Musical career Lonestar

1 musical career

1.1 1995–96: lonestar live , lonestar
1.2 1997–98: crazy nights , departure of john rich
1.3 1999–2002: lonely grill, christmas time, , m there
1.4 2003–05: there here: greatest hits , let s again
1.5 2005–06: coming home
1.6 2007–2008: mountains , departure of richie mcdonald
1.7 2008–2011: party heard around world
1.8 2011–present: life know , never enders

musical career
1995–96: lonestar live , lonestar

lonestar s first release bna extended play titled lonestar live, recorded @ wildhorse saloon in nashville , issued in january 1995. debut single, tequila talkin , released august, peaking @ no. 8 on billboard hot country singles & tracks (now hot country songs) chart. included on self-titled debut album, released october. producers don cook (best known work brooks & dunn) , songwriter wally wilson, whom rich wrote track love way . other contributing songwriters included former solo artists bill labounty, rick vincent, , larry boone. next single, no news , became band s first no. 1, holding position 3 weeks in april 1996. physical single release of tequila talkin , no news double a-side went no. 22 on bubbling under hot 100 singles. after these 2 songs, runnin away heart went no. 8 on country charts. followed when cowboys didn t dance (co-written mcdonald), failed reach top 40, , heartbroke every day , single feature rich on lead vocals, @ no. 18. both of these songs had appeared on lonestar live ep. chart runs both overlapped then-labelmate mindy mccready s maybe ll notice (from debut album ten thousand angels), featured mcdonald backing vocalist , peaked @ no. 18 well.

lonestar met favorable reviews. stephen thomas erlewine of allmusic , brian wahlert of country standard time both praised band having neotraditionalist country influences in sound, wahlert stating use of both rich , mcdonald on lead vocals gave album versatility . rick mitchell of new country criticized band using several session musicians, , thought album s sound lite rock twang . in 1996, lonestar won academy of country music award best vocal group.

1997–98: crazy nights , departure of john rich

john rich lonestar s bassist , occasional lead vocalist until 1998.

lonestar s sixth chart single come cryin me , rich , wilson co-wrote no news co-writer mark d. sanders. song became band s second no. 1 single in august 1997, 2 months after release of corresponding album, crazy nights. lonestar, produced wilson , cook. next single, walked in , written rock producer , songwriter robert john mutt lange. peaked @ number 12 on country charts , became band s first entry on billboard hot 100, peaking @ number 93. when , s changed followed it, respective peaks @ thirteen , 2 on country music charts in 1998. latter went number 95 on hot 100. boone , paul nelson co-wrote both of these songs, collaborating rich on former , mcdonald on latter. included on album cover of pure prairie league s amie . thom owens gave album mixed review, saying come cryin me , amie cover solid , criticizing rest slick , bland .

shortly after release of s changed , rich left band. late in 1998, keith harling charted coming , song rich co-wrote wilson. rich later charted 2 solo singles bna between 2000 , 2001, , recorded album label titled underneath same moon, although not released @ time. in 2003, rich began recording big kenny duo big & rich, in addition serving songwriter , producer other country artists.

1999–2002: lonely grill, christmas time, , m there

after rich departed band, other 4 members began performing unplugged shows included acoustic renditions of songs. band members expressed desire reinvent sound. chose dann huff new producer, , added 3 members touring band: robbie cheuvront (bass guitar), kurt baumer (fiddle), , jeremy moyers (steel guitar).

lonely grill released in 1999. huff produced of album, except acoustic version of s changed , sam ramage , bob wright produced; cheuvront , session musician mike brignardello alternated bassists on album. although lead-off single saturday night failed make top 40, followup amazed spent 8 weeks @ number 1 on country charts. later reach number 1 on billboard hot 100 well, becoming first song top both hot country songs , hot 100 charts since kenny rogers , dolly parton s islands in stream in 1983. song peaked @ number 2 on hot adult contemporary tracks chart. of other singles lonely grill ( smile , , , tell ) reached top of country charts well, , album certified double-platinum riaa. erlewine wrote lonestar take[s] middle ground, moving toward hardcore country while retaining elements of pop sheen of crazy nights. results aren t successful, overall, album stronger immediate predecessor. in album s timespan, mcdonald co-wrote clay walker s s right , wilkinsons jimmy s got girlfriend , respectively released in 1999 , 2000. worked no news co-writer phil barnhart , ed hill on former, , co-writers ron harbin , anthony l. smith on latter.

lonestar s first christmas album, christmas time, released in september 2000. featured 7 traditional christmas songs, plus 3 original compositions: if every day christmas , reason season , , title track. latter 2 songs co-written mcdonald , sams, respectively. renditions of winter wonderland , have merry little christmas , santa claus coming town , , little drummer boy included on album made country charts in late 2000 based on christmas airplay. allmusic criticized album unfortunately slick , forgettable collection of holiday tunes, cloyingly done in soulless pop-country style.

i m there, lonestar s fourth album, released in 2001. same year, band won country music association s award vocal group of year. lead-off single title track, mcdonald wrote gary baker , frank j. myers. spent 6 weeks @ number 1 on country charts between june , july 2001, in addition reaching number 24 on hot 100 , number 2 on adult contemporary charts. after it, me peaked @ number 10, not day goes reached number 3, , mark mcguinn-penned unusually unusual went number 12. album received platinum certification. maria konicki dinoia of allmusic compared album favorably ballads on lonely grill, praising mcdonald s vocal prowess. alanna nash of entertainment weekly less favorable, saying huff s production generic .

