Charlie Battles was much more than just Reba McEntire’s first husband—despite the fact that he is perhaps best recognised for that—and is a shining example of a really American man. Being born and raised in the South, Charlie Battles was at heart a Southerner.
Charlie Battles was born in Oklahoma to Earl and Ocey Battles in 1945. He had a rather average upbringing. Like many other teenagers at the time, Charlie Battles answered Uncle Sam’s call and joined the US army in 1962. But unlike many other army members, Charlie Battles was not deployed to Vietnam. Instead, he trained for ten months at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri.
Following that, he spent the most of his army service overseas. In Germany, he was an expert in armoured intelligence. After receiving an honourable discharge in 1965, Charlie Battles returned to his native Oklahoma. After his stint in the military was complete, Charlie Battles started steer wrestling and excelled at it. He started competing in rodeo events across the nation and took home the championship three years in a row, in 1968, 1970, and 1971. He furthered his display of prowess by qualifying for the 1974 PRCA National Finals.
Charlie married Sherrie, his first wife, and they began a family in 1966. After that, the Battles family grew as a result of the birth of Lance and Coty out of love. Charlie Battles continued to compete in the rodeo, but he had to leave because it wasn’t providing him with enough money to support himself. Instead, he started working as a cow rancher.
Young country music performer Reba McEntire, then 21 years old, wed champion steer wrestler Charlie Battles, then 31, on June 21st, 1976. Along with being newlywed and adjusting to being a stepmother, Reba was starting her own country music career. Her song “I Don’t Want to be a One-Night Stand” reached its highest position on the Billboard country singles charts at No. 88.
Sadly, Reba McEntire and the Battles’ sons didn’t get along very well. Additionally, Charlie didn’t do much to maintain a good relationship with his second wife and his two sons. The fact that the married couple didn’t have any children made Reba feel wholly isolated from the family. It reached to the point where Reba McEntire’s demands for involvement in activities with the father and his two sons were completely ignored by Charlie Battles.
Reba McEntire found solace in her music, and Charlie Battles, her husband, was an excellent support. As a result, Reba McEntire eventually decided it would be best for her singing career if she moved to Tennessee. As Reba McEntire’s reputation grew, Charlie Battle’s protectiveness and support—which she really appreciated—quickly gave way to possessiveness and jealousy. Due to the fact that Battles was in charge of their assets, all of the money Reba made from her profession would go to him. He felt so worthy of his success that he even went as far as stealing cash from her handbag.
In 1987, Reba sought a divorce with the assistance of her parents and sister. After finding that Reba had requested a divorce in an effort to persuade her to stay, Charlie withdrew all the money from their joint account because he never wanted this divorce, regardless of how it was driven.
Charlie Battles immediately got to his feet and started rodeoing after getting divorced from Reba. In 1993, he acquired his own ranch in Stringtown and began rodeoing there. Charlie also made his way into business, maybe as a result of his prior experience looking after Reba and their possessions while they were together. The Charlie Battles PRCA Rodeo Livestock Company is the name of the company that Charlie Battles later purchased.
Charlie Battles had a new love affair in 1998 and wed Donna Granger, who would eventually become his third wife. However, they were childless. Unfortunately, Charlie Battles had a stroke in 2006. He suffered complete paralysis as a result. He was buried in Sulphur, Louisiana, and passed away in 2013 as a consequence of complications from a stroke and heart failure.
