Reba McEntire Is Grateful to Be a Mama on Son Shelby’s Birthday

Reba McEntire became a mother 34 years ago. The gravity of that important milestone is not lost on the country singer, who took time to wish her son Shelby Blackstock a happy birthday on Friday, Feb. 23.

"I sure feel a lot better today than I did 34 years ago," she jokes before becoming sentimental in her words. "From the first second I found out I was pregnant, up to today, this child is one of the biggest blessings of my life."

"Thank you, God for letting me experience being a mama. I love you, Shelby, with all my heart," she adds.

Who Is Reba's Son, Shelby Blackstock?

Shelby is Reba McEntire's only child. He is a professional race car driver who lives in Nashville with his wife of two years, Marissa Branch.

His father is producer Narvel Blackstock, to whom the "Seven Minutes in Heaven" singer was married from 1989 to 2015 (McEntire was also married to steer wrestling champion Charlie Battles from 1976 to 1987 — currently she is dating actor Rex Linn after re-igniting their friendship in 2020).

The "Fancy" singer spent as much time as she could with son Shelby during his childhood, despite her busy career. She even drove him to and from school because she just wanted to be with him.

"Shelby is a gift from God to me," McEntire told People in 2022. We're very close."

"I was a very self-centered person to a degree before Shelby," she explains, "But then there's a little character who you are given the job to protect and nurture and love and teach, so all the attention's not on you anymore."