Reba McEntire would not have been the only McEntire sibling to sign a recording contract back in 1975 if her mother had her way. As the story goes, a year earlier, Reba had a job singing the national anthem at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City, the premier rodeo riders in the United States. The same week, she and some of her family members were invited to a gathering at the Hilton, and Red Steagall was also present.
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Reba Mcentire’s Success Story
Steagall sang and played guitar for most of the evening. Periodically, he passed the guitar to people in the crowd and requested that they perform one or two songs. Among those who played were Reba’s siblings, Susie and Pake. Everett Shaw, a rancher renowned for his skills in steer roping, suggested that Reba McEntire should perform “Joshua”, Dolly Parton’s first No.1 country single. Reba was forced to sing a capella because no one in the suite knew the guitar chords well enough to accompany her. This was more than enough.
Sometime later, Reba McEntire’s mother, Jacqueline, approached Steagall and asked him to assist the Signing McEntire score a record contract. He declined. However, a month later, he phoned her to tell her that while he adored all three of her talented children, Reba had little something extra that country fans might find appealing. Two months later, the two women traveled 700 miles to record a demo in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Going Away From Nashville
As powerful as this four-song recording was, it took some time to win over Music City’s gatekeepers. Steagall played it for some executives and publishing houses, who all rejected it with variations of “we don’t need another girl singer.” Joe Light, who is a publishing partner of Steagall, played one track from the demo to Glenn Keener, a producer at Phonogram-Mercury, in an attempt to convince him to record the song. While he did not enjoy it, Keener was smitten with the young woman singing it. Reba McEntire inked her first recording contract with Mercury Records on November 11th, 1975.
Reba Was Influenced by Legends
Reba McEntire was immersed in the sounds of country music from a young age. She was born in Oklahoma to a mother who aspired to musical success. Her mother would keep Reba and her siblings busy by teaching them to harmonize with Hank Williams and Larry Verne’s songs.
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The Breakthrough of Her Career
“(You Lift Me Up) To Heaven”, a simple, yet powerful love song written in part by Nashville legends Bob Morrison and Johnny MacRae, soared to number eight on Billboard’s country charts. Reba McEntire was able to reach some of her largest audiences to date through her appearances on the syndicated variety program Pop! Goes the Country and the Academy of Country Music Awards, which were broadcast on NBC. The success of this song pushed Reba’s next two singles further up the charts.