Reba McEntire is giving fans two reasons to celebrate this month, and both trace back to the same New York stage her family has called home for three generations.
“Reba here with a surprise for y’all…my new song ‘Ring Ring’ is officially out!” the country music icon announced on Instagram in July, unveiling the title track from her new five-song EP.
The collection, rounded out by “It’s Your Call,” “Long Distance Lover,” “She’s Callin’ It Love” and “Why Haven’t I Heard From You,” dropped July 24 and leans into a playful, phone-themed thread that runs through the tracklist.
The timing is no accident. American Public Television is distributing a concert special capturing McEntire’s sold-out Madison Square Garden show to PBS stations nationwide, with the rollout beginning Aug, and on the PBS app. 1. Local stations set their own dates — San Diego’s KPBS, for example, aired it Saturday, Aug. 8, at 8 p.m.
For McEntire, Madison Square Garden isn’t just any venue. Her grandfather performed there, and her father competed nearby.
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“My grandpap performed [at Madison Square Garden] and my dad roped calves at the Madison Square Rodeo in 1946 and ’47,” McEntire said in 2023, ahead of the show. “So for a McEntire to get to go back in and perform there, that’s going to be really sweet for all of us.”
That night in April 2023 marked her first time headlining the arena, closing out her sold-out “Reba: Live In Concert” tour with a career-spanning setlist that included “Fancy,” “Turn On The Radio” and “Can’t Even Get The Blues,” plus a Linda Ronstadt medley alongside special guest Terri Clark. The new special gives fans who missed the tour’s more than 50 stops a chance to finally see the show.
The song and the special both land during a stacked year for McEntire. NBC renewed her sitcom HAPPY’S PLACE for a third season, set to premiere Oct. 23.
Movieguide® has tracked McEntire’s career for years, including her gospel record “My Chains Are Gone: Hymns & Gospel Favorites,” which earned a nomination at the 2023 Movieguide® Awards. That same sincerity shows up even in a lighthearted single like “Ring Ring” — McEntire has never needed spectacle to sell a song, whether she’s singing about heartbreak, hymns, or a phone that won’t stop buzzing.
Three generations of McEntires have now found their way back to that same Manhattan stage. This time, thanks to PBS, the rest of the country gets a seat too.
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