Reba McEntire and ex-husband Narvel Blackstock welcomed their son, Shelby Blackstock, in 1990

Reba McEntire and Shelby Blackstock attend the 2018 Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame Gala. Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty

Reba McEntire became a mother in 1990.

The “I’m a Survivor” singer welcomed her son, Shelby Steven McEntire Blackstock, with her ex-husband Narvel Blackstock one year after their 1989 wedding. The two were married for 26 years before divorcing in 2015.

In October 2022, McEntire spoke to PEOPLE about her adult son, saying, “I’m very proud of him. He’s always trying to improve and do better. His daddy did a great job too.”

She added, “Shelby is a gift from God to me. We’re very close. I was a very self-centered person to a degree before Shelby. 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.”

The Voice coach also shared that she had “a lot of help” raising Shelby during her busy career.

“I had the best nannies, and I took him on the road with me,” she said. “When I couldn’t, I would fly home after a concert, get him up in the morning, take him to school and pick him up. We’d play until I had to fly out again for a concert that night. I wanted to be with Shelby. Still do.”

In December 2023, McEntire shared with PEOPLE that her joy comes in part from her son and his well-being. “I’m at a really good place in my life,” she said. “I’m happy, I’m in love. My kids are all healthy. My family’s healthy. So I’m happy.”

Here’s everything to know about Reba McEntire’s son, Shelby Blackstock.

He was born in 1990

Shelby Blackstock Instagram

Shelby was born on Feb. 23, 1990, less than a year after McEntire and Blackstock got married on June 3, 1989. He is their only child together; Blackstock previously welcomed daughters Shawna Rene Blackstock and Chassidy Celeste Blackstock and son Brandon Blackstock with ex-wife Elisa Gayle Ritter.

According to The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Shelby grew up in Nashville until he was 9 years old when he moved to New York City with McEntire. At the time, she was making her Broadway debut in the 1999 revival of Annie Get Your Gun, which ran for six months.

When he was 10 years old, McEntire landed her sitcom Reba, and the family moved to Los Angeles, where Shelby lived for years. He later moved to Cornelius, North Carolina, on Lake Norman.

He is a former NASCAR driver

Shelby Blackstock, Ryan Booth and Neil Alberico at the Indy Lights race during the IndyCar Series Grand Prix in Houston, Texas. Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon SMI/Corbis/Icon Sportswire/Getty

Shelby fulfilled his dream of becoming a NASCAR driver in 2011. During his freshman year at the University of Arizona in 2010, he realized that he wanted to race for a living and made a deal with his mom that he would finish two semesters before pursuing his real passion.

Although McEntire told Cody Alan in 2020 that she had “no idea” the sport was on Shelby’s mind, she supported him. According to The Daytona Beach News-Journal, he began racing five months before his first Daytona start at the 2011 Continental Tire Challenge Grand-Am 200.

“Watching Shelby on the track racing at 170MPH was the biggest rush I’ve ever had!” the country singer wrote on her blog, per Taste of Country. “Congrats to Shelby on his first professional race! We’re very proud and very thankful to God for keeping him safe.”

In 2020, he was a GT World Challenge America Overall Champion.

He founded a clothing brand

Shelby founded the clothing brand Hartland, which specializes in outdoor clothes. The brand’s Instagram page notes that its mission is to “connect & grow a community through a unique & quality brand that’s deeply rooted in the love of the outdoors,” though there’s been no activity on the account since September 2021.

Shelby’s LinkedIn says he is a business development manager at Global Source Advisors, a United States distributor of “healthcare products and services to businesses.”

He’s held the position since March 2020, but The New York Times reported in April 2022 that Shelby is also focused on real estate and investment projects.

He married wife Marissa Branch in 2022

Shelby Blackstock proposing to his girlfriend Marissa Branch on New Year’s Eve 2020. Shelby Blackstock Instagram

Shelby proposed to his girlfriend Marissa Branch, a social media influencer and licensed esthetician, on New Year’s Eve in 2020. The couple met in 2014 on Tinder but didn’t start dating until two years later.

“We made fast friends early on and have had a strong bond ever since,” the duo told PEOPLE. “We both agree that if we had dated immediately upon meeting, we likely would not be as prepared as we are now to deserve one another.”

Shelby got down on one knee in Walt Disney World’s Epcot, where the pair later said “I do” in a fairytale wedding ceremony on Feb. 12, 2022. Branch told PEOPLE that it was also “the first place Shelby said ‘I love you.’” She walked down the aisle to “Tale as Old as Time” from Beauty and the Beast in front of Cinderella Castle.

“We’ve known each other for so long, from both a ‘just friends’ to a dating perspective,” she added. “Tackling whatever life throws our way as husband and wife — creating a family and legacy, together — excites us more than anything.”

He is a mega Disney fan

Shelby Blackstock and Marissa Branch pose in front of the Millenium Falcon at Walt Disney World. Shelby Blackstock Instagram

Shelby loves the “happiest place on Earth.”

“I grew up watching everything Disney and going to all the parks,” Shelby told The New York Times in April 2022. “I know it’s a kid’s playground, but we’re big grown-up kids.”

In particular, Star Wars is one of Shelby’s favorite things at Walt Disney World. He has made many Instagram posts about his love for the sci-fi franchise, including a post posing with Marissa on May 4th, 2022, that he captioned, “May the 4th be with you!” He also shared another photo highlighting a visit to the Millenium Falcon.

Regarding what the location means to him, Shelby said, “it brought the entire family together” for his nuptials. “It shows you that no matter what you’re dealing with, you go to the happiest place on earth and anyone can mesh. That was a perfect wedding day,” he added.

He has paid tribute to his dad

Narvel Blackstock holding his son Shelby Blackstock as a baby.Shelby Blackstock Instagram

While Shelby doesn’t often talk about his dad online, every Father’s Day, he shares a special message dedicated to him on Instagram.

“Words can’t describe how much I love you and how much you have impacted my life. Thank you for everything!” he captioned a 2020 picture of Blackstock carrying him as a baby.

The previous year, Shelby posted a black-and-white snap of them together. “Thank you for being the best dad and role model!” he wrote alongside it.

He lives in Nashville with his wife and two dogs

Shelby Blackstock and his wife Marissa Branch with their dogs. Shelby Blackstock Instagram

Shelby now lives in Nashville with his wife to be closer to his parents, according to The New York Times. After the two started dating, Marissa moved from Indiana to North Carolina to be with him and they moved into a new home in Charlotte. This change inspired other decisions, like taking a step back from racing cars and returning to his hometown of Nashville.

Shelby and Marissa are also proud dog parents. They have two dogs: Belle, a husky, and Watson, a corgi. The pups go everywhere with the couple, from pumpkin patches and car rides to spending snow days outside.

He has visited Reba on the set of Happy’s Place

Rex Linn, Marissa Blackstone, Reba McEntire and Shelby Blackstone on the set of ‘Happy’s Place’.Marissa Blackstone/ Instagram

In November 2024, Shelby and Marissa visited Reba and her boyfriend, Rex Linn, on the set of their sitcom Happy’s Place — an NBC series filmed at the Universal Studios lot in Los Angeles.

“We found our Happy Place! Getting a front-row seat to the magic of TV—table reads, blocking, and rehearsals—was so interesting!” the couple wrote on Instagram in a joint post.