Every Friday around 11 a.m. Central, it’s time for Classic Americana on Radio Heartland. We pull a special track from the archives or from deep in the shelves to spotlight a particular artist or song.

It’s International Women’s Day, and here on Radio Heartland for our Classic Americana pick of the week, we’re going to celebrate an artist who has been called “The Queen of Country.” We’re talking of course about Reba McEntire, whose birthday is later this month, on March 28.

McEntire was born in Oklahoma into a family of ranchers; her father in fact was a champion rodeo competitor. McEntire’s mother was a schoolteacher who loved music and taught Reba and her siblings how to sing in harmony. 

Reba McEntire looked set to follow in her mother’s footsteps, earning a degree in elementary education, but she had always been interested in music and had performed in a few bands in and around Oklahoma. McEntire caught the attention of a Nashville producer when she sang “The Star Spangled Banner” at one of her father’s rodeo events, and eventually was invited to Nashville where she ended up getting signed to a record label.

McEntire’s early days as a country singer produced some notable work, including a couple No. 1 country hits. But in 1984, McEntire grew tired of the soft pop-country sound that producers had been foisting upon her, and she decided to take creative control, wanting a more traditional sound. In 1984, McEntire released the appropriately titled album, My Kind of Country, and it included the song we’ll spotlight this week, “How Blue.”

“How Blue” features simpler, straight-ahead instrumentation — including Mark O’Connor on fiddle — and McEntire’s natural voice carries the melody beautifully over the top. The Rough Guide to Country Music describes “How Blue” as "one of rootsiest songs [McEntire] has ever recorded."

Of course, we know Reba McEntire’s creative output extended beyond music as she later developed her interest and talent for acting, appearing in films, on Broadway, and most notably on her television series, Reba, which ran from 2001 to 2007.  

Classic Americana Playlist

External Link

Reba McEntire – official site