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Reba McEntire and Her Son Have the Same Big, Bright Smile in 1994 Throwback

The Voice Coach is extremely close to her son, Shelby Blackstock.

By Elizabeth Logan

Hope they have this one framed at home.

How to Watch

Watch the Season 26 premiere of The Voice on Monday, September 23 at 8/7c on NBC and next day on Peacock. 

In a throwback photo shoot from 1994, country legend and The Voice Coach Reba McEntire embraces her young son, whose smile is every bit as big and bright as her own. He also seems to have inherited his mom's ginger locks. Both are wearing perfectly 1990s outfits: a 'Joe Cool' Snoopy t-shirt for young Shelby Blackstock, and a denim button-down over a white camisole for McEntire. So cute.

About Reba McEntire's son, Shelby Blackstock

McEntire gave birth to Blackstock in 1990, a year after getting married to his father, race car driver and film producer Narvel Blackstock. The pair split in 2015, and Shelby is following in his father's footsteps, or rather, tire tracks. Per Closer Weekly, he's raced at the US F2000 National Championship, the Pro Mazda Championship, and the Indy Lights.

Shelby is McEntire's only child, and they appear to be quite close. To celebrate her son turning 34 in February 2024, she posted a picture of the two of them on Instagram, and wrote, "I sure feel a lot better today than I did 34 years ago! :) 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 mind and soul. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️." We're not crying, you're crying.

Reba McEntire with her son Shelby Steven McEntire Blackstock as a little boy

RELATED: Did You Know Reba McEntire Has a Race Car Driver Son? All About Her "Best Accomplishment"

How Reba McEntire raised her son to work hard

McEntire has shared that she was careful not to let Shelby become spoiled by the fact that he had celebrity parents. 

"When we would play games or cards, I'd never let Shelby win. He wouldn't have learned anything that way. I always told Shelby, 'I'll always love you, but I want other people to like you. So don't be a little jerk. Don't be a spoiled brat,'" she told  People in 2022. "A lot of people have told me you would never know [he] had been blessed with the life he was given."

Reba McEntire and her son Shelby Blackstock pose on the red carpet of the 2018 Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame Gala

"I'm very proud of him. He was a kid who had ADHD and could barely read in school, and now he's read 10 books this year. 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."

RELATED: Reba McEntire Positively "Giddy" Over First The Voice Win With Asher HaVon (EXCLUSIVE)