These Female Country Stars Got Their Start in the Rodeo Arena

Before they were country stars, they were cowgirls. Real ones. These three women didn’t just sing about grit and determination, they lived it in the rodeo arena.

Reba McEntire, often called the Queen of Country, was a competitive barrel racer in her Oklahoma teens, following in the footsteps of her rodeo champion father, Clark McEntire. But it wasn’t just a side hobby. Reba’s big break came while singing the national anthem at the 1974 National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City. A country music career was born from a moment in the dirt.

Kylie Frey, a rising star from Louisiana, comes from three generations of rodeo riders. She was a state goat-tying champion before picking up the mic, often singing the national anthem at local events. Inspired by her idol Reba, Frey rode her rodeo roots all the way to the semifinals of America’s Got Talent, and later released her EP Rodeo Queen.

Then there’s Libby Hurley, a rodeo champ from Arkansas who later earned a beauty pageant crown. She made her mark in the 1980s and '90s with a string of country releases before trading in the stage for saddles, literally. Today, she runs a successful saddle business in her home state.

Whether under arena lights or stage spotlights, these women prove that rodeo grit and country gold often go hand in hand.