Earlier This Year, Reba McEntire Received the Western Heritage Awards’ Prestigious Lifetime Achievement Honor
The Western Heritage Awards annually celebrate individuals who significantly impact the preservation and celebration of Western culture and values. In April, Reba McEntire accepted the esteemed Lifetime Achievement Award, delivering an emotional five-minute speech that reflected her unwavering connection to her Western roots and her rural upbringing.
Though McEntire is widely recognized as one of country music’s most iconic figures, she has always remained grounded in the values and work ethic instilled in her during her early years. Growing up on a cattle ranch in Chockie, Oklahoma, McEntire was raised among a community of farmers, ranchers, and steer ropers, an environment that shaped her understanding of the true spirit of a “Cowboy” or “Cowgirl.”
Mike Ingram, Gary Kinslow, and Red Steagall presented McEntire with her Lifetime Achievement Award. This moment was particularly significant, as Red Steagall was instrumental in launching McEntire’s music career. Back in 1974, Steagall attended the National Finals Rodeo, where a young Reba McEntire captivated the audience with her rendition of the National Anthem. Moved by her performance, Steagall helped her secure her first recording contract.
Reba’s Heartfelt Speech
Delivering her acceptance speech without any notes, McEntire shared that her boyfriend, Rex Linn, had urged her to prepare something in advance.
“Rex has been on to me since about two weeks ago to write something up, and I said ‘I want it to come from my heart,’” she revealed. “Because this is such a special room, a special place for the McEntire family, to so many of my friends.”
McEntire did indeed speak from the heart, expressing why the traditional Western lifestyle holds a special place in her life.
“I never could figure out why the Western way was so romantic to me,” she admitted. “Because when we get up at 4 in the morning [to] go gather cattle and whey, and ship them out, and then go to school by 8:15, I couldn’t figure out where was the romantic part of this?”
Acknowledging the challenges, she continued, “This is a lot of hard work. But I love to watch the old Western movies because the cowboys always protected and defended the underdog. That’s what I loved about it. And that’s what cowboys and cowgirls do. That’s what we do in our way of life. We stand up for the underdog, and there’s so many. All of y’all do that because if you didn’t, you wouldn’t be here in this room tonight. Because that’s what this cowboy way of life, cowgirl way of life, the Western way of life, is all about. Pulling for your neighbor, reaching out, helping them stand back up when they get knocked down. That was the romantic part about it.”
As she wrapped up, McEntire shared a newfound aspiration. Until recently, she felt she had achieved all her life’s ambitions, from career accomplishments to personal happiness. But she realized she had one more goal to pursue.
“I want to be the cowboys in those movies that stood up for the underdog,” she shared. “I want to continue that in my life. That’s what I want to be, is an encourager.”
Watch Reba McEntire’s moving speech from the Western Heritage Awards ceremony in the video below.