On this day (February 10) in 1986, Reba McEntire released Whoever’s in New England. Later that year, it became her first No. 1 album. It also produced a pair of chart-topping singles. She released her first music video for the LP’s title track. In the coming years, McEntire would come to be known for her mini-movie music videos.
Videos by American Songwriter
After years of releasing music and finding little chart success, McEntire’s fortune started to change in 1984, after moving from Mercury to MCA Records. The increased creative control she had at her new label allowed her to shape her output into something that accurately represented her as an artist. Fortunately, that resonated with countless country music fans.
The success of the album and its singles led McEntire to receive multiple trophies at the ACM and CMA Awards, including the CMA Entertainer of the Year. Additionally, the title track won Best Female Country Vocal Performance at the 1987 Grammy Awards, her first win at the multi-genre awards show.
Whoever’s in New England kicked off a decades-long string of hit LPs. Every studio album she has released in the last four decades has landed in the top 5 of the country chart. This includes a total of 11 chart-toppers.
Reba McEntire Releases Her First Music Video
Reba McEntire has branched out from country music into acting and other ventures. Today, she has held dozens of roles in movies and TV shows, including two series in which she plays the lead, Reba and Happy’s Place. Her first acting role came in the 1990 cult classic Tremors, alongside Kevin Bacon.
She gave the world an early look at her acting skills and ambition with her debut music video for “Whoever’s in New England” in 1986. While most of her contemporaries were content with releasing performance videos, McEntire wanted more. She released short films set to her hit songs. The lack of spoken lines in those miniature movies never took away from their emotional impact.
Featured Image by Terry Wyatt/WireImage
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