|
 Named
after the state from which all of its members hail, Lonestar was formed
in 1992, not in Texas, but in Tennessee. In fact, the band's original
moniker, Texassee, played upon that fact that the group of Texans had
relocated to Tennessee.
The quartet of singer/guitarist Richie McDonald, singer/bassist John
Rich, guitarist Michael Britt, keyboardist Dean Sams, and drummer Keech
Rainwater was discovered in 1993 playing its very first concert at
Backstage Pass in Nashville by a booking agent, who soon sent them out
of the road. After honing their skills by playing nearly 500 shows in
two years, the band scored a contract with BNA Records in 1994.
Lonestar Links
Lonestar's self-titled debut, released in 1995, spawned the top-10
country hit "Tequila Talkin'." It also helped the band garner the top
new vocal group honors at the Academy of Country Music Awards in 1996.
Crazy Nights followed in 1997, but all was not well in the Lonestar
camp. In early 1998, Rich announced plans to pursue a solo career,
leaving McDonald as the group's only lead singer.
Tightening its ranks to a quartet, Lonestar scored its biggest hit with
"Amazed," which hit the No. 1 position on Billboard's Hot Country
Singles & Tracks chart. The success of the single helped the group's
third album, Lonely Grill, debut at No. 3 on the Top Country Albums
chart. With "Amazed" eventually crossing over to top 40 and AC radio
stations, and the album spawning three other chart-topping country hits
("What About Now," "Tell Her," and "Smile"), Lonely Grill eventually hit
the triple platinum mark, for sales of 3 million copies.
Lonestar returned in 2000 with the holiday album This Christmas Time,
before releasing I'm Already There in 2001. Given the band's past
success, the album debuted at the top of the country album chart, buoyed
in part by the chart-topping title track.
With the release of Greatest Hits in June 2003, Lonestar closed the
first chapter of its career and took some much-needed time off. |
