Outside Lonestar, he has charted twice as a guest vocalist on others' songs, in addition to releasing two independent albums and four solo singles.

Richie McDonald was born on February 6, 1962, in Lubbock, Texas[2] He was asked to join the band Lonestar by founding member Dean Sams in 1992.

In March 2021, McDonald announced that he would again be leaving Lonestar to pursue a career as a member of The Frontmen of Country, which also consists of Tim Rushlow and Larry Stewart, the former lead singers of Little Texas and Restless Heart, respectively.

[5] McDonald has sung duet or backing vocals on several artists' albums, including "Maybe He'll Notice Her Now", a single from Mindy McCready's 1996 debut Ten Thousand Angels (a song which peaked at No.

He has also co-written singles for other country music artists, including "She's Always Right" by Clay Walker, "Jimmy's Got a Girlfriend" by The Wilkinsons, "Let Them Be Little" by Billy Dean (which Lonestar itself also recorded), "Coalmine" by Sara Evans, and "Once a Woman Gets a Hold of Your Heart" by Heartland.