On this day (June 15) in 1966, Michael Britt was born in Fort Worth, Texas. After playing in a handful of bands, he became a founding member of Lonestar. The band formed in the early 1990s and quickly began sending songs up the charts. So far, they have sent nine songs to the top of the country chart. However, their crossover hit “Amazed” stands out. Not only did it top the Hot 100, but it also became one of the most popular wedding songs of the early 2000s, providing the soundtrack to the first moments of countless marriages.
Britt got his start in the Dallas, Texas-based band Canyon. He joined the group, which featured his future Lonestar Bandmate, Keech Rainwater, in 1990, according to the Abilene Reporter-News. The next year, they were nominated for Top New Vocal Duo or Group at the ACM Awards. Then, in 1992, the band’s members went their separate ways.
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[RELATED: Lonestar on Longevity, the Success of “Amazed” and New Album ‘TEN to 1’]
Britt moved to Nashville, Tennessee, the same year. In 1993, he was invited to join a band called Texassee, per his website. All of the new band’s members were Texas natives, but met and formed the group in Tennessee. They toured North America under that name until 1995, when they inked a deal with BNA Records and became Lonestar.
Michael Britt and Lonestar Find Major Success
Lonestar’s debut single, “Tequila Talkin’,” reached No. 8 on the Hot Country Songs chart in 1995. They followed that with “No News,” which became their first No. 1 single. In 1997, they released “Come Cryin’ to Me” as the lead single from their sophomore album and scored their second No. 1.
Lonestar continued to reliably launch songs to the top 20 of the country chart. Then, they released their third album, Lonely Grill, and introduced a more pop-leaning sound. While fans of the neotraditional country music on their first two LPs were disappointed, the new format helped Michael Britt and the rest of the band skyrocket to stardom.
All four singles from Lonely Grill went to No. 1 on the country chart. However, “Amazed” stood out from the rest. After releasing a pop remix, it became the first country song to reach the top of the Hot 100 since “Islands in the Stream” in 1983.
Chris Lindsey, Amiee Mayo, and Marv Green co-wrote the song. According to Songfacts, Mayo and Lindsey were falling in love. “Our feelings for each other just started coming out as we were writing,” recalled Mayo.
“Amazed” quickly became incredibly popular at weddings. “I have a friend who’s a DJ, and he says he plays it at every single wedding that he performs at,” Lonestar lead singer Richie McDonald said. “The problem is that sometimes you try to recreate that, but you can’t recreate that. You’ve just got to go in. It kind of sets the bar awful high.”
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