Reba McEntire shares never-before-seen photos of son on special day

Reba McEntire shared a touching tribute to her son, Shelby Blackstock, as the race car driver celebrated his 36th birthday on Monday.

The country superstar took to Instagram to post several photos of Shelby from his childhood and young adult years, with the first one featuring a young Reba as she held baby Shelby in her arms, fresh from a bath. In the second picture, Reba posed for a professional photo with Shelby, who looked to be around five or six years old.

The third picture saw Reba sporting a floral dress with a sunhat while holding her toddler in her arms, and the fourth featured the Grammy winner at one of her son’s racing events years later.   

“Seems like yesterday when our journey started together. Happy Birthday, Shelby! Love you with all my heart,” she wrote in the caption, as fans rushed to the comment section to share their own birthday wishes. 

“He grew up to be a handsome young man. If he is anything like you, I bet he is wonderful!” wrote one fan, while another added: “Adorable photos!” A third chimed in: “Love those pictures! You both look so wonderful!” while another said: “Awe u [sic] are an awesome mom.”

Reba welcomed Shelby with her second husband and former manager, Narvel Blackstock, in 1990, a year after the couple tied the knot. Despite going their separate ways in 2015 after 26 years of marriage, Reba and Narvel are still endlessly supportive of Shelby.

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“I’m very proud of him. He’s always trying to improve and do better. His daddy did a great job, too,” the mother of one told People. “Shelby is a gift from God to me. We’re very close. I was a very self-centered person to a degree before Shelby,” she continued.

Learn more about Reba’s ex-husband, Narvel Blackstock, below…

“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.” Reba added that she did everything she could to be with Shelby during his childhood, despite her busy touring schedule.

“I had the best nannies, and I took him on the road with me,” she recalled. “When I couldn’t, I would fly home after a concert, get him up in the morning, take him to school and pick him up. We’d play until I had to fly out again for a concert that night. I wanted to be with Shelby. Still do.”

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The Happy’s Place actress shared how she felt about Shelby’s NASCAR career, which saw him win the GT World Challenge America Overall Champion prize in 2020. 

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“I’m very happy that he’s racing because that’s his passion,” she told The Daytona Beach News-Journal. 

“I can understand the excitement of the race business. I’m from a rodeo family. The scare tactics and everything are very similar in rodeo. The adrenaline does flow very fast, but I’m used to that.” Shelby now lives with his wife, Marissa Branch, in Nashville, close to Reba’s home.