McDonald has always been an artist who has followed his heart and created music that reflected his values. During his tenure with Lonestar, the band connected with Country audiences via such family-friendly hits as “My Front Porch Looking In” and “Mr. Mom.” Lonestar placed 27 singles on Billboard’s country chart with nine of those reaching No. 1. “Amazed” spent eight weeks at the top of the country singles chart and became a huge crossover hit that placed the band on top of the Billboard Hot 100.

An award-winning songwriter, McDonald penned many of Lonestar’s best-known tunes as well as writing hits for Billy Dean, Heartland, Clay Walker and Sara Evans. In addition to his musical endeavors, McDonald is well known for his support of numerous charitable causes including St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, Feed the Children, the Minnie Pearl Cancer Center and the Children’s Miracle Network.

Between his songwriting, humanitarian endeavors and busy touring schedule, McDonald was one of Nashville’s busiest artists. He decided he wanted to make a change and in 2007, McDonald announced he was leaving Lonestar. “My wife, Lorie, and I talked about it and prayed about it. It was a tough decision because I was leaving a very successful group,” he says, “but I just felt like God had other plans for me. I still wanted to be a country artist, but there were other kinds of music that I wanted to do as well.”