In a new interview with People, Reba McEntire reflects on her ‘mind-boggling’ 50th anniversary in the music industry, expressing gratitude and humility regarding the historic milestone. “Very grateful, very thankful,” McEntire says while looking back on her storied career. “And I never thought at the 20th anniversary that I’d be hitting this one. But I have to give a lot of credit to people who have been before me — Tammy [Wynette], Dolly [Parton], Loretta [Lynn] — who have paved the roads for girl singers of my generation and the ones that are coming up after me.” As she prepares to host the 60th ACM Awards on Thursday (May 8) – for a record 18th time –  McEntire recalls the life changing event of catching Red Steagall‘s attention at the 1974 National Finals Rodeo, which gave the country icon the opportunity to release 32 studio albums, while eventually collecting 16 ACM Awards, 15 American Music Awards, nine People’s Choice Awards, six CMA Awards, and three Grammy Awards. (People)