First of all, I would like to take a moment to apologize for waiting so long to write this letter, but I wanted to make sure that a little time had passed so everyone could, maybe in time, understand why I made the decision to leave Lonestar.
You know life is ever changing for all of us. My decision to leave Lonestar at this time was really based upon where we, as a group, were professionally and where I was in my personal life. Lonestar had a wonderful relationship with BNA records for over ten years. We delivered ten wonderful records to the fans during that time. Those records were full of songs that made us all laugh, cry and reflect on our lives and family. That’s what the music is supposed to be about.
Unfortunately the last two records didn't do as well as we all had hoped. Lonestar was at a crossroads and I thought it was time to reevaluate life. We also parted ways with BNA records during this time.
To me life is like a book filled with chapters, and my chapter with Lonestar is filled with precious stories, beautiful pictures leaving everlasting memories that have all been made possible by you, the fans.
I will never forget the memories of you standing in the rain for tickets or waiting hours for the gates to open just to be in the front row. And, of course, I can never forget all the roadtrippin' fans who followed that black bus through the night just so you could see another Lonestar show that was going to be just like the one you saw the night before.
Thanks for truly caring and going above and beyond. It never went unnoticed, and it will never be forgotten.
I wish nothing but the best for Michael, Dean and Keech and their families. They are like brothers to me. I know that they will go on to do bigger and better things, and I will be kicking myself somewhere down the road.
Something happened not too long ago that also influenced my decision to leave Lonestar. My son, Rhett, who is now eleven years old, was getting ready for bed. He had raised his arms up to take his shirt off and there it was, under his arms - hair! It hit me like a ton of bricks. My little boy had grown up and was not so little anymore. I asked my wife Lorie "when did that happen?" It just put things into perspective. Rhett is eleven, and I feel like he's the one who was really robbed of precious Daddy time.
Mind you, I'm not complaining. We were well rewarded for our time in Lonestar, and my family has always been supportive of what Daddy did for a living. Mollie is now eight and Maisie is six. Now, I feel like I can devote the time to them that they really need from a Dad. In a couple of years Rhett will be a teenager and probably rather be hanging out with friends than dear old dad, so I'm just going to try to give Lorie and the kids a little more of my time.
That being said I still want to write, record and perform songs and still see your smiling faces somewhere down the road. There are a lot of new horizons for me, and I'm really excited about the future, but please know I will never ever forget the past.
Yours Truly
Richie
