Barbara Mandrell and Her Menagerie of Pets

This country has been very lucky when it comes to women named Barbara. They all are truly incomparable at what they do. Politics had a gem with former first lady Barbara Bush, and journalism was reborn when Barbara Walters landed on the scene. Yet the field of music has been blessed with two amazing Barbaras. Barbra Streisand and Barbara Mandrell. I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing country music legend Barbara Mandrell, who made headlines last year after retiring from the world of music to pursue a career in acting. Born on Christmas Day, Barbara has always considered music an integral part of her life. Her parents Irby and Mary, were also musically talented, and soon enough the Mandrells were formed. Together they traveled to over 18 foreign countries. In 1969 Barbara recorded her first solo for CBS, and in years to follow several other unforgettable songs followed including "Midnight Oil," "Sleeping Single in a Double Bed," "Woman to Woman," and the immensely popular," If Loving You Is Wrong I Don't Want to Be Right." In the early 1980's NBC aired the weekly variety musical show, "Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters". It remained in the top 40 for its entire run and became the highest rated program on TNN when they aired it in the 1990's.

In 1990 Barbara Mandrell wrote her autobiography, Get to the Heart: My Story, which was on the New York Times Best Seller List for six months. She is the recipient of over 75 major awards including Grammy's and Peoples Choice. She has starred in her own specials for HBO, CBS, and TNN and has made countless appearances on television from The Tonight Show to Oprah. Barbara Mandrell is truly a remarkable lady, an undeniable star, a pet lover and a new friend.

KT: How many pets do you have?
BM: I Have two Diamond doves, named "Tutti Frutti" and "Old Rutti," five cats, "Peaches," "Love," "Tink," "Vanderbilt," and "Kumate." Two dogs, "Dandy Lion" and "Choutteloun" and a cockatoo named "Koko."

KT: Do you have a particular type of animal you like best?
BM: Dogs and cats. You can love them and they love you back although my cockatoo is very jealous.

KT: Are you afraid of any animals?
BM: Yes! Snakes. I was on a TV show with Betty White and she made me touch one.

KT: You are an accomplished singer with many number one hits. What is your favorite song?
BM: Well I have many songs that are close to my heart. Of my own songs I like "I Loved Country When Country Wasn't Cool," "If Loving You is Wrong I Don't Want to Be Right." My favorite song is not one of my own although I have sung it before; it's "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."

KT: Once you are gone, how would you like people to remember you?
BM: I'd like to be remembered as a good person, a good Christian, and a pleasure to be around.

KT: Is there any room in the Mandrell home for other pets?
KT: Well, my husband will be reading this so I guess I'll say no.

KT: Is it true that animal people are the best people?
BM: I think that being an animal lover is a great judge of character. I think the greatest animal lover is Gunther Gables Williams, former lion tamer at Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. He and his family have been friends of ours for over 20 years. When his big cats die, he has them taxydermied and he keeps them in his home. The only one he ever gave to anyone he gave to us. It was a Bengal tiger that died named Zeebra. We keep her in our home and we had a plaque made that said given to The Mandrell Family by Gunther Gable Williams. It is very dear to our hearts.

KT: I know you love your pets. What do they mean to you?
BM: They are a part of my family. Outside of my bathroom window is a big window to look out and watch the birds and nature in that area. There are some of the tombstones from the kitty cats that have died. All of my pets have a special part of my heart.

KT: If you were an animal which one would you be and why?
BM: I would be an American Bald Eagle. They are magnificent, and they represent the greatness of our nation. I think I'd want to be one because they are loved, admired, and protected by our people.

KT: All of your songs carry a special message in them to the listener. What message would you like the person who reads this interview to get?
BM: Spay and neuter! Our Bouvier is a champion and her father was ninth in the nation. Six days after she championed we spayed her. Twenty years ago Purina gave me a St. Bernard so my husband drove her to Chicago to be bred. My vet of over twenty years, Dr. Bill Shannon, was very upset with me. He told me that for every puppy we gave a home, another puppy loses its home and it is not fair that so many animals must die.

KT: What are you most proud of?
BM: I am very proud of my family and my friends and certainly of my animals.

KT: What can we next expect from Ms. Barbara Mandrell?
BM: Well Lifetime network is doing intimate portraits on me, and NBC is broadcasting the movie in the fall. I also sell fashion jewelry on QVC periodically, so I stay very busy.

KT: What have you learned from your pets?
BM: They make me feel good and happy, they are sweet and wonderful. We kept our tour bus because it was made for us, but when we did tour, the two dogs, and the kitten were with us. Everyone would say they are the most obedient and amazing dogs. They are a responsibility. On Sunday morning I have to add 40 minutes to my getting ready time to feed all my pets.

Photo Credit: Karen Will Rogers

KT: If the world is divided into two kinds of people, dog lovers and cat lovers, who are you?
BM: I'd be standing with one foot on either side.

KT: What would a life without pets be?
BM: I don't want to imagine. God built us a perfect world and we are the ones to mess it up. The animals that he gave us are amazing and we must care for them and protect them.

-Kareem Tabsch is a freelance writer who specializes in celebrity interviews. He has interviewed celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor, Bob Hope, Joan Rivers, Julio Iglesias, Barbara Mandrell and others. He writes frequently on animal related issues as well as on the entertainment industry.