On an 8,000-acre ranch in Oklahoma, a little girl once spent her days driving pickup trucks before she could even reach the pedals. With her siblings by her side and cattle to wrangle, she learned the meaning of grit and perseverance. Decades later, her name would become known around the world.
Life on a ranch was no place for idleness, especially for one of four siblings raised in a tight-knit family where hard work was non-negotiable. By the time she was five, she was helping drive her father’s truck through fields of cattle, her small frame barely able to see over the dashboard.
Her father instilled discipline and grit in his children. Her mother, a dreamer with a love for country music, filled the home with encouragement and warmth. Life on the ranch was as rugged as it was rewarding. For this girl, the ranch was where she learned to lead, persevere, and, eventually, dream of something more.
Growing Up on the Ranch
Long before she was a star, she was a ranch hand. Growing up on an 8,000-acre ranch in Chockie, Oklahoma, she learned to work with her hands and heart. Her father, Clark McEntire, was a champion steer roper, and her mother, Jackie, was a homemaker with a love for music.
Together, they raised four children — Alice, Pake, Reba, and Susie — in a small gray house with a single bathroom for all six family members. From the age of five, she was behind the wheel of a pickup truck.
Life on the ranch taught her how to work, but music taught her how to dream. While her father built a legacy in rodeo, her mother carried her dream of becoming a country singer. Though Jackie never got her big break, she planted that dream in her children.
The three youngest McEntires — Pake, Reba, and Susie — formed a group called “The Singing McEntires,” performing at rodeos, local events, and family gatherings. Music became an outlet for her and a chance to stand out.
How One Chance Encounter Changed Everything
In 1974, she was invited to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City. For most, it would have been a small gig, but that performance caught the attention of country music star Red Steagall.
