Richie McDonald | |
|---|---|
.jpg) McDonald in 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Richard Vance McDonald[1] (1962-02-06)February 6, 1962 (age 64) |
| Origin | Lubbock, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Labels |
|
| Member of | The Frontmen |
| Formerly of | Lonestar |
| Website | richiemcdonald |
Richard Vance McDonald (born February 6, 1962) is an Americancountry music singer and songwriter. From 1994 until his departure in 2007, he was the lead singer of the groupLonestar, which recorded seven studio albums onBNA Records during his tenure as lead vocalist. For the first seven years of the band's existence, he alternated with then-bassistJohn Rich as vocalist. McDonald became the sole lead vocalist of Lonestar following Rich's departure. McDonald co-wrote several of the band's singles, and sang lead on all but one of them; he would rejoin the band in 2011 before exiting again in 2021 to perform withThe Frontmen. Outside Lonestar, he has charted twice as a guest vocalist on others' songs, in addition to releasing two independent albums and four solo singles.
Richie McDonald was born on February 6, 1962, inLubbock, Texas[2] He was asked to join the band Lonestar by founding member Dean Sams in 1992.[3] He served as the band's lead vocalist, with other members comprising bass guitaristJohn Rich (who left in 1998 and was never officially replaced), drummer Keech Rainwater, keyboardist, guitarist, vocals and founding member Dean Sams and guitarist, vocals Michael Britt. Lonestar signed toBNA Records in 1995, and with McDonald as lead vocalist, they released seven studio albums, a Christmas album, and a greatest hits package, and 27 chart singles.
McDonald announced his departure from Lonestar in 2007, with Cody Collins succeeding him as the group's lead vocalist. On November 8, 2007, McDonald released an album of Christmas music, titledIf Every Day Could Be Christmas. One of the songs on this album, "Coming Home for Christmas" (a collaboration withJim Brickman) reached No. 4 on theHot Adult Contemporary Tracks charts at the end of the year.
McDonald released his solo debut albumI Turn to You on June 3, 2008. He signed a deal with Stroudavarious Records a month later. His first single for the label, "How Do I Just Stop", was released in November, but did not chart until the week of January 17, 2009, where it debuted at number 53 on theHot Country Songs chart and peaked at 51. A second single, "Hey God", which was originally on hisI Turn to You album and before that on Lonestar's 2006 albumMountains, was released on March 3, 2009, but was withdrawn from country radio and replaced with "Six Foot Teddy Bear."
McDonald releasedSlowdown, his second solo album, in 2010. This album included "How Do I Just Stop", which also peaked at number 51. In 2011, he reunited with Lonestar after Collins left.[4] Following his reunion with Lonestar, they recorded two additional albums,Life as We Know It andNever Enders, released in 2013 and 2016, respectively.
In March 2021, McDonald announced that he would again be leaving Lonestar to pursue a career as a member of The Frontmen of Country, which also consists ofTim Rushlow andLarry Stewart, the former lead singers ofLittle Texas andRestless Heart, respectively. McDonald was succeeded by Drew Womack, lead singer ofSons of the Desert, as Lonestar's new lead vocalist.[5]
McDonald has sung duet or backing vocals on several artists' albums, including "Maybe He'll Notice Her Now", a single fromMindy McCready's 1996 debutTen Thousand Angels (a song which peaked at No. 18 on theHot Country Songs charts in early 1997), "Outside Looking In" onKellie Coffey's 2002 debutWhen You Lie Next to Me, and "Havin' a Good Time" onTommy Shane Steiner's 2002 debutThen Came the Night.
He has also co-written singles for other country music artists, including "She's Always Right" byClay Walker, "Jimmy's Got a Girlfriend" byThe Wilkinsons, "Let Them Be Little" byBilly Dean (which Lonestar itself also recorded), "Coalmine" bySara Evans, and "Once a Woman Gets a Hold of Your Heart" byHeartland.[6]
McDonald lives nearMurfreesboro, Tennessee, with his wife, Lorie, and their three children.[7][8]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Christian | US Country | US | US Indie | ||
| I Turn to You |
| 6 | 19 | 126 | 18 |
| Slow Down |
| — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| If Every Day Could Be Christmas |
|
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | |||
| 2007 | "God's Still in America" | — | We Are Enterprise: The Album to Benefit Rebuilding of Enterprise High School |
| 2008 | "I Turn to You" | — | I Turn to You |
| 2009 | "How Do I Just Stop" | 51 | Slow Down |
| "Six Foot Teddy Bear" | 51 | Non-album song | |
| 2011 | "Footprints on the Moon" | — | Slow Down |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||
| Year | Single | Artist | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Bubbling | US AC | CAN Country | ||||
| 1997 | "Maybe He'll Notice Her Now" | Mindy McCready | 18 | 2 | — | 11 | Ten Thousand Angels |
| 2007 | "Coming Home for Christmas" | Jim Brickman | — | — | 4 | — | Homecoming |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Maybe He'll Notice Her Now"(withMindy McCready) | Jim Hershleder |
| 2007 | "Coming Home for Christmas"(withJim Brickman) | Glenn Sweitzer |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
