- Reba McEntire scored her first No. 1 country hit on Jan. 11, 1983 with “Can’t Even Get the Blues.”
- She fought her producer to record the up-tempo song, which had been eyed for another artist.
- The track appeared on her fifth album, Unlimited, and helped shift her from pop-country toward a bolder country sound.
- The follow-up single also reached No. 1, cementing McEntire’s rising stardom.
How Reba McEntire pushed for the song that changed her career
By the early 1980s, Reba McEntire was steadily building a reputation on Music Row but hadn’t yet broken through to the top of the country charts. Signed to Mercury Records in 1975 and releasing her debut in 1977, McEntire had racked up Top 40 singles but was still looking for a defining hit.
That moment arrived on Jan. 11, 1983, when “Can’t Even Get the Blues” — written by Tom Damphier and Rick Carnes — climbed to No. 1. The song’s punchy, up-tempo take on emotional numbness stood in contrast to the softer ballads her producer, Jerry Kennedy, preferred for her.
The studio fight: Reba vs. the producer
“Can’t Even Get the Blues” was originally being considered for country singer Jacky Ward. Jerry Kennedy wanted McEntire to stick with the gentler pop-country material she’d often been asked to record. Reba disagreed. She argued with Kennedy until he finally relented and let her record the track.
It was the last song recorded for her fifth studio album, Unlimited, and it proved to be the right call. The single became the first No. 1 hit of her career and signaled a turning point in how she was positioned as an artist.
From breakthrough single to lasting legacy
The lead single from Unlimited, “I’m Not That Lonely Yet,” had already climbed to No. 3 — McEntire’s biggest hit to that date — so momentum was building. After “Can’t Even Get the Blues” topped the chart, its follow-up, “You’re the First Time I’ve Thought About Leaving,” also reached No. 1, confirming that McEntire’s instincts and evolving sound resonated with country audiences.
More than four decades after that breakthrough, Reba McEntire remains one of country music’s most-decorated artists. The Oklahoma-born singer, known for hits like “Fancy,” has sold millions of records and sustained a career that crossed recording, television, and live performance.
Why the story matters
Reba’s fight to record a single track underscores how artists often must advocate for their vision. The success of “Can’t Even Get the Blues” helped redefine her musical direction and opened the door to the long string of hits and accolades that followed.
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