Lonestar returns for holiday concert at Niswonger

A group of Texans came together in the early 1990s to form a country music band in Nashville, Tennessee.

"We were originally called 'Texassee' because we were all from Texas and met up and started a band in Tennessee," explained guitarist and backup vocalist Michael Britt. "We kind of just crammed both words together, but once we got a record deal, the label said 'Y'all need to change your name.' We figured since we were all from Texas, we'd just try to use the Lonestar name."

That name is now widely known.

In nearly three decades together, Lonestar has cranked out many Texas-sized hits - including nine No. 1 songs on the Billboard Country Singles charts and a top hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Amazed."

Bandmates Britt, Richie McDonald (lead vocals/guitar), Dean Sams (keyboard/guitar/backup vocals) and Keech Rainwater (drums) have played their songs in all 50 states and at a handful of international venues.

On Saturday, the band will return to Ohio with friend and fellow country icon Phil Vassar for the Holiday & Hits Tour at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center in Van Wert. The show kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Ticket information can be found at npacvw.org.

"I think people forget just how many hit songs we've had, so that's one of the biggest comments we get after shows, like 'I forgot y'all did that song and that song,'" Britt said. "So, I think they're just going to hear a lot of songs they're familiar with, know and love. The cool thing about this Christmas tour is we're doing it with Phil Vassar, so it's kind of a combination of a Phil Vassar show, a Lonestar show and a Christmas show all wrapped into one."

Like most country-music stories, Nashville served as the backdrop for what became stardom for the group of Texans.

Lonestar, which featured John Rich before he pursued a solo career and later joined the popular duo Big & Rich, began playing together in 1992, venturing to different bars for weekend shows and making a decent living.

"We put the band together thinking we'd just work on weekends and make some money until the next big gig came along," Britt said. "After a couple years of doing that, we realized we sounded pretty good and decided maybe we should try to get a record deal."

The band was signed by BNA records in 1994 and released its self-titled debut album in 1995. Soon, Lonestar earned its first No. 1 song in "No News." Today, Lonestar has 17 Top 10 songs, among them are No. 1s "I'm Already There," "My Front Porch Looking In," "What About Now," "Come Crying To Me," "Smile," "Tell Her," "Mr. Mom" and "Amazed." They have been nominated for four Grammy Awards and won multiple American Country Music and Country Music Association Awards.

"I don't think back then we thought that we'd still be together 30 years later," Britt said. "We were just really fortunate in our career to have a lot of hit songs. Some of those we wrote, and some were written by other Nashville songwriters."

Lonestar was about to do a cut of "Just Another Day in Paradise" when Vassar signed his record deal. Vassar had written the song and decided to keep it for himself and turned it into a hit, Britt said.

Both Lonestar and Vassar have done OK for themselves. They've also been chummy throughout their careers.

"He used to play in this little bar close to where we all lived in Nashville, Tennessee, and we used to go see him play on weekends," Britt said. "We've known Phil forever and ever, so it was a perfect fit for this Christmas tour."

Over the summer, Vassar put on a show at the Mercer County Fairgrounds. He has racked up 10 No. 1 singles and 26 Top 40 songs, among them "Just Another Day in Paradise," "Carlene," "Six-Pack Summer" and "When I Love You."

He earned The Academy of Country Music's Top New Male Vocalist and two American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Songwriter of the Year trophies after having penned hits for Collin Raye ("Little Red Rodeo"), Alan Jackson ("Right on the Money") and Tim McGraw ("For a Little While").

"He's awesome," Britt said. "He's got so much energy, and his band is great. There's songs we do with both bands on stage, with two drummers and everything, and it's really a fun show."