Reba McEntire is looking back on a half-century of creative dominance, and she’s doing so with a smile.
The legendary singer, actress and businesswoman, 69, tells PEOPLE that the notion of reaching 50 continuous years in the music industry is “mind-boggling” — especially considering she didn’t initially believe she would make it this far at all.
“Very grateful, very thankful,” she shares of her feelings toward the special milestone. “And I never thought at the 20th anniversary that I’d be hitting this one. But I have to give a lot of credit to people who have been before me — Tammy [Wynette], Dolly [Parton], Loretta [Lynn] — who have paved the roads for girl singers of my generation and the ones that are coming up after me. So it’s been a lot of fun.”
“You always want to work real hard and make them proud,” McEntire, who is promoting her new partnership with Realtor.com, adds.
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On top of giving kudos to the most influential women in country music, the singer also gave thanks above, noting “God gave me a gift and I try to use it and to give him all the praise and the glory. Because without him I wouldn’t have had it and could have given it to somebody else, so I try to make him proud.”
McEntire emerged onto the music scene after catching the attention of country star Red Steagall, who saw her perform the national anthem live at the 1974 National Finals Rodeo. Steagall helped McEntire record her demo and eventually sign with Mercury Records.
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In the 50 years since that chance encounter, the lauded country icon has gone on to release 32 studio albums, 26 compilation albums, two live albums and three extended plays, as well as establish a career on television and nab accolades such as 16 ACM Awards, 15 American Music Awards, nine People’s Choice Awards, six CMA Awards and three Grammy Awards. She’ll host the ACM Awards again later this week.
Even after decades of performing and recording music, McEntire still hasn’t let her creative juices stop flowing, evident by the consistency at which she has continued to put out album after album and maintain a fairly rigorous touring schedule. Out of her expansive discography, however, she says that there’s one song she will never get tired of performing: “Fancy.”
As for why that’s the case, the star notes that it’s “because it’s a story song. I loved it when Bobbie Gentry had it out in ’68. She made it famous. She wrote it. And then when I got to record it in 1990, it was a song that had always been one of my favorites. And that’s the last song I sing at every concert.”
