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But Clark McEntire wasn’t just a rodeo legend — he was old-school when it came to parenting. Reba’s father didn’t believe in handing out hugs or saying “I love you” to his kids. His way of showing love was through high expectations and teaching them the value of hard work.
Reba later admitted in her autobiography, For My Broken Heart, “When we were growing up, I used to regret that Daddy never told us he loved us.”
Her childhood wasn’t glamorous. The McEntire children — Alice, Pake, Reba, and Susie — grew up in a modest gray house with just one bathroom for all six family members.
”We weren’t no wealthy West Texas people or nothin’. It’s mostly rocky, mountain country, but enough to run a few steers on,” Reba recalled.
Even though Reba mastered and appreciated farm life from an early age, she always had another dream tugging at her heart — she loved to sing. Her mother, Jacqueline McEntire, had once dreamed of becoming a country singer herself but instead dedicated her life to being a public school teacher, librarian, and secretary.
”My mama, they used to say she coulda been as big as Patsy Cline if she’d had any breaks, but she was teaching’ school by the time she was 16 or 17,” Reba once said.
She got her big voice from her dad
When Reba’s father struggled to show affection, Jacqueline was warm and nurturing. Music became a family bond, much thanks to their mother’s encouragement. On long car rides to her father’s rodeo events, Jacqueline would teach her kids to sing in harmony, turning the backseat into a mini choir.
It was during these moments that Reba’s passion for singing truly blossomed.
Reba always said her mama taught her to sing, and all her music roots come from her. As for the big voice, she got that from her dad. Growing up on a ranch, he had to shout across the fields to call the cattle, and that power in his voice passed down to Reba.
#flashbackfriday. Love this picture!!! 4th grade. Kiowa Grade School!!! Kiowa, OK!! Go Cowboys!!
”I’ve always been loud. Mama said that when all three of us’d sing, she could always hear me over Pake and Susie. They’d always say, ’Reba , shut up. Back up. Way bay.’ That’s always been my history,” she told Chicago Tribune.
Reba’s journey into music began early, and her talent shone even as a young girl. In first grade, the blazing redhead stood in front of her classmates at an elementary school Christmas pageant and sang “Away in a Manger,” captivating everyone with her sweet voice. By fifth grade, she had joined the 4-H club, where she won first place in the Junior Act Division by singing “My Sweet Little Alice Blue Gown.” It was clear that Reba’s love for performing was already blooming.
The McEntire family band