Reba McEntire

Reba McEntire helped build contemporary country, first by selling millions of records, and second by championing a new traditionalism in the music. But she's also gone outward bound from there, pushing her music to the broader audience of pop fans and garnering huge success. It's thought she's sold over 50 million records, making her one of the most successful female country stars ever. She's also won countless awards, including the Country Music Association's greatest honour, Entertainer Of The Year, in 1986.

Her career began in the late 70s after she was spotted singing the national anthem at a rodeo in Oklahoma. She went to Nashville, signed a deal and began to release records. Her fifth album, Unlimited (1982), was a breakthrough of sorts, featuring two Country chart-topping singles. Whoever's in New England (1988) was McEntire's first country chart-topping album, and featured a title-track that became one of her signature songs. Her run of No.1s continued into the 90s, but in 1991 a plane carrying McEntire's band and manager crashed, killing all eight on board.

Devastated by this loss, McEntire's next album was the pained For My Broken Heart, which became the first country album by a female to go double platinum, and was widely acclaimed as an emotional masterpiece. McEntire continued to tour regularly, released two further triple platinum albums, and a Greatest Hits Volume 2 release that sold over five million copies.

In 2001, McEntire won rave reviews for her performances in the Broadway musical Annie Get Your Gun, and started a popular sitcom called Reba which ran until 2007. In 2007 she released Reba: Duets (2007), which featured performances from stars like Kelly Clarkson and Justin Timberlake. It hit No.1 on the Billboard 200, selling over 300,000 copies in its first week: the best debut performance of Reba McEntire's 30-year career so far.