LONESTAR

Originally formed in Nashville in 1992, Lonestar played over 500 shows before landing a recording contract. "We traveled for two and a half, maybe three years, just playing in bars," Britt recalls. "We were starting from zero back then." But all those gigs paid off. By the time they released their self-titled debut album in 1995, they already had an enthusiastic fan base. Their first single, "Tequila Talkin'," went Top Ten on the country charts. It's follow-up did even better: "No News" would be the first of many #1 singles for Lonestar. Lonestar continued to ascend in the years that followed. Their third album, 1999's Lonely Grill, was certified multi-platinum in both the United States and Canada. In addition to "Amazed," which was #1 with country audiences for eight weeks in a row, Lonely Grill yielded three more #1 country hits: "Smile," "Tell Her," and "What About Now." The 2001 release I'm Already There topped the country album charts, as did the band's 2003 retrospective From There To Here: The Greatest Hits, which produced yet another #1 single, "My Front Porch Looking In." For all their record and ticket sales, the biggest accomplishment of the band's storied career has been witnessing the impact of Lonestar songs in the lives of others. "Music is a very powerful tool and can help people going through both good and bad times," observes McDonald. Nowhere has this been more evident than in the group's performances for U.S. armed forces stationed overseas in Iraq and Kuwait, where classics like "I'm Already There" have elicited powerful emotional displays from men and women who've put their lives on the line defending America.