Lonestar Celebrates Iconic Hit Songs With New Album & Headline Tour

Three decades after bursting onto the country scene with a steady stream of No. 1 songs, Lonestar is still going strong. Known for megahits like “No News,” “Amazed,” “I’m Already There,” “My Front Porch Looking In,” “Mr. Mom,” and others, the group had one of its busiest touring seasons in years in 2022 with this year already on track to surpass it.

“We’ve got a brand-new show,” says founding member Dean Sams, “and for the first time in our career, we’re performing all ten of our No. 1 songs which we’ve never done before. So, it makes for a really special night of hit after hit after hit.”

Those No. 1 hits are showcased on Lonestar’s upcoming album Ten to 1, for release on June 2^nd. It will feature new recordings of those much-loved songs.

“We wanted to make them fresh and new, and I’ve used the word ‘reimagined’ with regard to the songs,” says Sams, who produced Lonestar’s past five albums, as well as this new one. “Michael (Michael Britt, Lonestar’s lead guitarist) has a term he calls DFW, which loosely stands for ‘don’t mess with it.’ So, there are a couple of songs we didn’t mess with too much like “Amazed” and “I’m Already There,” but we updated others to make them more energetic and fun.”

The group has already released the new, reimagined version of “Amazed” with others to follow leading up to the album’s release.

Lonestar, with all of its members hailing from Texas, hit the country charts in the mid-1990s with “No News” becoming their first No. 1 hit. It was followed by “Come Trying To Me” the following year. But it was their crossover hit like “Amazed,” which topped both the country and pop charts, that helped make them superstars. In addition to the songs that reached No. 1, Lonestar would go on to have 22 songs reach the Top 10, sell millions of records, and win numerous ACM and CMA awards.

There have been some changes within the group through the years, which, from the beginning has included Sams, Britt, and Keech Rainwater (Lonestar’s drummer). Previous lead singers have included John Rich and Richie McDonald, with their newest lead vocalist, Drew Womack. They’ve survived the changes by becoming tighter and more close-knit and remembering – it’s all about the songs and the music.

“I think what we’ve learned through adversity is nothing is bigger than the brand,” says Sams. “When people think about Lonestar, they might not think of Michael or me or Keech, or any particular name in the band, they think of Lonestar as being synonymous with great songs. And I think we’ve done a really good job of continuing that brand and making sure we put our best foot forward.”

It’s worked and worked well. Lonestar marked 30 years in the business last year with band members saying they’re having more fun than ever before. And adding Womack to the mix has been a big part of it.

“I’ve known Drew since 1990,” says Britt. “I met him in Waco, Texas, and he was with Sons of the Desert the whole time we were coming up. We’d play bars with them and perform at the same places. So, having someone you’re familiar with and comfortable with is one thing, but I’ve also been a fan of his singing. He sings with such great emotion and passion and having him in the band is the greatest blessing we could have asked for.”

Britt says Womack has also brings new energy to their live shows.

“He gets along with everybody and he’s funny on stage. I sit back and laugh at some of the stuff he does sometimes. He does these leg kicks, gets people to do the wave, it’s like a new lease on life.”

Lonestar has always put a lot of work into live performances. In addition to performing the songs fans have come to know and love, the band has always done cover songs that might come as a surprise – just for fun.

“We’ve always thrown in covers at the end of our show, stuff you would not expect,” says Britt.” We did Pink Floyd for years. I remember we were on the George Strait Festival Tour and we’d play “Another Brick in the Wall” and all the other bands would come to the side of the stage. You’d see George Strait, Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley, all of them and their crews, standing in the wings watching us sing that song to 50,000 people.”

This year, they’ve put together a celebratory tribute to artists who’ve passed in recent years with songs honoring Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, Dusty Hill of ZZ Top, and others.

One of their biggest live shows, so far this year, was a show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on March 3^rd. Despite their success, they’re still crossing things off of their bucket list. It was the first time Lonestar had headlined a show at the historic venue.

“We’d played there before,” Britt says, “but not as our own show. We’d always been part of either a benefit or an acoustic show or performing on the Opry. I’ve seen so many shows at the Ryman, it’s one of my favorite places to go, and to think we’d never done our own show there was crazy.

Fans packed the auditorium, singing along to their favorite songs.

“What an iconic night for us,” says Sams. “Country music is alive and well!”

Lonestar is looking forward to a big year ahead with a busy tour schedule, release of the album in June, and new music down the road.

“We’re excited about the future,” Sams says. “Our shows have been selling amazingly well, we have this reimagined Ten to 1 record, we’re talking about new original music, as well as the idea of recording an EP of cover songs. There’s so much enthusiasm amongst that are Lonestar, the sky’s the limit!”