Richard Vance "Richie" McDonald (born February 6, 1962 in
Lubbock, TexasLubbock 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 musicCountry 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
LonestarLonestar 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 RecordsBNA 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 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 RecordsBNA 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 McCreadyMelinda 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
BillboardBillboard 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" 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 WalkerErnest 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 WilkinsonsThe 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" 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 DeanWilliam 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 EvansSara 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 BrickmanJim 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 TracksThe 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 YouI 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 SongsHot 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 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
Christmas albums
Singles
Guest singles
Music videos