Reba McEntire might have a superstar life now, but it certainly didn’t start out that way, even after she signed her first record deal. The 68-year-old signed with PolyGram/Mercury Records in 1975, but wasn’t until her 14th single, with “Can’t Even Get the Blues,” that she had her first No. 1 hit. It was McEntire’s belief, mostly in herself, which kept her going, even when it seemed the odds were stacked against her.
“Curiosity. Faith. Especially in the hard times, the bad times, the sad times,” McEntire told Willie Geist on the Today Show, when asked why she kept persevering. “My faith. And just thinking, ‘What more can we do?'”
It was when McEntire started doing music videos that she realized she also loved acting, which became a profitable second career for her as well, including the lead role in Broadway’s Annie Get Your Gun, and her own Reba sitcom.
“Mom always said I had the attention span of a two-year-old,” McEntire reflected with a laugh. “So I have to have different things. I do something so long, do the same thing, I get bored. I think people took me more seriously after I did Annie Get Your Gun, and it just kind of gave me a little bit more power or credentials, and people thought, ‘Well she did that, she can do a sitcom.’ I didn’t know anything about that business.”
McEntire is sharing the lessons she has learned over the years in her new book, Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots, out on October 10.
“We talk about family, friends, how to throw a party that’s not so fancy,” McEntire revealed. “That’s my kind of party. I don’t really care if everything matches. Sometimes I ask to use real plates instead of paper plates, but I love Solo cups. I think that’s the main message of the book. Don’t not have a party because everything doesn’t look right, or you didn’t have time to get this ready. Just go have fun.”
Geist referred to McEntire as an icon, legend and trailblazer, all names McEntire humbly defers to those who have gone before her.
“When I hear those words, I think Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, Barbara Mandrell, Anne Murray, Minnie Pearl — all of those women are the pioneers, the icons, the legends that I got to learn from,” she said. Still, McEntire admitted that she does take her role in country music very seriously, especially for the younger generation.
“It’s a cool feeling,” the Country Music Hall of Fame member said. “It’s a huge responsibility, because in my span that I get to do this, I want to find ways of doing it better, so it will make it easier on them. Then it’s their responsibility to move forward, find a better way of doing something for the people coming up next behind them.”
McEntire will also release a Not That Fancy album to go along with her new book. Pre-order is available here. Find all of McEntire’s music and upcoming shows at Reba.com.
