They have 30 No. 1 hits, have sold 30 million albums and are the soundtrack to every Friday night honkytonk, first kiss and broken heart for the last 30 years. Fans sing the words to every song in every set - and while many people have yet to know their name, just about everybody can sing their songs.
THE FRONTMEN - comprised of three former lead singers, Larry Stewart (Restless Heart), Richie McDonald (Lonestar) and Tim Rushlow (Little Texas) - is country music's hottest new supergroup. The men have already mastered the stage, succeeded on radio and nightly take sold-out audiences on a rollercoaster of 90's nostalgic smash hits then transcend their past hit parade with fresh new and original songs that are unmistakably THE FRONTMEN today!
The group recently put their massive catalog of hits to work, including "The Bluest Eyes in Texas," "Amazed" and "God Blessed Texas," on tour with Alabama and kick-started the Harley-Davidson crowd in Deadwood, South Dakota, at the 81st Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
"The thing about the three of us is we are better together than each of us was by ourselves," McDonald said. "The beauty of the show is that people can come and just sit there for two hours and go, 'I sang along with every single song. I loved every one of them.'"
"There is a common thread that runs through the songs we have all recorded over the years that just fits like a glove," Rushlow added. "It is quite powerful and certainly is the soundtrack to all of our lives."
THE FRONTMEN's magic formula harkens back to some of the biggest Rock groups of the 60's and 70's like The Doobie Brothers, Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles where multiple lead singers like Joe Walsh, Glenn Frey and Don Henley have separate careers but join to together to create a sum bigger than its parts. They are a new act with a fresh sound but also an arsenal of hits.
Tony Conway, manager of Alabama, had this comment about the group: "The Frontmen is a group of some of the best voices in the history of Country Music. Larry, Tim, Richie have each been responsible for some of the greatest songs ever released. When you take their stellar vocals on hits from Restless Heart, Little Texas and Lonestar and put them together on one stage, you have the originals along with being the best of the best, and a new supergroup in the world of country music."
"We have a great time," Larry Stewart says. "There's no egos. We just enjoy doing it. It's easy for us to work together. We know what to expect. It must've been meant to be."
Stewart's Restless Heart launched in 1984 with their self-titled debut album and went on to collect eight No. 1 hits and sing-along favorites, including "The Bluest Eyes in Texas," "I'll Still Be Loving You," "Why Does It Have to Be (Wrong or Right)," "Wheels," "Fast Movin' Train" and "A Tender Lie." They were named Top Vocal Group by the Academy of Country Music in 1989.
Rushlow's Little Texas kicked off in 1991 with Top 10 hits "Some Guys Have All the Love" and "First Time for Everything," then followed up with its debut album of the same name. Subsequent hits include"God Blessed Texas," "Kick a Little," "My Love," "What Might Have Been" and "Amy's Back in Austin." Little Texas won the Academy of Country Music's Top Vocal Group in 1993.
McDonald joined Lonestar in 1992, and the group achieved nine No. 1 songs, including: "No News," "Come Cryin' to Me," "What About Now," "I'm Already There," "My Front Porch Looking In," "Mr. Mom" and "Amazed" -- an eight-week No. 1 song and the most popular country song of 1999. "Amazed" was the Academy of Country Music's Single and Song of the Year in 1999, and Lonestar was the Top Vocal Group for the ACM and the Country Music Association in 2001.
During periods of downtime over the years, and THE FRONTMEN organically built a concept they've been working toward for more than a decade. McDonald and Stewart first connected when they played a radio show in Louisiana. McDonald broached the idea with Stewart: three lead singers, one band and nothing but hits. Rushlow joined soon after, and the trio went on an extended international tour of military bases. The soldiers' reaction affirmed what they already thought - people want to hear their songs."
It's these iconic songs that have been a part of people's lives over the past 20 or 30 years, and we saw the effect that it had on these men and women fighting for our freedom," McDonald said. "We knew we had to do it."
THE FRONTMEN played sporadic shows together over the years while each continued with their various bands. When the pandemic struck, McDonald reevaluated how he wanted to spend his time. Stewart had recently stepped away from Restless Heart, and Rushlow shifted focus to THE FRONTMEN. With that, their side project became their main gig.
"We jumped in with both feet," McDonald said. "I always tease Larry during the show and tell him, 'I grew up listening to your music.' He'll laugh and say, 'Man, you make me feel really old.' Larry and Restless Heart really opened the door for Lonestar and Little Texas. We really respect one another. It's just a blast to be on stage every night to sing our hits and, and to harmonize with one another."
Each man has a turn in the spotlight splitting vocal duties but all three sing non-stop throughout the entire set showcasing harmonies that only this combination of talent could achieve. "Splitting the lead singing up keeps our vocal chords in tip top shape for all the harmonies in the set," Stewart said. Audiences receive a night of boot-scootin,' heart-popping nostalgia.
In 2023, THE FRONTMEN signed a major record deal with BBR Music Group / BMG Nashville. Stewart, McDonald and Rushlow, all major hit songwriters, released their debut album, THE FRONTMEN, in early 2024 with multi-genre musical heavyweight producer Mickey Jack Cones helming the project. The Frontmen's debut self-titled album features nine original songs, as well as three Lonestar, Little Texas and Restless Heart No. 1 hits, re-recorded Frontmen-style. The trio tag team lead vocals throughout.
GRAMMY-nominated Cones had this to say about the group: "Larry, Richie and Tim are icons in the industry whose voices helped shape country music we know it. Not only are they three of the most phenomenal vocalists in the genre, they are even better humans. I couldn't be more honored and enamored to be working with them."
With brand new fresh music and a combined massive catalog of hits, and THE FRONTMEN are off to the races... again!
