The Frontmen

RICHIE McDONALD Richie McDonald has long been one of music's most accomplished and wide-ranging talents. Recognized as one of country's best singers, he was the face and voice of Lonestar, ranked among the genre's preeminent groups. A polished and engaging entertainer, he was the focal point of the group's storied touring career. As one of the industry's most successful songwriters, he has penned some of the era's most memorable songs and earned a mantle full of awards and nominations. Now, with the release of “Slowdown," Richie demonstrates that he is just now hitting stride. “We had a great run and made a lot of wonderful memories,” he says, “but I feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing now. This feels right in my heart.” The list of accomplishments McDonald brings to his solo career is among music's most noteworthy. His was the voice behind songs like "Amazed," "Smile" and "No News" and the pen behind songs like "My Front Porch Looking In" and "Let Them Be Little." He has earned six gold and platinum albums, several CMA and ACM awards as well as BMI awards for songwriting. In writing and singing "I'm Already There," he was responsible for a song embraced so warmly by the military and their families it became an unofficial anthem for U.S. troops serving the Middle East. "That has to be the most rewarding part about writing songs," he says, "when you can actually see the effect it has had on other people's lives." He has also written songs recorded by John Michael Montgomery, Clay Walker, Billy Dean, Sara Evans and the Wilkersons, among others. His decision to launch a solo career came after a great deal of reflection. "I just reached a crossroads in my personal and professional life," he says. "When our deal ended, I felt like it was a sign for me to do other things, to slow down and spend more time with my family and yet keep being an artist, hopefully making music that can really make a difference in people's lives." He released a Christian record ("something I always wanted to do and another side of me the fans get to hear") before beginning his current project. He is still embracing as strongly as ever the wide-ranging nature of his musical talents. "Songwriting, recording and live performance are all connected for me," he says. "My passion is writing, but when I write a song and get to record it myself, it means that much more to me because then I get to perform it. I think they're all intertwined and I don't think I could do one without the other. Still, I feel like it all starts with the song, and the rest will take care of itself." At this point, he is promoting his new music with renewed energy. "Nobody said it was going to be easy," he says with a characteristic smile. "It wasn't easy the first time around. I feel like I'm a new artist, like I have to prove myself and that's what I'm doing. I think the great thing is I do have relationships I've built over the years. It's nice to go into a radio station and see familiar faces and not feel like a total stranger." He is renewing those relationships as an artist extending his impact on the musical genre he loves, and a family man deepening his ties at home. "This is a new chapter in my life," he says. "Included in that is trying to be a little more creative in how I spend time with my family and watch my children grow up. They're at ages where it's really important to me." As he carves out the proper balance between home and road, he is looking forward to the joys and thrills of that connection with his audience. "I want to be back out there in front of thousands of screaming people, seeing them sing the songs back." It's a thrill that never gets old for any performer, and for Richie McDonald, it is one he can see both through his windshield and in his rear-view mirror. "I'm grateful every day," he says, "for the chance to continue to do something I love so much." --Rob Simbeck

Though Larry Stewart was exposed to music early on, it was sports that initially captured his attention. After receiving a baseball scholarship to Nashville’s Belmont College, Larry, whose father had passed away from a heart condition, found music as a way to close the gap he was feeling without his dad. “In some ways, I moved to Nashville to live out my father’s dream,” admits Larry Stewart of what was to become his musical destiny. “When I got here, there were all kinds of people who valued musical talent–and I found myself slowly fitting into the music business.” “The way I act is very normal. I just do what I do and let it go at that,” explains the soft-spoken vocalist. “It comes from growing up in a small town where the people respected each other and looked after each other. The values I learned there pretty much shape the way I look at the world around me. “I had a pretty basic childhood. My parents loved me and I was around music from the first day I remember. My dad was a great singer and as I got older, I played piano for him, but I also played a lot of sports. They gave me support with whatever I did. They taught me lessons and gave me the tools to seek my dreams.” “Being in Restless Heart showed me how powerful music can be,” Stewart says, defining his motivations. “I always knew how much it moved me–and there I saw it did the same thing to other people. To me, you need to sing songs for more than yourself. Making records is a privilege. I think you need to find songs that might give people a little insight into their own lives. Or give them words they may not have to tell the people they care for how they’re feeling. “Let’s face it, he adds, with a laugh, “most guys aren’t real comfortable talking about their emotions in everyday conversation. I know I’m not!” And so, Larry Stewart makes records. Over the years, many of the songs he’s sung have become standards. But for someone with a rich musical background, it makes sense. “My dad was one of the best singers I’ve ever heard, because he had this smooth, very warm baritone and sounded like Bing Crosby. But when he sang, it was like he was talking to you–it was conversational. “He was friendly with Gordon Stoker of the Jordanaires and the Imperials. All those old classic gospel groups: the Statesmen, the Prophets, the Blackwoods–I was around all of them growing up. I remember going to singings, that’s what we called them, with the Happy Goodman Family.” By the time he moved to Nashville, Stewart’s rich musical foundation was firmly in place. When he decided to make the transition from sports to music he, like so many hopefuls, had his share of menial Music Row jobs. He was a stock clerk at the Country Music Hall of Fame, mowed grass at performing rights administrators BMI and ran tape copies at MCA Music. It was while working at MCA that longtime family friend Jerry Crutchfield coaxed Stewart into singing a few demos for his brother Jan. The word quickly spread about the young man with a voice that mixed strength and intimacy with a honest raggedness that made him real. Suddenly, Stewart was an in-demand demo singer–and it wasn’t long until destiny came knocking in the form of Tim DuBois, who was putting together a band called Restless Heart. It was a group marked as much by the quality of the songs they sang as their lush vocal harmonies. “Two people searching for the American dream/Doing the best we can do/There ain’t much glamour, glitter and gold/It’s an uphill battle if the truth be told/This is a real life love/It ain’t perfect, but it’s close enough,” he sings on “Real Life Love,” of his album Heart Like A Hurricane. In that moment, it’s crystal clear why millions of people have clamored to hear him sing love songs over the years. Though he believes that his strong suit is as a vocalist, Stewart is also an accomplished writer. In addition to penning “Long Lost Friend” for Restless Heart, he’s also contributed “But I Will” to Faith Hill’s debut, “Fool To Fall” as a single for Pearl River and “This Road” to Mike Reid’s critically acclaimed Twilight Town. Though he’s reluctant to call himself a romantic (”I’m not sure it’s what you do, but more how you feel–and my family knows how I feel about them”), he does admit that every song he sings is something that speaks to people with his intense passion for music and emotion. “To me, commitment is everything. Life isn’t easy; love isn’t easy,” he begins outlining his motivations. “But, if you’re committed and you stick with it, then it will work out. “I made a commitment to my family, my friends, country music and, especially, myself. Without that, there’s nothing–and it takes commitment to tough it out through the hard times. But you gotta. “If you make a commitment, you have to carry it through. Maybe that’s where integrity comes in. At least, that’s what I hope for and work towards. And at the end of the day, you know you gave it your all, whatever it is. If that’s the case, then you have to feel good, because you’ve done what you believe in. That, to me, is what it’s all about.”