Her First Marriage
Reba was at a different rodeo when she met her first husband. Reba and rodeo star Charlie Battles exchanged their vows in 1976, which was about the same time that her music career took off. On January 22, 1976, she released a debut single called ‘I Don’t Want to Be a One Night Stand’. It only ever reached the 88th spot on the Billboard country charts, however. The next few singles she came out with did not become huge hits either, but nothing was about to stop her. In 1979, Reba finally got some luck when her cover of ‘Sweet Dreams’ by Patsy Cline got to the 19th spot of the charts. It was the first time she made it into the Top 20, but it was certainly not the last.
First Time At The Grand Ole Opry
In 1977, Reba was asked to sing at the Grand Ole Opry. It was her first time performing at the legendary home of country music, so she was honored to accept the invitation. She made it all the way to Nashville, but the security guard posted at the entrance did not let her in since her name was not on the list. They exchanged words until he finally saw her name. Can you believe she almost did not make it? When she was allowed to go in, she was informed that the producers cut her slot in half to make way for Dolly Parton. We bet neither the guard nor the producers knew they were dealing with a music legend in the making!