Heartland was founded in 1994 by brothers Craig and Todd Anderson, and Mike Myerson. They performed at a June Jam in the state of Alabama in 1997, and began seeking a record contract through the assistance of songwriter
Walt Aldridge. The band's debut album, also titled
I Loved Her First, was released in October 2006. Ken Burke of
Country Standard Time gave the album a positive review, praising the instrumentation and Albert's "hardcore southern vocals", also saying that it had "snappy execution and catchy hooks galore." After its second and third singles performed poorly, the band exited Lofton Creek and signed with Country Thunder Records in March 2007. They began working with producer
Mark Bright, but instead released "Once a Woman Gets a Hold of Your Heart", which was co-written by
John Rich of
Big & Rich and
Richie McDonald of
Lonestar, with Rich also serving as producer. It was followed by "Slow Down", which did not chart. The label closed in March 2009. In July of the same year, the band moved to Permian Records and released the single "Mustache". Also, Myerson left the group. By 2012, all of the original members except Albert and Crawford had left the band to start families, while Chad Austin joined. Austin had recorded two albums for
Asylum Records in the late 1990s, and was later signed to
Broken Bow Records. Also, Albert had been experiencing vocal issues which had to be treated with exercises and rest. To reduce the strain on his vocal cords, all three members now alternate on lead vocals. and released via his
R&J Records. In July 2019, the band (now consisting of Jason Albert, Charles Crawford and Keith West) released its first album in over a decade titled
I Loved Her First: The Heart of Heartland on
Permian Records, featuring 10 new original songs with special guest appearances by
Tracy Lawrence on the new version of their first hit "
I Loved Her First" and
Samantha Crawford on "When Love Comes Around". In 2023, the Anderson brothers and Mike Myerson re-established Heartland with a new guitar player, Dustin Myerson and lead singer, Lance Horton. The band also announced a new album slated for release later in the year via Yellowhammer Records. == Discography ==