,” Reba recalls vividly. With a 30-minute song repertoire in hand, the rodeo star with singing ambitions learned the original house band wouldn’t be backing her and the only group that would was the house rock band. Unfortunately for Reba, they barely knew two of her songs — Proud Mary and Jeremiah Was A Bull Frog. “Okay, there’s two tunes and I had about 25 minutes left in my set, so I sang my songs, then began telling jokes and I’m not a good joke teller.” After five anguishing minutes of heckling and booing, Reba McEntire left the stage, but not the entertainment world. “A reporter asked me as I was leaving if I was going home and calling it quits. I said ‘Are you serious? No! I’m calling my booking agent and telling him I’m not playing another gig unless I have a band of my own.’ So quitting? No! I just learned a big lesson right there: that I had nothing to lose.”
McEntire knows the importance of personal persistence and fortitude. The first single off her upcoming release Keep On Loving You is a testament to her philosophy on life. “The ‘Nothing To Lose’ single refers to me having a great time in my life but also saying whatever you do is a gamble, and I’ve got nothing to lose so go for it.” In fact, it’s this approach that brought Reba Broadway fame in Annie Get Your Gun and her eponymous TV sitcom Reba, which ran for six seasons. “I was told Annie might not get good reviews, but I had gone to New York to be Annie Oakley, not for the reviews so I had nothing to lose by doing it. I had never done a Broadway show before or even a play. I had done TV guest starring roles, but going and taking that gamble on my own show, I thought, Reba, you’ve got nothing to lose. So that’s been my life’s motto; it’s nothing new to me.”
Raised on a large family ranch, Reba enjoyed traveling with her parents and siblings on the rodeo circuit in which her father was a fierce competitor. Reba says just a smidge more skill in the saddle and she could have ended up as a rodeo queen instead of “The Queen of Country,” as she is so often referred to. Luckily for her legion of fans, the dust in the area made her lose her voice. Yet, McEntire credits her father and childhood with her values, work ethics and fortitude and strength that have made her happier — and busier — than ever before.
Believing that everything in life happens for the greater good, Reba is open to taking chances and venturing outside her comfort zone. But no amount of fame could shield the singer from life’s bumps and bruises. In 1991, a plane crash killed eight of her band members from the close-knit music “family.” She sought comfort in the support of her husband/manager, Narvel Blackstock, and raising son, Shelby, who’s now nineteen. Her album For My Broken Heart was a healing solace for Reba. “It did its job. When you’re sad and hurting, that’s what comes out of your mouth, but being able to sing about my sadness helped tremendously.” Only one week after the tragedy, Reba crooned “I’m Checking Out” at the Oscars. I think the band gave me permission to do that. On the morning I was to sing, I saw them in a vision and they told me to go on with my life. That gave me the greatest sense of peace because they were telling me to continue living. I learned from them to go on with my life and love it to the fullest like they would have. I also learned that every birthday I have, I celebrate the fact that I made it another year and I celebrate for them too.”
The world according to Reba is now brimming over with happiness and joy. “I’m deliriously happy,” she admits in her signature Southern twang. “I’ve never been this happy and content before.” She quickly adds, “I’m content, but not finished.” So what makes it all work? “It just does, golly dang,” Reba laughs. “Time management is a key. I have a lot of lists all over the house reminding me of what to do and when to do it. If I don’t lose the lists, I’m alright. And I have the love and support of Narvel.”
While most women would be exhausted by Reba’s hectic schedule, the country songbird’s giving nature still allows her to find time for her legion of fans, not only in music but in her clothing and non-entertainment brands. “I have to be straightforward because my fans know what I wear so my clothing brand has to be done with me in mind. It’s a work in progress to get it all to be as honest and true to the Reba brand as possible, but I don’t want to let anyone down.” Her personal essence is captured in everything from the right shade of pink in a blouse down to a National Rodeo belt buckle on the outside of her luggage line. “Seeing people wearing my clothing, my shoes, my accessories — that’s the most fun of doing it all. So keeping everything genuine and honest is essential.”
