Richie McDonald
Encyclopedia
Richard Vance "Richie" McDonald (born February 6, 1962 in Lubbock, Texas
) is an American country music
artist. From 1992 until his departure in 2007, he was the lead singer of the group Lonestar
, which recorded seven studio albums on BNA Records
during his tenure as lead vocalist. McDonald co-wrote several of the band's singles, and sang lead on all but one of them. Outside the band, he has charted twice as a guest vocalist on others' songs, in addition to releasing two independent albums and four solo singles.
(who left in 1998 and was never officially replaced), drummer Keech Rainwater, keyboardist Dean Sams and guitarist Michael Britt. Lonestar signed to BNA Records
in 1995, and with McDonald as lead vocalist, they released seven studio albums, a Christmas album, and a greatest hits package, and twenty-seven chart singles.
In addition to his career with Lonestar, McDonald sang background vocals on Mindy McCready
's 1997 single "Maybe He'll Notice Her Now," which reached #18 on the Billboard
country charts. He has also co-written singles for other country music artists, including "She's Always Right
" by Clay Walker
, "Jimmy's Got a Girlfriend" by The Wilkinsons
, "Let Them Be Little
" by Billy Dean
(which Lonestar itself also recorded), "Coalmine" by Sara Evans
, and "Once a Woman Gets a Hold of Your Heart" by Heartland.
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, titled If Every Day Could Be Christmas. One of the songs on this album, "Coming Home for Christmas" (a collaboration with Jim Brickman
) reached #4 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
charts at the end of the year.
McDonald released his solo debut album I 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 the Hot Country Songs
chart and peaked at 51. A second single, "Hey God", which was originally on his I Turn to You album and before that on Lonestar's 2006 album Mountains, was released on March 3, 2009, but was withdrawn from country radio and replaced with "Six Foot Teddy Bear."
McDonald released Slowdown, 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.
with his wife, Lorie, and their three children.
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
) is an American country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist. From 1992 until his departure in 2007, he was the lead singer of the group Lonestar
Lonestar
Lonestar is an American country music group consisting of Richie McDonald , Michael Britt , Keech Rainwater , Dean Sams , and Michael Hill . McDonald left the band in November 2007 for a solo career before returning in 2011...
, which recorded seven studio albums on BNA Records
BNA Records
BNA Records, formerly known as BNA Entertainment, is a label group that shares ties with Arista Nashville and RCA Nashville from parent company Sony Music Nashville, which itself is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, BNA features country music acts on its roster...
during his tenure as lead vocalist. McDonald co-wrote several of the band's singles, and sang lead on all but one of them. Outside the band, he has charted twice as a guest vocalist on others' songs, in addition to releasing two independent albums and four solo singles.
Biography
Richie McDonald founded Lonestar in 1992. He served as the band's lead vocalist, with other members comprising bass guitarist John RichJohn Rich (musician)
John Rich is an American country music singer-songwriter. From 1992 to 1998, he was a member of the country music band Lonestar, in which he played bass guitar and alternated with Richie McDonald as lead vocalist...
(who left in 1998 and was never officially replaced), drummer Keech Rainwater, keyboardist Dean Sams and guitarist Michael Britt. Lonestar signed to BNA Records
BNA Records
BNA Records, formerly known as BNA Entertainment, is a label group that shares ties with Arista Nashville and RCA Nashville from parent company Sony Music Nashville, which itself is a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, BNA features country music acts on its roster...
in 1995, and with McDonald as lead vocalist, they released seven studio albums, a Christmas album, and a greatest hits package, and twenty-seven chart singles.
In addition to his career with Lonestar, McDonald sang background vocals on Mindy McCready
Mindy McCready
Melinda Gayle "Mindy" McCready is an American country music singer. Active since 1996, she has recorded a total of five studio albums. Her debut album, 1996's Ten Thousand Angels, was released on BNA Records and was certified 2× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA, while 1997's If I Don't Stay the...
's 1997 single "Maybe He'll Notice Her Now," which reached #18 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
country charts. He has also co-written singles for other country music artists, including "She's Always Right
She's Always Right
"She's Always Right" is a song written by Richie McDonald, Phil Barnhart, Ed Hill and recorded by American country music singer Clay Walker. It was released in 1999 as the first single to his album Live, Laugh, Love...
" by Clay Walker
Clay Walker
Ernest Clayton "Clay" Walker Jr. is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1993 with the single "What's It to You," which reached Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts, as did its follow-up, 1994's "Live Until I Die." Both singles were included on...
, "Jimmy's Got a Girlfriend" by The Wilkinsons
The Wilkinsons
The Wilkinsons is a country music trio from Trenton, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1997, the group comprises lead singer Amanda Wilkinson, her brother Tyler Wilkinson, and their father, Steve Wilkinson. The Wilkinsons achieved success late in 1998 with the hit single "26 Cents", a Number One on the...
