The Happy’s Place star had “boundless energy” as a kid that reminded her dad of a certain animal.
Snoop Dogg called her “Reba Magnet-tire” on The Voice set, and the country star’s boyfriend, Happy’s Place actor Rex Linn, calls her “Tater Tot.” But Reba McEntire has another sweet nickname that goes way back — courtesy of her late father, her bright red hair, and her spunky personality.
Reba McEntire’s red hair inspired her dad Clark McEntire’s adorable nickname for her
McEntire’s red hair may be just as famous as her countless country music hits, and she’s been rocking that bright ginger shade since she was a little girl. Her iconic hue even inspired her dad’s nickname for her.
During A&E’s 1999 Biography special about the country star, Clark McEntire (who passed away in 2014) revealed that he used to call his daughter “Foxy.”
“I got to calling her Foxy. You know, she’s real bright red-headed, she looked like a little red fox,” McEntire’s father said with a laugh.
“Reba was hard to contain when she was little,” her mother, Jackie McEntire, added in the special. “She had boundless energy. She was just always into something.”
As for McEntire, whenever she talks about her parents, she affectionately calls them “Mama” and “Daddy.”
Reba McEntire’s dad taught her a valuable life lesson growing up
Born on March 28, 1955 in Oklahoma, McEntire grew up on her family’s ranch. For many years before she passed in 2020, McEntire’s mother was a teacher, while her father was a steer roper, who taught the “Fancy” singer and her siblings all about ranching and rodeo life.
“Daddy liked the rodeos, but he loved ranching,” McEntire shared in an essay for American Essence. “But ranch life is not an easy life. Maintaining the land and cattle takes time, and you can’t skip a day just because you’re worn out. Working the land was a whole family affair. The only time you wouldn’t find us kids helping out was when we were in school.”
That tireless work ethic translated into a valuable life lesson Clark McEntire taught all of his kids. In an excerpt from her book, Not That Fancy, McEntire, who’s a mom herself to her son Shelby Blackstock, reveals that her father had a couple of simple rules. “Daddy didn’t have lots of rules because he trusted us to do the right thing. But the few rules he did have were important ones and you would never catch us kids breaking them,” she shares. “#1. Don’t play cards in the daytime. #2. Don’t watch TV in the daytime. #3. Don’t count your money in front of others.”
“The daytimes were for work and the evenings were for fun,” she adds in Not That Fancy. “And I do think that concept still holds true. We work hard and we play hard. Not sure about the rest.”