To nourish her own soul and keep everything honest and true, Reba makes a point of getting together with friends for local hikes and walks. “I go with a few friends hiking in the local canyons when I’m in Los Angeles. We have a great time walking, visiting and then we go out to eat… very important,” she laughs. “I try to do that, and maybe pilates, three times a week. I love Pilates because I’m a really stiff person and it not only strengthens me but also gets me to be more flexible. I used to not be able to touch my toes, but now I can.” Friendship is an essential part of Reba’s life. Old pals are equally as important as new friends. Over the years, she has cultivated lasting relationships with Trisha Yearwood, Carol Burnett, Barbara Mandrell, Faith Hill, Dolly Parton and some other creative and caring women — and men. “These relationships have to be nurtured; they just don’t appear. I go a month ahead and book nights with friends — it’s like booking vacations. But it’s so worth it in the end. You get to spend good quality time with people you love and who love you. It’s a very important part of my overall health.”
The other part of Reba’s general well-being is eating healthy foods, which can prove difficult while on tour. Her rules include: little red meat, no white flour, no white sugar, no dairy or citrus foods. “Vegetables,” she states. “Those are my nutritional staples. And I love chicken. Dairy and citrus can interfere with my singing.” And every morning, Reba churns out a fresh vegetable juice (go to our website for Reba’s secret juice recipe!), to clean out her system and begin the day with fresh nutrients. “Years ago, my sinuses would swell and not drain properly. I had tests done and found I was allergic to dairy products. So now I get my calcium by taking five daily calcium supplements and by eating non-dairy foods rich in calcium.” She also takes a joint-relief supplement. “I’m 54 and my bone density test is better now than it ever has been.”
Shifting gears a bit, Reba says personal nourishment isn’t only about the foods she eats, but rather a combination of achieving and maintaining an overall balance of mind, body and spirit. “Honestly, the older I get, the more I reward my body. I love my body and I talk to it a lot.” She pauses a second as if to listen to her own words. “I know that sounds weird, but that’s me and when you work as hard as I do, I can tell my body when we’re taking a day off.” She notes yesterday as a perfect example. “It was constant from seven in the morning to late last night. So today, I told my body we’re just going to chill.” Reba not only knows when to relax her body, but she has also learned how to let go of fears with the help of Master Choi, a Korean master of sunin do. “He’s a sunin do healer,” McEntire explains of the person responsible for curing her acrophobia, a fear of heights. “A bit has to do with maturity, but after just one session with Master Choi, I was able to go to Disneyland and ride the Tower of Terror with no fear. In fact, I laughed the whole time.” Embracing alternative and holistic healing into her life, not only has she conquered her fear of heights, but with regular acupuncture, Reba experiences no sinus infections and very few colds. “If I’m feeling sick, I’ll go to my nutritionist who gives me a Vitamin C drip. That sure helps me.”
Feeling good about herself and looking even better has placed McEntire frequently on the pages of fashion magazines. But the singer reveals that’s not the real Reba. “Off the stage and red carpet, out of the high heels, it’s all about jeans, being comfortable and being me. I’m the one carrying cloth, reusable bags to the grocery store.” In fact, Reba has done her share to embrace living an eco-friendly lifestyle since hearing Lance Armstrong speaking out against the use of plastics. “It really got me thinking about all the plastic we use every day. Now there are little things I don’t even think about anymore like carrying a plastic water bottle with me or having one in the car. I now know of the toxins being leeched into the plastics so I don’t bring water in plastics. Being aware is important. I’m always the one reminding people not to microwave food in plastic or even putting food in plastic to freeze. We were just in a plastic generation before and it’s so hard to get away from that thinking.” But ever the optimist, Reba recalls Narvel recently playing golf in Los Angeles with their friend, David, a native to the city. “David said when he was growing up in L.A., the smog was so much worse than today. That really gives me hope. We’re doing something good. We’re making progress. We can see the dim light at the end of the tunnel maybe because we are doing well. We just have to keep it up.”
It seems, Reba has come a long way from her rodeo roots, meat eating and plastic containers to emerge a healthier and happier woman, one who is in control of her destiny. “Every day is getting better and better for me,” she reveals. “My body is having a harder time keeping up with what my mind wants to be doing but that’s okay. I feel 35 when I’m feeling great, but when I’m tired, I’m feeling my age. I really loved my ’40s,” she reflects with enjoy. “Shelby was born, I was maturing. During that time, I also read the book Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff and saturated it into my brain. And I’ve found more peace and calm over the years since reading that book.
I like myself better and I don’t really care what other people think so much about me as I did before. It’s really not that important. Once you find you love yourself, you can be content. And I’m very happy and contented in my life.”
