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7 Rare Photos Capture a Young Reba McEntire Before She Became the Queen of Country

These fun shots from the '70s and early '80s show that the redheaded country singer has always been fabulous

By Abbey Bender October 29, 2025

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1. Pretty in pink

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Shortly before her debut album, Reba looked charming as she posed in a perfectly of-the-moment pink floral dress in 1976. In a 2020 interview with Woman’s World’s print magazine, she shared the words of wisdom that have kept her going since her earliest days as a musician: “In life, showing up is the key to so much joy. My mama and daddy gave me the best advice: When you say you’re going to do something, do it. Don’t back out. If you’re put out and don’t want to do it that day, too bad! You said you were going to do it, so show up.”
2. A casual look

Reba McEntire in 1976 Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Reba is all smiles in this casual 1976 promotional shot. Looking back at when she started out in a 2024 interview with The Wall Street Journal, she said, “I wasn’t nervous at all. Honestly, I didn’t know if I wanted to do it anyway. Doing well as a singer would mean leaving my family behind.”
3. An early headshot

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Reba looks every bit the ’70s glamour girl in this early headshot. While the singer became known for her red hair, she wasn’t always so confident about her looks, saying, "I was pale, [had] lots of freckles and frizzy hair. And my girlfriends had long, black, straight, beautiful round curls. Another girlfriend could tan easily, so I'd lay out with her and she would get brown as a biscuit—and I'd be blistered . . . I finally figured it out: I'm not supposed to be like them—I'm just me. It took me a long time to accept that and realize that it. It set me free.”
4. Reba goes disco

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Big hair, sparkly blouse, disco pants, cowboy boots—Reba is totally serving a look in this 1981 performance shot. The country star has rocked many fun looks over the years, but she hardly considers herself a fashion plate, joking, “During Fashion Week, I went to a style show and a reporter asked me, ‘Who’s your favorite designer?’ I said, ‘Uh, Levi’s?’ It was either gonna be Levi’s or Wrangler, because that’s all I knew!”
5. Reba’s big debut

Gene Arias/NBC via Getty

In 1981, Reba performed on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson for the first time. The appearance helped introduce her to a wider audience outside of country music, and the dress she wore had a special significance, as it was given to her by none other than Johnny Cash. That year, she appeared on Cash’s TV special highlighting women in country music, and he gave her the dress to wear, and when The Tonight Show came calling, she recalled, “For good luck—and because I couldn’t afford anything else—I wore the same dress that Johnny Cash had given me for his TV special.” Soon enough, she’d be able to afford whatever dress she wanted!
6. Belt it out

Gary Gershoff/Getty

In the early ’80s, Reba always dressed like she was ready to party. At a 1982 show, she topped off an already extravagant outfit with a custom nameplate belt buckle—a must for any country star. The singer admitted to being a tomboy when she was growing up on her family’s ranch, but later took style notes from the reigning country diva Dolly Parton and said, “I love sparkle and shine all day long!”
7. Prairie vibes

Gary Gershoff/Getty

Young Reba looks like she just stepped off the set of Little House on the Prairie in this 1982 shot. Even before she reached the peak of her stardom, she had a distinct sense of style, and she’s consistently stayed true to her country roots—in fact, she even recently revealed that she owns over 100 pairs of cowboy boots, and has a whole “boot room” devoted to them in her home!

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