Lonestar biography
Lonestar is an American country music group consisting of Richie McDonald (lead vocals), Michael Britt (lead guitar, background vocals), Keech Rainwater (drums), Dean Sams (keyboards, melodica, background vocals), and Robby Wilson (Bass Guitar). McDonald left the band in November 2007 for a solo career before returning in 2011. During that time, Cody Collins, who had formerly been in another country group called McAlyster, replaced McDonald as the band's lead vocalist. John Rich was also the group's bass guitarist and second lead vocalist until 1998, when he was fired from the group. He left for a solo career, before joining Big Kenny in the duo Big & Rich in 2003. Since Rich's departure, Lonestar has not had an official bass guitarist.
Lonestar first charted in late 1995 with the single "Tequila Talkin'," the first of 27 singles on the country charts. Nine of the band's singles have reached Number One on this chart. Perhaps their well-known and biggest hit was 1999's "Amazed", a crossover hit that reached Number One on both the country charts and the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first single to do so since Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton's "Islands in the Stream" in 1983. The group has also recorded eight studio albums and a Greatest Hits compilation. Three of their albums have been certified gold, while three more have been certified platinum or higher. They have sold more than 6.5 million records worldwide.
History
Lonestar began in 1992 as a band named Texassee. This name was derived from the fact that all five members were natives of Texas, and met in Nashville, Tennessee's Opryland USA theme park. The original lineup consisted of lead singer/rhythm guitarist Richie McDonald (Lubbock), lead guitarist Michael Britt (Fort Worth), drummer Keech Rainwater (Plano), keyboardist Dean Sams (Garland), and bass guitarist/co-lead vocalist John Rich (Amarillo). Before Lonestar's foundation, Rainwater played drums in another country band called Canyon, which recorded for 16th Avenue Records charted in the country top 40 with "Hot Nights" in 1989. By 1992, Texassee changed its name to Lonestar. The band first played at a concert in Nashville in 1993 and signed to BNA Records by 1995.
Musical career
Lonestar
The band's first single for BNA Records, "Tequila Talkin'", reached a peak of number eight on the
Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. It was included on Lonestar's self-titled debut album. After it, "Runnin' Away with My Heart" also went to number eight, followed by "When Cowboys Didn't Dance" at number 45 and "Heartbroke Every Day" at number eighteen. The latter two songs overlapped on the charts with "Maybe He'll Notice Her Now", a duet that McDonald recorded with Mindy McCready for her debut album
Ten Thousand Angels, which also peaked at number eighteen.
Crazy Nights
In 1997, the band released its second album,
Crazy Nights. It was led off with the band's second Number One, "Come Cryin' to Me". The next singles were "You Walked In", "Say When" and "Everything's Changed", with respective peaks at twelve, thirteen and two on the country music charts. Written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange, "You Walked In" was the band's first entry on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 93; "Everything's Changed" went to 95 on the same chart.
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