多莉不仅仅是纳什维尔的女王——她还是我心目中的英雄。1967年我第一次听到她在“波特·瓦格纳秀”唱歌，自那以后就成为她的歌迷。人们说模仿是恭维的最高境界，天哪，我模仿多莉竟到了不知羞耻的地步。我仔细研究过她。她的歌声可以很轻柔动情，然后歌声走高，证明她的唱功。我尝试着学她的颤音，还有她弹吉他的样子！多莉也涉足商界，杀入影视圈。现在回想起来，我觉得她当时就是我的楷模。

多莉性格坚强，儿时在田纳西州东部度过艰苦岁月。她家境虽然贫困，但总是努力克服困难，改变命运。她就想知道，如果全力拼搏能有怎样的成就——我也有同样的想法。

我猜你们会说我举手投足都像多莉·帕顿。不过我迟早要停止模仿她，学会做里芭，这才是最难的。

我们在高中有一个乡村音乐乐队，妈妈就督促我说，“里芭，只有一个多莉·帕顿。你得找到自己的演唱风格。多莉会第一个对你这么说。”

妈妈说得没错。我开始出的几张唱片中仍能听到很多多莉的声音，不过我努力打造自己的声音。然而，完全让我忘掉她并不可能——尤其当我穿衣打扮的时候。我常听多莉说她想穿闪闪发光的衣服，所以我也想穿得闪闪发光。我甚至雇她的设计师托尼·蔡斯给我设计服饰。他给我做的衣服上缀满了人造水晶和小金属片。你猜怎么着？这一招不灵。穿上这衣服就不是我。就像妈妈对我所说，多莉也不会穿让自己感觉别扭的衣服。

把这个问题想到底，我猜我更像安妮·奥克利而不是多莉。我花了一些功夫，尝试了很多错误，才意识到如何穿出自己的风格。

多年来都是别人告诉我穿什么。他们怎么说，我就怎么穿，可我从人前走过时如果觉得别扭，我就害羞放不开。如果我穿上那些令我感觉时髦而精神的衣服，一个放松自如的里芭就出现了。那时我处于最佳状态。如今我拥有了自己的风格，知道自己喜欢什么。我喜欢亮色，衣服不能突出我的腹部，短裙和短上衣不再用纹样粗犷的印花布。

不过有一点我仍然学多莉，我利用自己的风格做起了生意——创立了一个叫“里芭”的服饰品牌。我下大功夫做好这个品牌，确保衣服宽松不紧，是的，凡是这个品牌的衣服我都愿意穿。我可不想某一天演唱的时候前排站起来一个人说句让我畏缩的话，“嗨，我穿着里芭呢。”

回过头来说说多莉。她真有幽默感：我第一次给她打电话，她接电话时说，“你真的是里芭·麦肯泰尔还是自认为是里芭·麦肯泰尔的小松鼠？”其实我就是里芭，虽然我花了一点时间最终才知道里芭是谁。不过私下说，我仍然是多莉最铁杆的歌迷。

A Style of My Own

On September 17, 1977, I was standing in the wings of the Grand Ole Opry[1]) in Nashville, about to sing two songs in my first appearance at the mother church of country music. I was 22 and had dreamed of being a star ever since first grade back in Kiowa[2]), Oklahoma[3]). A man walked up to me and said, "Reba, we're going to have to cut you down to one song."

I asked, "Why?"

And he said, "Well, Dolly's just made a surprise appearance."

My knees buckled[4]). "Dolly Parton's in the building?" I said. Just then, she came floating by, wearing this beautiful black chiffon[5]) pantsuit[6]) with rhinestone[7]) butterflies on it and her hair all big. Man, she was just what a star ought to be. After that, I didn't care if I sang or not. I'd just seen Dolly Parton in the flesh[8]).

Dolly wasn't just the reigning queen of Nashville — she was my hero. I've been a fan since I first heard her on"　The Porter Wagoner Show" back in 1967. They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery, and, boy, I was shameless with Dolly. I studied her. She can get real soft and very emotional, then louder to prove her point. I tried to imitate her trills. And the way she played the guitar! Dolly was also a businesswoman who branched out[9]) into movies and television. Looking back, I see she was a model for me even there.

She was a strong woman who'd had a rough childhood in East Tennessee. Her family was poor, but she was always striving to overcome hardships and improve her life. She wanted to see just what all she could do if she worked real hard — and I did too.

I guess you could say I lived and breathed Dolly Parton. But sooner or later, I had to break away from copying her and learn to be Reba. That was the hardest thing.

In high school, we had a country-western band, and Mama would get after me. She'd say, "Reba, there's only one Dolly Parton. You've got to find your own style of singing. Dolly would be the first to tell you that."

Mama was right. You can still hear a lot of Dolly on my first records, but I worked hard to get her sound out of my voice. It was impossible to get her entirely out of my thoughts, though — especially when it came to the way I dressed. I'd always heard Dolly say she wanted stuff that was shiny, so I wanted shiny stuff too. I even hired her designer, Tony Chase, to create clothes for me. He made me dresses that were all rhinestones and sequins, beaded from top to bottom. And guess what? It didn't work. It just wasn't me. Like my mama told me, Dolly wouldn't have worn something she wasn't comfortable in either.

When it comes down to it, I guess I'm a lot more like Annie Oakley than Dolly, and it took some time, and a lot of trial and error, to realize how to dress like my own self.

For years, I had people telling me what to wear. I would go with what they said, but when I walk out in front of somebody, if I'm not comfortable, I'm inhibited[10]). If I put on clothes that I feel sassy[11]) and spunky[12]) in, the at-ease Reba comes out. Then I'm at my best. So now I have my own style and know what I like. I like bright colors, nothing that emphasizes my stomach, none of those big bold prints for a skirt and a jacket.

And, still following Dolly a little, I've turned my style into a business — a clothing line called Reba. I worked hard to get the line right, making sure things don't pinch and bind, and, yes, I would wear everything in it. I don't want to be performing one day and feel like I want to cringe[13]) when somebody in the front row stands up and says, "Hey, I'm wearing Reba."

But back to Dolly. She can be a real cutup[14]); the first time I called her on the phone, she answered and said, "Is this really Reba McEntire or some squirrel who thinks she's Reba McEntire?" Well, I am the real Reba. Even if it took me a little while, I finally know who Reba is. Just between us, though, I'm also still Dolly's biggest fan.

注释

1．the Grand Ole Opry：伟大老兄歌剧院。美国于1924 年开始了一种广播节目形态，电台转播农村百姓在自家谷仓办的舞会、音乐会，其中以田纳西州纳许维尔WSN 电台的 Grand Ole Opry (伟大老兄歌剧院)节目最为轰动，后来在这节目演出的乡村音乐艺人、类型数不胜数。1983 年成立的纳许维尔电视台，每周现场转播Grand Ole Opry的演出，Grand Ole Opry的地位至今屹立不摇，是乡村音乐发展史上最重要的殿堂。

2. Kiowa [5kaiEuwB:, -EwE] n.基奥瓦人[语]；

3. Oklahoma[7EuklE5hEumE] n.俄克拉荷马州

4. buckle v. 变弯曲，软下来

5. chiffon n.<法>[纺]薄纱，薄绸，缎带，花边

6. pantsuit n.长裤与衣相配成套的便服

7. rhinestone n.水晶之一种，人造钻石

8. in the flesh：本人，活生生的

9. branch out：扩充(业务等)，扩大活动范围

10. inhibited adj.羞怯的，内向的

11. sassy adj.时髦的

11. spunky adj.精神十足的

12. cringe vi.畏缩