Lonestar

Formed in Nashville in 1992 by five Texan musicians who had played the local scene and, for some, had been in the band Canyon, Lonestar was originally called Texassee before adopting its final name. This American country quartet built its early sound on a mix of honky-tonk, neo-traditional country and vocal harmonies, audible on Lonestar (1995) and Crazy Nights (1997), before moving toward smoother, more pop-oriented songwriting from Lonely Grill (1999). It was during this period that Lonestar scored its biggest hits, notably “Amazed,” a landmark track that became one of the few country songs to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The group’s trajectory has also been marked by several lineup changes: bassist John Rich left Lonestar in 1998, and singer Richie McDonald stepped away for the first time in 2007, returned in 2011, and departed again in 2021. Since then, Lonestar has consisted of Michael Britt, Dean Sams, Keech Rainwater and Drew Womack, the former lead singer of Sons of the Desert. Over the years Lonestar has released I’m Already There (2001), Let’s Be Us Again (2004), Party Heard Around the World (2010), Life as We Know It (2013) and Never Enders (2016), remaining committed to a melodic country style between adult-contemporary balladry and radio-friendly country-pop.