2003–05: there here: greatest hits , let s again

bna released lonestar s first greatest hits package, there here: greatest hits, in 2003. 3 new songs recorded album: front porch looking in (written mcdonald, myers, , don pfrimmer), cover of marc cohn s walking in memphis , , pray . first 2 of these both released singles; front porch looking in went number 1 , became top country hit of 2003 on billboard year-end charts, while walking in memphis cover peaked @ number 8.

let s again released in may 2004. album produced 3 singles, co-written mcdonald. title track first, reaching number 4 on country charts in mid-2004. mr. mom followed it, becoming final number 1 end of year. after it, class reunion (that used us) peaked @ number 16 in 2005. huff produced entire album except closing track s , band produced itself; although never released single, song charted @ number 53 on country charts in mid-2004 due unsolicited airplay. included on album let them little , co-written mcdonald , billy dean. dean recorded own version of song 2005 album of same name curb records, , version peaked @ number 8 on country charts in 2005. track on let s again, there here , featured guest vocal alabama lead singer randy owen. erlewine praised album containing more up-tempo songs predecessors.

2005–06: coming home

coming home followed in 2005. album, band sought new producer replace huff. mcdonald said purchased fifteen different albums @ walmart in seeking new producer, , chose justin niebank after hearing demo produced. on july 19, 2005, lonestar previewed album @ sony music nashville s offices, accompanied moyers, cheuvront, fiddler rob tyler, , guitarist jack sizemore, co-wrote track doghouse on it. 2 singles released album: re comin home , reached number 8, , ll die tryin , became first single since saturday night peak outside top 40. both of these songs co-written songwriter , producer jeremy stover, , both recorded canadian country band emerson drive on 2004 album if? erlewine criticized coming home dull set of songs of happy homes.

in 2006, sara evans released single coalmine album real fine place, mcdonald co-wrote roxie dean , ron harbin. @ december 2006 concert in corpus christi, texas, mcdonald unavailable while recovering surgery, josh gracin sang lead vocals in absence.

2007–2008: mountains , departure of richie mcdonald

lead vocalist richie mcdonald, pictured here in 2007, left group between 2007 , 2011 solo career.

mountains band s final album bna. released in 2007, produced mark bright, other production credits include blackhawk, rascal flatts, , carrie underwood. title track, co-written larry boone, went number 10 on country charts, while followup nothing prove peaked @ 51. erlewine criticized band taking fewer risks ever on album. in march 2007, lonestar dropped bna s roster due declining sales. guitarist michael britt attributes group s commercial downfall in mid-2000s label s choices in singles, saying in interview cmt, think painted ourselves corner... started putting out bunch of family-type songs. think pigeonholed us. majority of band didn t want continue doing same thing. s kept getting put out.

lonestar performing in 2007 cody collins (second left)

mcdonald announced leaving group @ end of 2007 begin solo career. cody collins, had been lead singer of band mcalyster in 2000, confirmed replacement. lonestar s first release collins lead singer 2007 christmas music compilation titled christmas list, available exclusively @ restaurant , gift shop chain cracker barrel.

mcdonald released christmas album in late 2007, titled if every day christmas. followed year later turn you, contemporary christian music album released via stroudavarious records (later known r&j records). after album, had 2 chart singles in 2009, both peaking @ number 51: how stop , 6 foot teddy bear . former appeared on third solo album, slow down, released via loremoma in 2010.

2008–2011: party heard around world

the group s first single feature collins on lead vocals let me love , released in 2008 on saguaro road records. song made 50 on country music charts. first single album party heard around world, released on april 27, 2010 , produced band itself. re reason why released radio on march 2, 2010.

2011–present: life know , never enders

collins left in 2011 , mcdonald returned group. band s first single after rejoining countdown , released via 4 star records. peaked @ number 52 on country charts in late 2012. song included on album titled life know it, released on june 4, 2013.

in 2014, duo haley & michaels released love song , wrote mcdonald. song contains lyrical references amazed , , features mcdonald singing chorus.

on march 24, 2016, group announced release of tenth studio album never enders. album s lead single , title track delivered country radio on march 17. album features ten brand new tracks. album released , distributed through shanachie entertainment on april 29.