, "Let Them Be Little
Let Them Be Little (song)
"Let Them Be Little" is the title of a song co-written by American country music artist Billy Dean with Richie McDonald, the lead singer of Lonestar at the time. It was released in August 2004 as the third single from Dean's album, Let Them Be Little. The song reached #8 on the Billboard Hot...
" by Billy Dean
Billy Dean
William Harold "Billy" Dean, Jr. is an American country music singer and songwriter. Billy Dean first gained national attention after appearing on the television talent competition Star Search...
(which Lonestar itself also recorded), "Coalmine" by Sara Evans
Sara Evans
Sara Lynn Evans is an American country singer and songwriter.Evans was one of the few traditional-styled singers to emerge from Nashville in the late 1990s, according to Allmusic. Since emerging in the late 1990s, Evans has made five No. 1 Country hits and Gold and Platinum-certified albums by...
, and "Once a Woman Gets a Hold of Your Heart" by Heartland.
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, titled If Every Day Could Be Christmas. One of the songs on this album, "Coming Home for Christmas" (a collaboration with Jim Brickman
Jim Brickman
Jim Brickman is an American songwriter and pianist. He has been named the most charted male Adult Contemporary artist to date, with six of his albums receiving Gold and Platinum status. He is known for his solo piano compositions, pop-style instrumentals, and vocal collaborations with artists...
) reached #4 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
charts at the end of the year.
McDonald released his solo debut album I Turn to You
I Turn to You (album)
I Turn to You is an album by American country music artist Richie McDonald. It was released on June 3, 2008 by Stroudavarious Records. The album peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart.-Track listing:...
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 the Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart and peaked at 51. A second single, "Hey God", which was originally on his I Turn to You album and before that on Lonestar's 2006 album Mountains, was released on March 3, 2009, but was withdrawn from country radio and replaced with "Six Foot Teddy Bear."
McDonald released Slowdown, 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.
Personal life
McDonald lives near Murfreesboro, TennesseeMurfreesboro, Tennessee
Murfreesboro is a city in and the county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 108,755 according to the United States Census Bureau's 2010 U.S. Census, up from 68,816 residents certified during the 2000 census. The center of population of Tennessee is located in...
with his wife, Lorie, and their three children.
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Christian | US Country | US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Indie Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
||
| I Turn to You I Turn to You (album) I Turn to You is an album by American country music artist Richie McDonald. It was released on June 3, 2008 by Stroudavarious Records. The album peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart.-Track listing:... |
|
6 | 19 | 126 | 18 |
| Slow Down |
|
— | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||
Christmas albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| If Every Day Could Be Christmas |
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
|||
| 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 | |||
Guest singles
| Year | Single | Artist | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US AC Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
CAN Country RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... |
||||
| 1997 | "Maybe He'll Notice Her Now" | Mindy McCready Mindy McCready Melinda Gayle "Mindy" McCready is an American country music singer. Active since 1996, she has recorded a total of five studio albums. Her debut album, 1996's Ten Thousand Angels, was released on BNA Records and was certified 2× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA, while 1997's If I Don't Stay the... |
18 | 102 | — | 11 | Ten Thousand Angels Ten Thousand Angels -Personnel:*Richard "Spady" Brannan – bass guitar*Kathy Burdick – background vocals*Larry Byrom – acoustic guitar*Paul Franklin – steel guitar*Sonny Garrish – steel guitar*Rob Hajacos – fiddle*Tom Hemby – acoustic guitar*John Hobbs – piano... |
| 2007 | "Coming Home for Christmas" | Jim Brickman Jim Brickman Jim Brickman is an American songwriter and pianist. He has been named the most charted male Adult Contemporary artist to date, with six of his albums receiving Gold and Platinum status. He is known for his solo piano compositions, pop-style instrumentals, and vocal collaborations with artists... |
— | — | 4 | — | Homecoming |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Maybe He'll Notice Her Now" (with Mindy McCready Mindy McCready Melinda Gayle "Mindy" McCready is an American country music singer. Active since 1996, she has recorded a total of five studio albums. Her debut album, 1996's Ten Thousand Angels, was released on BNA Records and was certified 2× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA, while 1997's If I Don't Stay the... ) |
Jim Hershleder |
| 2007 | "Coming Home for Christmas" (with Jim Brickman Jim Brickman Jim Brickman is an American songwriter and pianist. He has been named the most charted male Adult Contemporary artist to date, with six of his albums receiving Gold and Platinum status. He is known for his solo piano compositions, pop-style instrumentals, and vocal collaborations with artists... ) |
Glenn Sweitzer |