Tears flow as Reba McEntire sings the US National Anthem during Super Bowl

When it became clear that Reba McEntire would sing the national anthem before the Super Bowl, I was beyond excited, to say the least.

And let’s just say she didn’t disappoint us…

There’s only one Reba McEntire, and she delivered a memorable and unforgettable moment in front of an Allegiant Stadium crowd in Paradise, Nevada.

Her magical rendition of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ had the audience cheering, and us viewers at home were also left with goosebumps. Chris Jones, the Chiefs’ defensive lineman, was visibly moved by the moment and tears began to flow.

It was truly a performance to remember by the three-time Grammy winner – and what we all needed to start the game off!

.@reba sings the National Anthem at Super Bowl LVIII! #SBLVIII pic.twitter.com/yEQi89hYGg

— NFL (@NFL) February 11, 2024

As we know, there’s no bigger stage than belting out the anthem before the opening kickoff at the Super Bowl, and considering Chris Stapleton’s fantastic rendition last year, the expectations were sky-high for the legendary Oklahoma native.

The applause was thunderous once Reba concluded, setting a splendid tone for the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.

According to Taste of Country, 2024 was the fourth year in a row that the NFL booked a country singer to perform the national anthem.

A month ago, the 68-year-old Reba revealed some intriguing details about her performance. In an interview with CBS Mornings, the country star said that she accepted the invitation to sing the national anthem for a specific reason.

”I got the news from my manager…he said they wanted me to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl, and I said, ‘Oh my gosh, well, let me think about that,'” McEntire recalled. ”And Rex Linn, my boyfriend, who is a huge football fan, he said, ‘Yes! She’ll do it! Absolutely!”

According to herself, she was well-prepared for the big moment – she had practiced diligently.

”I’ve been singing the national anthem in the shower [and] when we get in the car,” said McEntire.

Reba also expressed that she felt “honored beyond words” to sing at the Super Bowl for the first time, she told Apple Music host Nadeska Alexis.

”I get to sing a very special song for all Americans, people all around the world, who have really worked so hard for our freedom and to give us peace. It’s not about me — I’m the representation of this song, and I’m just honored to get to sing it. It’s a good one. I’ve been doing it for 50 years, and I’m really proud to get to sing it.”

Reba McEntire boyfriend

Reba McEntire started dating Hollywood actor Rex Linn in 2020, but the two had known each other since 1991 after meeting on the set of “The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw.”

After enduring a painful divorce from Narvel Blackstock and her mother’s cancer diagnosis, Rex Linn extended an open invitation to Reba to reach out whenever she needed someone to talk to. True to his word, the country star turned to him for a listening ear, comfort, and guidance.

Throughout the COVID19 pandemic, the two texted each other to get better acquainted and even had virtual coffee dates as Reba was based in Tennessee and Linn in California.

Linn is best known for playing the role of Frank Tripp in the television series CSI: Miami, but his movie credits include Cheaper by the Dozen, Rush Hour and Django Unchained. Like Reba, the 67-year-old actor was also raised in Oklahoma after his parents moved from Texas when he was 13 years old.

Reba says if they ever got married they’d have to hold more than one ceremony for all the people they’d want there.

“We’ve talked about it and giggled about it,” McEntire said. “We thought, ‘Man, if we ever did have a ceremony, we would have to have a 2 o’clock, 4 o’clock, 6 o’clock and an 8 o’clock because we have so many friends, acquaintances and family.’”

Almost left the industry

In a recent interview on Today with Hoda & Jenna, the musician – who is widely regarded as the Queen of Country – candidly shared how she considered quitting music following her mother Jacqueline’s passing from cancer in March 2020.

McEntire, aged 68, recounted a moment when she and her sister Susie were going through their parents’ belongings after Jacqueline’s death. It was during this introspective period that she contemplated her future as a singer.

She recalled: “I was going through pictures. I said, ‘I just don’t think I’m gonna do this anymore.’ She said, ‘What?’ I said, ‘Sing,’” she explained. “I said, ‘I always did it for Mama.’ She said, ‘Oh, you’ll get it back.’ I did.”

Before the career of the ‘Fancy‘ performer took flight in the 1970s, she and her siblings Susie, Alice, and Pake learned the art of singing from Jacqueline, and it was this that ignited Reba’s passion for music. She fondly remembered her mother’s encouragement, saying: “She was really encouraging for all of us kids, whatever we wanted to do. She taught us harmony.”

During their high school years, the McEntire siblings were known as “the singing McEntires,” thanks to Jacqueline’s willingness to offer feedback, especially if they missed a note.

“Anytime anybody needed an opinion of who’s off — Susie’s on my part, I’m on Susie’s part — Mama would come in with her spatula after she was frying potatoes,” McEntire recalled, mimicking her mother’s pointing gesture with the utensil. “She would say, ‘OK, Reba, you’re on Susie’s part. Sing it again.’ We’d sing it, and she’d say, ‘Oh, that’s perfect,’ and she’d go back in and keep frying potatoes.”

---