If you close your eyes and picture a country music legend, you probably see neon lights or the Grand Ole Opry stage. But for Reba McEntire, the "Queen of Country," the reality was a whole lot of red dirt and cow manure. Honestly, it wasn't the glitz of Nashville that made her who she is today. It was a tiny, blink-and-you-miss-it spot in Oklahoma that basically shaped her entire soul.
Where did Reba McEntire grow up anyway?
So, here’s the deal. Reba was born in McAlester, Oklahoma, back in 1955, but she didn’t really "grow up" there. The real action happened about 15 miles south in a place called Chockie. Calling it a town is kinda generous. It was more of a settlement centered around the McEntire family's massive 8,000-acre cattle ranch.
Living in Chockie meant you were out in the sticks. Like, the real sticks.
Her house was tucked away in the hills of Atoka County. It wasn't some luxury estate. It was a working ranch where the "sorry land"—as the neighbors called it—was covered in briars and rocks. But her daddy, Clark McEntire, saw something in it. He used his rodeo winnings to buy that land for $6.40 an acre. Yeah, you read that right. Six bucks.
A childhood of grit and greasy eggs
Life on the ranch started early. Like, 4:00 AM early.
Reba’s mornings weren't about cartoons or cereal. By the time she was seven, she was out in the dark gathering cattle. Her dad, a three-time World Champion Steer Roper, expected every kid to pull their weight. There was no "I'm tired" or "I don't want to." You just did it.
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She once recalled eating a breakfast of "cowboy bread" and greasy eggs before heading out to work until dark. One summer was so brutal that Reba actually passed out from heatstroke while standing near the branding irons. She woke up, took a swig of water, and went right back to work. That’s just how they lived. It sounds rough—and it was—but Reba always says it gave her the work ethic that allowed her to survive the cutthroat music industry later on.
The Singing McEntires and the family car
Music wasn't a career choice at first; it was a way to survive the boredom of long car rides. Since her dad was constantly on the rodeo circuit, the family spent thousands of hours in the car traveling to competitions.
The truck didn't have a radio.
To pass the time, her mom, Jacqueline, taught Reba and her siblings, Pake and Susie, how to harmonize. They weren't just singing for fun; they were training. Eventually, they became "The Singing McEntires." They played at rodeos and local honky-tonks, making maybe $13 a night.
Kiowa High and the Cowboy Band
While she was a ranch hand by dawn, Reba was a regular student at Kiowa High School during the day. She wasn't just some quiet girl in the back of the class, either. She was a powerhouse.
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- Sports: She played basketball and ran track.
- Rodeo: She was an avid barrel racer, competing from age 11 all the way through college.
- Music: She was a member of the Kiowa High School Cowboy Band.
Actually, it was at Kiowa where she really started to get noticed. She sang "Away in a Manger" at a first-grade pageant and "My Sweet Little Alice Blue Gown" in fifth grade for 4-H. By the time she was in high school, people knew the redhead with the big voice was something special.
The college years: Southeastern Oklahoma State
Even though she was already recording singles like "The Ballad of John McEntire" in high school, her mom insisted she get an education. Jacqueline knew the music business was a gamble, so Reba headed to Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant.
She didn't get a break from the ranch, though.
Every other day after her classes, she’d load thirty 50-pound sacks of feed into her truck and go feed 300 head of cattle on leased land halfway between the school and home. She majored in elementary education and minored in music, eventually graduating in 1976. She was literally student teaching when her music career finally started to "take."
The big break at the National Finals Rodeo
The turning point happened in 1974. Reba was hired to sing the National Anthem at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City. A country singer named Red Steagall heard her and was floored. He helped her get her first real deal in Nashville.
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But even then, she didn't just leave Oklahoma behind. She kept her horse at school so she could keep barrel racing until she was 21. She was a cowgirl first and a star second.
What most people get wrong about her roots
A lot of fans think Reba was just a "country girl" for the sake of her image. That couldn't be further from the truth. The Chockie upbringing wasn't a marketing ploy; it was a survival course.
She often talks about how her dad had trouble showing affection. He didn't say "I love you" much. Instead, he showed it by giving her a truck and a horse. She learned to communicate through hard work. When people ask where Reba McEntire grew up, they usually expect a story about a small town with a white picket fence. What they get is a story about a girl who knew how to castrate bulls and fix water pumps before she ever stepped foot on a tour bus.
Actionable insights from Reba's childhood
If you're looking to channel some of that "Reba energy" into your own life or career, here are a few things to take away from her Chockie roots:
- Embrace the "Sorry Land": Just because others don't see the value in your situation doesn't mean it's worthless. Reba’s dad turned "useless" rocky land into a fortune.
- Work twice as hard: Reba’s motto for surviving Nashville was to work twice as hard as everyone else and never complain. That started on the ranch.
- Find your harmony: She used her "downtime" (long car rides) to develop a skill. Look at your commute or your "boring" time as an opportunity to learn something new.
- Don't skip the foundation: Even with a voice like hers, she finished her degree. Having a backup plan doesn't mean you lack faith in your dream; it means you're smart.
Reba’s story isn't just about fame. It’s about a girl from the sticks who never forgot where she came from, even when the rest of the world couldn't stop saying her name.
Next time you hear "Fancy" or "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia," remember that those songs were built on a foundation of Oklahoma red dirt and Chockie grit. It’s what makes her the real deal.