Reba going strong with music, TV, clothing line
She's known by just one name -- and these days it's everywhere.
Country superstar Reba McEntire, known to her fans simply as Reba, has become a household name by pursuing several diverse projects in recent years, and developing into a mulitfaceted businesswoman along the way. For four seasons, McEntire has played the lead character on the WB sitcom "Reba'' (which was just picked up for its fifth season by the network). She's also appeared in feature films and made-for-TV movies, and in 2001 she earned rave reviews for her Broadway performance in "Annie Get Your Gun.''
And perhaps the most telling sign of McEntire's status as an A-list celebrity: She has her own clothing line. This spring, she launched her "Reba'' mix-and-match fashions, carried at select Dillard's department stores nationwide and available at Dillards.com.
Unlike her friend Dolly Parton -- who recently did a guest spot on the "Reba'' series -- McEntire still is embraced by mainstream country radio. At age 50, she is the oldest female vocalist in the genre who still benefits from heavy airplay of her new singles. McEntire topped the Billboard country singles chart last year with "Somebody'' from her most recent disc, "Room to Breathe.''
Speaking from her Los Angeles home, McEntire said she can't imagine she would ever stop making music to focus on the other sides of herself.
"I can't say never, but right now it's not a problem to do all three: the clothing line, the acting and the singing,'' she explained. "It's working out very well. As a matter of fact, I think one complements the other, and it feeds the other. It helps broaden the audience, so I don't see a problem with it.''
In the midst of her multitasking, McEntire remains a devoted mother. She and her husband-manager, Narvel Blackstock, have a teenage son, Shelby. The family lives in Los Angeles when Shelby is in school but stays in Nashville, Tenn., the rest of the year.
McEntire said there is "not much'' difference between herself and Reba Hart, the character she plays on TV.
"I'm a very loyal, supportive, defensive, protective mother,'' she said. "I get into what Shelby's doing, what's going on in his life. I want him to know that I'm interested. I want to know the details. He's 15 years old so, of course, he says, 'Oh, Mom, you don't need to know that.' And I say, 'That's exactly what I need to know!' So there are a lot of similarities between Reba Hart and Reba McEntire.''
The singer says her experiences with her extended family have informed her acting on the TV series: "I have three older children from Narvel's previous marriage, and they have children of their own. So I understand the circumstances that evolve in having grandchildren on the television show because I have grandchildren in real life.''
McEntire also is adding a couple of animated features to her resume. She will provide the voice for Betsy the cow in a forthcoming adaptation of "Charlotte's Web.'' Other cast members lending their voices include Julia Roberts, Robert Redford, Oprah Winfrey and Cedric the Entertainer. McEntire also does voice work in the upcoming animated movie "The Fox and the Hound 2: Friends Forever.''
On the music front -- her first career -- McEntire currently is working on a new compilation CD. Tentatively slated for release this fall, the disc will be a collection of all her chart-topping singles, along with two new tracks.
Radio programmers could one day turn a cold shoulder to McEntire's music, but that does not concern her.
"You can still have a great career without the airplay," she said. "But airplay is very important, and I'm very grateful that I'm still getting it. I've had a span of 22 years between my first No. 1 record and my latest No. 1 record. So I can't complain at all.''
McEntire's current concert tour, which rolls into the Tweeter Center on Saturday night, has two other legitimate headliners -- Brad Paisley and Terri Clark -- on the bill. Touring in the spring does present some challenges for performers.
"We're playing a lot of amphitheaters and we've hit some pretty chilly nights,'' McEntire said with a chuckle. "Our coldest date, in Virginia Beach, Va., was our first date. I had 30-mile-per-hour winds in my face, and it was 43 degrees. I had to go to a ski shop and buy parkas, hats, gloves and insulated underwear to do my show. But the crowd was there with me, so we went on!''
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Country superstar Reba McEntire, known to her fans simply as Reba, has become a household name by pursuing several diverse projects in recent years, and developing into a mulitfaceted businesswoman along the way. For four seasons, McEntire has played the lead character on the WB sitcom "Reba'' (which was just picked up for its fifth season by the network). She's also appeared in feature films and made-for-TV movies, and in 2001 she earned rave reviews for her Broadway performance in "Annie Get Your Gun.''
And perhaps the most telling sign of McEntire's status as an A-list celebrity: She has her own clothing line. This spring, she launched her "Reba'' mix-and-match fashions, carried at select Dillard's department stores nationwide and available at Dillards.com.
Unlike her friend Dolly Parton -- who recently did a guest spot on the "Reba'' series -- McEntire still is embraced by mainstream country radio. At age 50, she is the oldest female vocalist in the genre who still benefits from heavy airplay of her new singles. McEntire topped the Billboard country singles chart last year with "Somebody'' from her most recent disc, "Room to Breathe.''
Speaking from her Los Angeles home, McEntire said she can't imagine she would ever stop making music to focus on the other sides of herself.
"I can't say never, but right now it's not a problem to do all three: the clothing line, the acting and the singing,'' she explained. "It's working out very well. As a matter of fact, I think one complements the other, and it feeds the other. It helps broaden the audience, so I don't see a problem with it.''
In the midst of her multitasking, McEntire remains a devoted mother. She and her husband-manager, Narvel Blackstock, have a teenage son, Shelby. The family lives in Los Angeles when Shelby is in school but stays in Nashville, Tenn., the rest of the year.
McEntire said there is "not much'' difference between herself and Reba Hart, the character she plays on TV.
"I'm a very loyal, supportive, defensive, protective mother,'' she said. "I get into what Shelby's doing, what's going on in his life. I want him to know that I'm interested. I want to know the details. He's 15 years old so, of course, he says, 'Oh, Mom, you don't need to know that.' And I say, 'That's exactly what I need to know!' So there are a lot of similarities between Reba Hart and Reba McEntire.''
The singer says her experiences with her extended family have informed her acting on the TV series: "I have three older children from Narvel's previous marriage, and they have children of their own. So I understand the circumstances that evolve in having grandchildren on the television show because I have grandchildren in real life.''
McEntire also is adding a couple of animated features to her resume. She will provide the voice for Betsy the cow in a forthcoming adaptation of "Charlotte's Web.'' Other cast members lending their voices include Julia Roberts, Robert Redford, Oprah Winfrey and Cedric the Entertainer. McEntire also does voice work in the upcoming animated movie "The Fox and the Hound 2: Friends Forever.''
On the music front -- her first career -- McEntire currently is working on a new compilation CD. Tentatively slated for release this fall, the disc will be a collection of all her chart-topping singles, along with two new tracks.
Radio programmers could one day turn a cold shoulder to McEntire's music, but that does not concern her.
"You can still have a great career without the airplay," she said. "But airplay is very important, and I'm very grateful that I'm still getting it. I've had a span of 22 years between my first No. 1 record and my latest No. 1 record. So I can't complain at all.''
McEntire's current concert tour, which rolls into the Tweeter Center on Saturday night, has two other legitimate headliners -- Brad Paisley and Terri Clark -- on the bill. Touring in the spring does present some challenges for performers.
"We're playing a lot of amphitheaters and we've hit some pretty chilly nights,'' McEntire said with a chuckle. "Our coldest date, in Virginia Beach, Va., was our first date. I had 30-mile-per-hour winds in my face, and it was 43 degrees. I had to go to a ski shop and buy parkas, hats, gloves and insulated underwear to do my show. But the crowd was there with me, so we went on!''
CLICK HERE to discuss in our forum.
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