Lonestar Photo Courtesy of BNA Records
September 13, 2007 — Lonestar announced yesterday that they have chosen Cody Collins to be their new lead singer. Cody has been a regular at a country nightclub in Atlanta called Cowboys, where Lonestar keyboard player Dean Sams first met him.
"When we got the news about Richie, I knew he was one of the first people we had to get in touch with," Dean told Nashville's WRKN-TV. "I showed Michael [Britt] and Keech [Rainwater] his MySpace page and let them hear his voice and see what he looked like. He became our instant front runner. After he came to town and sang for us, we knew he was the guy."
Cody replaces Richie McDonald, who left the group to start a solo career. We told him right off the bat that there are going to be people who say, "He doesn't sound like Richie, he doesn't look like Richie." The reality is, we didn't bring him in to fill Richie's shoes, Dean told Country Weekly. "It's about the future of Lonestar. Cody is an incredible vocalist and that's what people are going to notice."
Cody said he is up for the challenge. "I have always been a huge fan of Lonestar and Richie, and I know all their hits," he said. "So that part won't be hard. I just want to fit in and bring in some enthusiasm."
The band is about to hit the road with a new Christmas CD that will be available at Cracker Barrel's stores and website in early November. "I can't think of a better combination than Lonestar, Christmas and Cracker Barrel," Keech said. "These recordings are a perfect reflection of what Lonestar has evolved into as a group of musicians."
"Cody is such a strong singer, and he brings a lot to the table with his vocal ability," Michael added. "His voice has a believable quality to it that draws you in. We wanted to make sure his talent was highlighted in the best way possible and what ended up coming out still sounded like Lonestar music. It's a perfect fit."
"Putting this Christmas album together was truly one of the best experiences I have had doing a record in our 11 years recording together," Dean said. "We locked ourselves in my studio for a week and came up with 11 unique, moving arrangements that are guaranteed to put you in the Christmas spirit!"