Narvel Blackstock is an American music manager and former steel guitar player best known for managing Reba McEntire and running Starstruck Entertainment, with an estimated net worth of $50 million in 2026, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Born on August 31, 1956, in Tarrant County, Texas, he is 70 years old.
Blackstock built his career behind the scenes in country music. He moved from playing steel guitar to tour management, artist management, and television production. He spent 26 years married to Reba McEntire, later married Laura Stroud, and still runs Starstruck Entertainment in Nashville. Elsewhere on the site: Nikki Cox.
| Quick fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Narvel Wayne Blackstock |
| Age | 70 (born August 31, 1956) |
| Birthplace | Tarrant County, Texas, United States |
| Profession | Music manager, entertainment executive, producer |
| Company | Starstruck Entertainment |
| Current role | President and CEO |
| Former wife | Reba McEntire |
| Current wife | Laura Stroud |
| Children | Shawna, Chassidy, Brandon, and Shelby |
| Known for | Managing major country artists and Reba McEntire’s career |
| Net worth (2026) | About $50 million (Celebrity Net Worth estimate) |
Narvel Blackstock at a Glance
His public profile is unusual because most of his influence has come from work behind the camera rather than on the stage. He started as a musician but eventually found a longer-lasting role in artist management.
IMDb lists his birth name as Narvel Wayne Blackstock and gives his birth date as August 31, 1956, in Tarrant County. His professional credits include work as a producer and manager, including projects connected with Reba McEntire and the television series Malibu Country.
That mix of music, television, and management has kept him connected to the entertainment business for several decades.
From Steel Guitar Player to Music Manager
Before he became an entertainment executive, Blackstock played steel guitar. He joined McEntire’s touring band and later became her tour manager during the 1980s.
The professional relationship gradually expanded. He moved from performing with the band to helping oversee touring and then managing her wider career. After they married, he and McEntire formed Starstruck Entertainment to manage her growing career.
That transition placed him on the business side of one of country music’s most successful careers.
Starstruck Entertainment and His Business Career
Starstruck Entertainment remains central to his professional story. Celebrity Net Worth describes him as president and CEO of the company, founded in 1988, which offers management, booking, publicity, publishing and recording services. Starstruck’s website lists a current management roster of Blake Shelton, Emily Ann Roberts, Ty Myers and Maggie Rose, run from studios at 40 Music Square West in Nashville.
After the divorce, McEntire separated professionally from Starstruck and Blackstock kept control of the company.
Those records matter because they show that his career is more than a historical footnote to his marriage to McEntire. He remains professionally involved in artist management.
His Marriage and Business Partnership With Reba McEntire
Blackstock married Reba McEntire in 1989 after the pair had already worked together for years. They married in a private ceremony on a boat at Lake Tahoe and welcomed their son, Shelby, in February 1990.
Their relationship combined marriage and business. He managed her career while the couple built a substantial entertainment operation around her music, touring, television, and other ventures.
McEntire later explained that the constant overlap between work and home life became a defining part of the marriage. During a 2024 appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, she described their relationship as being “always business.”
The couple announced their separation in August 2015 after 26 years of marriage. Their statement said they continued to support each other despite ending the marriage. The divorce was finalized on October 28, 2015.
Who Is His Wife Now?
Blackstock later developed a relationship with Nashville real estate agent Laura Stroud.
Entertainment outlets reported that the couple married in Nashville in April 2024, with Blake Shelton, one of Blackstock’s longtime clients, officiating.
Blackstock has continued to run Starstruck from its Nashville base.
His Children and the Blackstock Family
He has four children from his first two marriages.
With his first wife, Elisa Gayle Ritter, he had three children: Shawna, Chassidy, and Brandon. His marriage to McEntire produced one son, Shelby Steven McEntire Blackstock.
Shelby pursued professional auto racing before moving into business and other ventures. PEOPLE reports that he later worked in business development, real estate, construction, and an outdoor clothing company.
Brandon followed his father into entertainment management and later became widely known through his marriage to Kelly Clarkson. He died of melanoma on August 7, 2025, at age 48, as his family announced at the time.
The family’s connections link several major names in American music, including McEntire, Clarkson, and Shelton.
What Is He Doing in 2026?
Despite keeping a lower public profile than many of the artists he has represented, he has not disappeared from the music business.
Starstruck Entertainment’s website continues to display an active management roster and Nashville studios, and he remains the company’s chief executive.
That makes his present-day role clearer than many celebrity biography pages suggest. He is not simply a retired manager remembered for an old marriage. His company remains active, and he still holds its top management position.
Narvel Blackstock Net Worth
Narvel Blackstock’s net worth is estimated at $50 million in 2026, according to Celebrity Net Worth, reflecting decades of artist management, production work and property deals.
It is a third-party estimate rather than an audited figure, since Starstruck is privately held. Real estate is the most visible part of the picture: Celebrity Net Worth reports that a Beverly Park estate in Los Angeles bought for $9 million in 2003 sold for $22.25 million in June 2015, and that the roughly 80-acre Starstruck Farm in Gallatin, Tennessee, sold in 2017 for about $5 million.
His long-term role at Starstruck does provide a clear basis for understanding why online estimates are substantial. He has spent decades managing successful entertainers and operating a Nashville entertainment company.
Why His Career Still Draws Interest
Much of the attention around Blackstock begins with McEntire, but his professional history reaches beyond their marriage.
He helped manage careers during a period when country music became a much larger national entertainment business. His company has also worked with artists from different generations, including Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton.
His story offers a look at the people behind major performers. Managers rarely receive the same visibility as the artists they represent, yet they can influence touring, publicity, business decisions, production, scheduling, and long-term career planning.
That behind-the-scenes role explains why his name continues to appear in searches tied to country music, celebrity families, and entertainment management.
Frequently Asked Questions
He is 70 years old. He was born on August 31, 1956, in Tarrant County, Texas.
No. They married in 1989 and divorced in 2015 after 26 years of marriage.
His wife is Laura Stroud, a Nashville real estate professional. They were reported to have married in Nashville in April 2024, with Blake Shelton officiating.
He has four children. Shawna, Chassidy, and Brandon were born during his first marriage to Elisa Gayle Ritter. He and Reba McEntire share a son, Shelby.
Yes. He kept control of Starstruck after his divorce from Reba McEntire and remains its president and CEO.
Narvel Blackstock’s net worth is estimated at $50 million in 2026, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
