Country-music singer Reba McEntire gets plugged in with a computer on every desk, an enhanced CD, and a Web site called Reba.com.

The superstar
Reba McEntire has taken songs about heartache, love, and wistfulness to the highest spots in country musicdom. In a 20-year career, her 27 albums have sold more than 40 million copies. She is also one of the top ten grossing live performers in the U.S. Her tour last year with the Brooks and Dunn duo ended as the highest-grossing concert series in country music history.

Although music has brought McEntire wealth and celebrity, she retains a disarming charm delivered with an aw-shucks twang straight out of her hometown of Chockie, Oklahoma. She's a straight-talker who everyone knows simply as "Reba."

Despite such down-home appeal, McEntire is a country music star who's taking her Nashville roots online. Her company, Starstruck Entertainment, features a computer on every desk, her recent album was released as an enhanced CD, and she even hosts a Web site, Reba.com.

Wired for sound
McEntire, who majored in elementary education before launching her singing career in 1974, was introduced to computers when her now eight-year-old son Shelby began using them in kindergarten. "When I first got started on computers, I was petrified," she admits. "I thought I would erase everything."

Since then, not only has McEntire overcome her fear of mistakenly erasing files but also now leads a thoroughly wired life. She keeps computers at home, in the office, and on the road. She even installed an ISDN line for high-speed Web access at her vacation home in Cancún.

For McEntire, such high-tech amenities are a necessity. Few recording artists achieve her level of success in the studio, and even fewer in the associated businesses of recording, promotion, and publishing. In order to arrange tour logistics and organize day-to-day affairs, McEntire and her husband-manager Narvel Blackstock founded Starstruck Entertainment and built its three-story headquarters on Nashville's famed Music Row.

The business woman
As CEO of Starstruck, McEntire oversees business interests that span music, travel, equestrian events, and construction. The company, with a staff of 40, also runs a 25,000-square foot state-of-the-art recording studio. McEntire and her husband have separate offices on opposite sides of the third floor.

McEntire's own suite is finished in natural woods (light maple and pear) and open beams. There's a sandstone fireplace; on top, a bronze sculpture of McEntire standing before a stylized Stars and Stripes drapes down the wall. Tiny bronze rodeo figures and range cattle gallop along the top of the metallic flag. Behind her desk are shelves filled with recent accolades: the Country Music Award, the People's Choice Award, and the Music City Award. Two smaller trophies are for skeet and trap shooting. Her two Grammy Awards--won in 1987 and 1994--are nowhere in sight. "I took them home while they were refinishing the floors," explains McEntire. "I just haven't brought them back yet."

On June 15, the TNN Music City News Country Awards honored McEntire with the Minnie Pearl Award in recognition of her charity work on behalf of The Salvation Army, Texoma Medical Center, Children's Medical Research, and Habitat for Humanity. "This one means the most to me," says McEntire, who cried during her acceptance speech. "I loved Minnie Pearl very, very much. The award has got Minnie's name on it and it's about sharing: It's the giving back that heals the heart."

Giving back
With the recent release of her album, If You See Him, McEntire takes to the road again July 15 for a tour of 60 cities. She'll stage 68 of her trademark theatrical performances that feature set changes, a dazzling light show, and displays that seem straight out of a Las Vegas magic show.

Because of the demands on McEntire's time, she finds that e-mail and her Web site are a great way to communicate with fans. Each week, she answers about 15 e-mail questions sent to her on RebaNet, an Internet fan site and mailing list maintained by Starstruck. "It's fun, instant, and keeps communication open with the fans," she says. Recent questions addressed Reba's favorite shampoo as well as how organizer's seat the superstar at award ceremonies. RebaNet members receive a personal reply, and all responses are posted. The Web site also includes current news, tour information, a biography, a discography, awards, and other information about the country music singer.

"Reba can sit at her computer and send e-mail to hundreds of thousands of fans at once. It's going over pretty well. They love it," says James Dutile, Starstruck's director of multimedia. During last year's Australian leg of her tour, McEntire even used e-mail to keep radio stations abreast of her progress.

The upgrade
McEntire has taken to computer technology like a cowboy's rope to a steer. For her new album, she collaborated with Microsoft to create an enhanced CD--a compact disc with multimedia features. In addition to 12 songs, If You See Him contains video clips, photographs, graphics, and text for viewing on a computer screen. The video includes a behind-the-scenes look at stage preparations for a concert. A customized Web browser allows Reba fans to link directly from the CD to the Reba.com Web site. 

During a recent introduction to Windows 98, McEntire and son Shelby took the new Microsoft operating system for a spin. "It's simpler to use. We really do like it," says McEntire. "It's great because it allows me to choose when and where I want to do my work. When I'm on the road, Windows 98 helps me to keep in touch with the office and the family."

The bottom line is that Starstruck has used Windows 98 to improve its relationship with those who count--Reba's fans. "It's amazing that Windows 98 works so well for everyone," said McEntire, "for work or just for fun."