Reba McEntire's majestic Super Bowl performance marks high note in 50-year career
Country music legend Reba McEntire captured football fans and viewers with her rendition of the Super Bowl national anthem at Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday.
The 68-year-old, three-time Grammy winner made a quick but majestic work on "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Her performance has capped what had otherwise been an incredible career, spanning nearly 50 years.
Who is Reba McEntire?
Reba McEntire is a country icon with a career in music, television and film spanning for nearly 50 years.
Reba McEntire performs the national anthem during Super Bowl LVIII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)
McEntire has three Grammy Awards, she's won CMA female vocalist of the year four times, and in 2018, she received the Kennedy Center Honors for her lifetime of contributions to American culture.
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Last year, McEntire also released her first cookbook in over two decades, "Not That Fancy," which showcases recipes and stories from her life.
A look at McEntire's career
McEntire grew up on an 8,000-acre cattle ranch in Oklahoma. She frequently went on rodeo trips with her father, Clark McEntire, who was a champion calf roper.
McEntire has also been performing since she was a child, and always with the support of her beloved "mama."
"It was mama who encouraged us kids to sing, taught us how to sing, took us to our singing jobs," she told fellow country superstar Garth Brooks on TalkShopLive. "Thirteen years old playing beer joints and honky-tonks, Peg, Susie and I, getting up there and singing."
Photo of Reba McEntire (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
It was not until 1974 that McEntire got her big break. She was hired to sing the national anthem at the National Rodeo in Oklahoma City. The performer caught Red Steagall's attention, which led to her being signed to Mercury Records.
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As McEntire's career continued to flourish, she suffered a tragic loss in 1991.
While on tour, one of two private, chartered jets that were carrying members of her band crashed near San Diego. Eight of her band members did not survive the crash, as well as the pilot and co-pilot.
Days after the crash, McEntire put on a brave face and took the stage at the 63rd Academy Awards. She released her album, "For My Broken Heart," later that year, which she dedicated to those who passed away in the tragic accident.
Recording artist Reba McEntire, winner of the Best Roots Gospel Album award for 'Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope,' poses in the press room during the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2018 in New York City.
In 1990, McEntire made her acting debut in "Tremors." She starred alongside Kevin Bacon in the film.
Fast-foward to 2001, "Reba" hit the small screen. According to E! News, the show was pitched to McEntire to be named "Sally," but she told producers that fans would respond better to the sitcom if it was named after her.
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The show originally ran for six seasons on The CW, previously known as The WB, and was on air until 2007.
McEntire has joined "The Voice" as a coach after previously turning down the opportunity.
Getting to know McEntire's family
McEntire’s mother never got to fulfill her dream of becoming a country singer, but her legacy lives on in more than one of her children, according to Reba’s official website. Pake, her older brother who suffered a stroke in 2015, achieved a No. 5 country hit with the single "Savin’ My Love for You" in 1986 off his debut album. And McEntire’s younger sister, Susie, is a gospel singer.
McEntire has a very close bond with her only son, Shelby Blackstock, whom she welcomed with her now ex-husband, Narvel Blackstock, in 1990.
Reba McEntire and Shelby McEntire Blackstock attends the 2011 Country Music Hall of Fame Medallion Ceremony induction at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on May 22, 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Ed Rode/Getty Images)
In October of last year, McEntire spoke to People magazine about how she wanted Shelby to grow up humble, despite being raised in a wealthy lifestyle.
"When we would play games or cards, I'd never let Shelby win," Reba told the outlet at the time. "He wouldn't have learned anything that way. I always told Shelby, 'I'll always love you, but I want other people to like you. So don't be a little jerk. Don't be a spoiled brat.'"
Last October, McEntire opened up about her relationship with her boyfriend Rex Linn, nicknamed "Sugar Tot," and revealed whether marriage is in the cards for them.
"My Sugar Tot? That would be up to him," she replied to a fan question on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen."
FOX News contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.