Reba serves as model for young acts' success

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) — Think of this as the Reba McEntire edition of the Country Music Association Awards.

Country music's most recognizable woman is up for just one award, but she inspired and led the way for the new generation of female talent that swept through nominations this year.

Young singers like Miranda Lambert, Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood admit they owe a debt to stars like Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton — as do all female country performers. But it was Reba who was front and center during their childhood, pointing the way.

She won the CMA's entertainer of the year in 1986 — around the time Lambert turned 3 and Scott …