Before the world knew her as a country legend, Reba McEntire was just a little girl in a tutu dress, posing for an Easter photo with her siblings on their Oklahoma ranch.
Snapped in 1958, the photo shows a 3-year-old Reba dressed to the nines—white socks, poofy dress, and the biggest smile—as she stands with her brother Pake and sister Alice. It was one of those classic “Mom made us take this” moments, but one Reba would later cherish.
“I’ve been searching for this picture all day,” she wrote when she shared it with fans. “Mama had gotten us all ready for Easter Sunday.”
Growing up in tiny Chockie, Oklahoma (population: 18), Reba says her childhood was anything but small. She and her siblings were raised on an 8,000-acre cattle ranch where they worked hard, played hard, and learned the true meaning of family.
It was also where her mother, Jaqueline, taught them how to sing.
“We didn’t have a radio, so Mama had us harmonizing in the car,” Reba recalled. “She taught us everything.”
Eventually, Reba, Pake, and Susie became the Singing McEntires, performing together through high school thanks to their mother’s support.
But when Jaqueline passed away in 2020, Reba almost quit music entirely.
“I told Susie, ‘I don’t think I’m going to do this anymore.’ I always did it for Mama,” she said.
Her sister’s reassurance helped her through the grief, and as Reba admitted, her passion came back.
That old Easter photo? It’s more than a sweet throwback. It’s a symbol of the roots that shaped her — and the woman who made her believe she could sing in the first place.
