If the desire to sing is ever proved to run in a family’s bloodline, the case study would read “McEntire.”
The southeastern Oklahoma family is almost a household name, thanks to the superstardom of Reba. But her siblings, who learned four-part harmony in the back seat of a car on the way to rodeos, make their own music. Pake McEntire, the lone brother to three sisters, will bring his brand of traditional country to Shawnee this weekend. He is the featured performer for the Art, Wine and Music Festival Saturday on Bell Street.
Nowadays, McEntire is no longer seeking a major label for his music, but the desire to sing and play his fiddle is as strong as ever. His music ranges from an original tune that lauds an anti-inflammatory medicine for horses to classic songs like “Orange Blossom Special.”
“I love entertainment. I love being on that stage,” McEntire said by phone from his home in Coalgate. “It’s what we do.”
McEntire has been singing and going to rodeos since he was old enough to hold his head up by himself. As a youngster, McEntire and his sisters — Reba, Susie and Alice — learned harmony from their mother, Jac, on the way to rodeos, where their father, Clark, competed. Later, as a student at Kiowa, McEntire was a member of the Kiowa Cowboy Band, the school’s alternative to a marching band.
“It was our country music band class. We played everything the school needed a band for and got a grade for it,” he said. “There were nine of us and all but three are still playing country music.”
McEntire has recorded several albums and a new one is at the printers, called “The Other Side of Me.” It features one song that McEntire wrote, “Bute ’Em ’Til They Die,” a comic ode to the pain-killing drug given to horses that are hurting after a rodeo.
“I’m 55 this month, and every now and then Advil and Tylenol makes me better,” McEntire said.
Another album, “And They Danced,” contains the title track co-written by his daughter, Autumn. The song tells about a couple who meet over a jukebox, get married, then when stumbling blocks come their way, they dance. “It’s like the answer to their problems. Whenever something good or bad happens, they dance, and things get back right again,” he said. “I was really impressed that she wrote the song.”
McEntire also plays the fiddle, and it’s an instrument that continues to challenge him 14 years after picking it up, he said. He said he wishes he’d starting playing it earlier in life, but he’s making up time with lots of practice. “I try very hard to practice every day. I love to practice,” he said. “I love to tie steers down and practice that fiddle.”
In the mid-1980s, when he was signed with RCA Records, McEntire had three top 20 singles, including “Savin’ My Love for You,” “Every Night” and “Too Old to Give Up Now.” Those will be included in his set, along with other album cuts and stories about his famous siblings. In addition to Reba’s singing and acting career, Susie continues to sing gospel music. Alice, though she has a good voice, “was the smartest of the bunch and chose not to get into the business,” he joked.
McEntire promises Shawnee a family show that’s not too loud.
“I’m pretty traditional country,” he said. “You’ll hear the fiddle and harmonica.”
McEntire will perform two shows Saturday — at 6 p.m. and at 8 p.m. Admission is free.
