Biography
Charlie Battles: Rodeo Champion and Reba's First Husband
Charles Warner Battles was an American rodeo competitor, rancher and rodeo livestock contractor. He was born on March 9, 1945, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He died on April 21, 2013, in Sulphur, Louisiana, age
Charlie Battles, the professional rodeo steer wrestler, rancher, and former husband of country music singer Reba McEntire.
Charlie Battles was a championship rodeo steer wrestler, a cattle rancher and a US Army veteran. He was Reba McEntire's first husband, from 1976 to 1987. He died in 2013. Five entirely fictional men have since been invented who share his name.
Who was Charlie Battles?
Charles Warner Battles was an American rodeo competitor, rancher and rodeo livestock contractor. He was born on March 9, 1945, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He died on April 21, 2013, in Sulphur, Louisiana, aged 68. He competed in steer wrestling, and he was an IRA champion in that event. He enlisted in the US Army in 1962 and served as an armour intelligence specialist in Germany.
He was married to Reba McEntire from 1976 to 1987. He is not an actor, musician, software founder or sports journalist.
What was Charlie Battles' rodeo record?
He competed in steer wrestling. In that event a rider jumps from a horse and wrestles a steer to the ground. He won the IRA championship in steer wrestling, according to his obituary and the professional rodeo records. He qualified for the PRCA National Finals in 1974. He continued competing on the professional circuit into the 1990s.
An Oklahoma rodeo card from 1990 lists him in steer wrestling entries. His championship years are reported inconsistently between sources, and should not be stated as settled.
What was Charlie Battles' military service?
He enlisted in the US Army in 1962 and did his basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He spent the last two years and four months of his enlistment in Germany. He served as an armour intelligence specialist. He was honourably discharged on July 7, 1965.
He is buried with a grave marker inscribed US ARMY VIETNAM, though his service was in Germany. That inscription is a family decision rather than a record of where he served.
Who was Charlie Battles married to?
His first marriage was in 1966, and it produced two sons, Lance and Coty. That marriage ended in divorce. He married Reba McEntire in 1976. She was 21 and he was 31. They divorced in 1987. The Country Music Hall of Fame describes him as a rodeo star ten years her senior.
McEntire dedicated her 1987 album, The Last One to Know, to him. He married Donna Granger in 1998. He is not connected to Reba McEntire's later marriages.
What did Charlie Battles do after rodeo?
He bought a ranch near Stringtown, Oklahoma, and competed until roughly 1993. In 1995 he bought a PRCA rodeo livestock company, naming it Charlie Battles PRCA Rodeo Livestock Company. He moved to Detroit, Texas, to run it. He was still listed on the professional rodeo circuit in 1990.
He suffered a major stroke in 2006 that left him totally disabled. He moved to Sulphur, Louisiana, and died there in 2013. He died of heart failure with complications from that stroke.
Why are there five different Charlie Battles?
Because content farms invented him five separate times. One page describes him as a Texas actor discovered in community theatre. The same page describes him as the CEO of a software company called BattleSoft. It also describes him as a professional gamer and streamer.
Another describes him as a rapper signed to Atlantic Records. Another invents a Paralympic medal in wheelchair rugby and a memoir. None of these people exists. The real Charlie Battles died in 2013.
What is steer wrestling?
It is one of the classic rodeo events, alongside bronc riding, barrel racing and calf roping. In it, a rider grabs a steer by the horns as the steer runs from the chute. The rider leaps from the horse onto the steer and throws it flat on its side. It is timed to hundredths of a second, so it rewards speed and balance together.
It was one of the few events in rodeo that women also competed in during its early period. Battles competed in it at national level from the late 1960s onward. He qualified for the PRCA National Finals, which is the sport's premier contest.
What was Charlie Battles' business career?
He bought a ranch near Stringtown, Oklahoma, and ran cattle on it. He competed on the rodeo circuit alongside running that ranch. In 1995 he bought a PRCA rodeo livestock company and renamed it after himself. He moved to Detroit, Texas, to operate it.
That business supplied stock to rodeo events, which is a distinct trade from competing. He was still listed in rodeo entries as late as 1990, per an Oklahoma newspaper card. Running a livestock contracting business and competing are separate careers.
Why was Charlie Battles' funeral notable?
He died in 2013 after a stroke he suffered in 2006 left him disabled. He had moved to Sulphur, Louisiana, where he died of heart failure. He is buried at Mimosa-Pines Cemetery North. His grave marker is inscribed US ARMY VIETNAM, which his service record does not support.
His Army service was in Germany, not Vietnam. The inscription is a family choice and not a documented posting. His children survived him, including two sons from his first marriage.
Who was Reba McEntire's first husband?
Charlie Battles was Reba McEntire's first husband, from 1976 to 1987. They married when she was 21 and he was 31. Their marriage produced no children. She has said in interviews that she married young and left the marriage young.
She dedicated her 1987 album The Last One to Know to him. That album was released on September 7, 1987, the year of their divorce. Battles was ten years her senior, as the Country Music Hall of Fame records. He was a rodeo competitor at a time when country music had little connection to rodeo.
That made her an unusual figure in Nashville at the start of her career.
What happened to Charlie Battles' health?
