A Timeline of Reba McEntire and Narvel Blackstock’s Relationship
Reba McEntire and Narvel Blackstock tied the knot on a boat in Lake Tahoe in 1989, but their professional partnership began nine years prior, when Blackstock joined McEntire's band. Before the couple announced their separation on Aug. 3, 2015, they had been married for 26 years and working together for 35.
Blackstock became McEntire's manager — Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton — and, according to the country icon, her biggest supporter and fan. Before McEntire announced her new record deal with Nash Icon late in 2014, it was Blackstock who convinced her that her career wasn’t over.
“[He] kept saying, ‘No, it’s not; you’ll record again,’” McEntire recalls. “And I was like, ‘Wow, where’s your crystal ball?’”
Both McEntire and Blackstock had been married once before when they wed. Together, they have one son, Shelby Blackstock; Narvel Blackstock also has three children from a previous marriage, including Clarkson’s husband, Brandon Blackstock.
“Despite this being the end of their marriage, they continue to support each other,” a statement announcing their separation reads. “They have worked together for 35 years and will continue to do so."
Click through the gallery above to see a timeline of McEntire and Blackstock's relationship.