Reba McEntire's Duets: A Look at Her Collaborations with Kenny Chesney and More
Reba McEntire has collaborated with various artists on duets throughout her career, including a notable one in 2008. One of these collaborations was with Kenny Chesney on the song "Every Other Weekend" from her 2007 album Reba: Duets. The emotional track tells the story of children caught between their divorced parents' custody arrangements.
Initially featuring Chesney's vocals, the song gained popularity on the radio before being replaced by Skip Ewing's version, likely due to label differences between McEntire and Chesney. Despite this change, many radio stations continued to play the original version with Chesney. The music video for the song stars Reba's Reba co-stars Joanna García and Steve Howey.
Reba's Reba: Duets album also includes collaborations with artists like LeAnn Rimes, Trisha Yearwood, Rascal Flatts, and Vince Gill. While "Every Other Weekend" didn't achieve massive radio success, the album produced other hit singles. The first single, "Because Of You," sung with Kelly Clarkson, became a crossover hit and reached the Top 5 on country radio.
Interestingly, "Because Of You" was inspired by Clarkson's own experience of her parents' divorce when she was young. The songwriting process for the track was quick, with Clarkson completing it in about 25 minutes. McEntire's duet history includes iconic songs like "Does He Love You" with Linda Davis and "The Heart Won't Lie" with Vince Gill, originally intended for Kenny Rogers.
Reflecting on the missed opportunity to record "The Heart Won't Lie" with Rogers, McEntire expressed regret for not discussing the change with him. Despite this, her duet collaborations have left a lasting impact on country music fans.