He suffered a major stroke in 2006 that left him totally disabled. He moved to Louisiana after that, leaving Oklahoma and Texas. He died in Sulphur, Louisiana, on April 21, 2013, at 68. The cause was heart failure with complications from the stroke.
His livestock business and rodeo activity had already ended by then. He was 68, having been born in 1945.
Who else is named Charlie Battles?
At least two other real men share the name, and neither is the article subject. Charlie C. Battles of Rome, Georgia, was a draftsman who died in 2014. Charlie Battle, with a singular surname, was a football linebacker from Shreveport. Both have obituaries, which is why searches return the wrong person.
The rodeo subject is also confused with a competing steer wrestler of the same era. Oklahoma rodeo programmes from 1990 list both men, alongside Battles' son Coty. Unindexed printed programmes make the ambiguity genuine rather than invented. The reliable identifiers are his dates, his birthplace and his marriage to Reba McEntire.
Those three together distinguish him from every other Charlie Battles.
Why are Charlie Battles' championship years disputed?
His obituary lists IRA steer wrestling titles in 1968, 1970 and 1971. One biography page instead cites a current professional rodeo media guide for 1970 to 1972. Official rodeo records confirm he won the event but do not pin the years in one place. The obituary is a primary family source and is the better of the two.
Even so, the years should be treated as reported rather than settled. That distinction matters for an article claiming verified facts.
What is Charlie Battles' connection to the PRCA?
He competed on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association circuit. He qualified for its National Finals, the association's premier contest. He remained listed in rodeo entries on the circuit into 1990. He later moved from competing to supplying stock to events.
He bought a PRCA rodeo livestock company in 1995 and named it after himself. That was a supply business serving the sport he had competed in. Running it in Detroit, Texas put him near major western rodeo markets.
Why do biography pages attach five careers to Charlie Battles?
Because template pages filled an occupation field without checking anything. One describes a Texas actor discovered in community theatre. Another describes the chief executive of a software company. Another describes a professional gamer and streamer.
Another invents a rapper signed to a major label. Another invents a Paralympic medalist and a memoir. The real man was a rancher and rodeo cowboy who died in 2013. One of those pages even compares him side by side with rappers born decades later.
Other first spouses are profiled here too. They include Jill Diven, Brad Garrett's first wife, and Tisha Taylor Murphy, Charlie Murphy's wife.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Charlie Battles? Charlie Battles was an American rodeo steer wrestler, cattle rancher and rodeo livestock contractor. He was born on March 9, 1945 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and died on April 21, 2013 aged 68.
Was Charlie Battles Reba McEntire's husband? Yes, her first husband. They married in 1976 and divorced in 1987. The Country Music Hall of Fame describes him as a rodeo star ten years her senior.
Was Charlie Battles a champion rodeo cowboy? Yes. He was an IRA champion in steer wrestling and qualified for the PRCA National Finals in 1974. His exact championship years are reported inconsistently between sources.
How did Charlie Battles die? He died of heart failure with complications from a major stroke he suffered in 2006. He had been living in Sulphur, Louisiana, and was 68.
What was Charlie Battles' military service? He enlisted in the US Army in 1962 and did his basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He spent the last two years and four months of his enlistment in Germany. He served as an armour intelligence specialist. He was honourably discharged on July 7, 1965.
Who was Charlie Battles married to? His first marriage was in 1966, and it produced two sons, Lance and Coty. That marriage ended in divorce. He married Reba McEntire in 1976. She was 21 and he was 31. They divorced in 1987. The Country Music Hall of Fame describes him as a rodeo star ten years her senior.
Conclusion
Charlie Battles has a genuine, documented record. It includes an IRA championship and a National Finals qualification. It also includes Army service, a ranch, a livestock business and an eleven-year marriage to Reba McEntire.
His obituary, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Reba's own career record all agree on the outline.
What does not exist is any of the media careers attached to his name online. Five of them were invented.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
The questions readers search for most on this topic.
Who was Charlie Battles?
Charlie Battles was an American rodeo steer wrestler, cattle rancher and rodeo livestock contractor. He was born on March 9, 1945 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and died on April 21, 2013 aged 68.
Was Charlie Battles Reba McEntire's husband?
Yes, her first husband. They married in 1976 and divorced in 1987. The Country Music Hall of Fame describes him as a rodeo star ten years her senior.
Was Charlie Battles a champion rodeo cowboy?
Yes. He was an IRA champion in steer wrestling and qualified for the PRCA National Finals in 1974. His exact championship years are reported inconsistently between sources.
How did Charlie Battles die?
He died of heart failure with complications from a major stroke he suffered in 2006. He had been living in Sulphur, Louisiana, and was 68.
What was Charlie Battles' military service?
He enlisted in the US Army in 1962 and did his basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. He spent the last two years and four months of his enlistment in Germany. He served as an armour intelligence specialist. He was honourably discharged on July 7, 1965.
Who was Charlie Battles married to?
His first marriage was in 1966, and it produced two sons, Lance and Coty. That marriage ended in divorce. He married Reba McEntire in 1976. She was 21 and he was 31. They divorced in 1987. The Country Music Hall of Fame describes him as a rodeo star ten years her senior.
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