Country stars Restless Heart celebrate 30 years

NEWTON — Country music stars Restless Heart will perform at the Newton Theatre on Saturday, June 28 at 8 p.m.

Restless Heart lead singer Larry Stewart can remember the exact moment his life began to change forever.

“I was driving east on I-40 from West Nashville into town,” he recalls. “Back then, I was listening to what we were doing in my Jeep Cherokee every day. I had turned the radio on, and ‘Let The Heartache Ride’ was right in the middle of the a cappella intro.”

Stewart had been living with the song for a while, and hearing it through his car speakers wasn’t that big of a deal — until he looked at the stereo and saw the numbers 97.9.

“It didn’t sink in because I had it in the tape deck for days, then I realized ‘That’s the radio. It’s WSIX.’ I pulled over on the shoulder around White Bridge Road and sat there with my car idling. It was like yesterday,” Stewart said of hearing his song on the radio.

Restless Heart was one of Nashville’s newest acts and the has since band celebrated their 30th Anniversary in 2013. Dave Innis enjoys the musical ride as much as ever.

“I think it’s been an amazing legacy, and it’s been such an honor to have been part of an organization that is still together doing it after thirty years with the same five original guys, and it’s more fun than ever.”

John Dittrich, Greg Jennings, Paul Gregg, Dave Innis, and Larry Stewart — the men who make up Restless Heart have placed more than 25 singles on the charts, six consecutive number one hits, four gold albums, and a range of awards from many organizations, including the Academy of Country Music’s Top Vocal Group trophy.

Those stats aside, their career goes much deeper than that.

Restless Heart is all about giving back. They host an event called Restless Heart & Friends to benefit the Nashville Rescue Mission. They also tour in support of the men and women of the Armed Forces and they’ve toured all over the world with the Air Force.

Their audiences have sung along with their hits, such as "I’ll Still Be Loving You," "Fast Movin’ Train" and "When She Cries."

Stewart says it’s humbling to know Restless Heart has made an impact.

“I’m proud of the fact that we get to hear stories from young artists and musicians that we might have made an impression on or inspired — having number one records, and hearing the stories of what they meant to people. To know that you have been a part of something that made a difference, the power of music, the power of a song. To be a part of something that made a mark. However big or small of a mark Restless Heart made, it’s still a mark. To be able to appreciate and feel blessed that we got lucky enough to get together. I feel like it was something that was meant to be.”

And, the story is far from over, as Stewart says Restless Heart still has a lot of history to make.

“We are still at the top of our game when it comes to singing and playing together," said Stewart. "We’ve got some projects we’re working on, and we want to put the Restless Heart brand out to music fans again — to let them know we’re still here and making good music. We’re really looking forward, not trying to rest on our past laurels, we really want to do some new music. We have some fun things we’re considering to celebrate the moment, which we’re trying to put together, and reintroduce ourselves to the world, and take another stab at something.”

Tickets for Restless Heart are $49 for premium seating, $44 for orchestra and $39 for balcony. Purchase tickets by visiting www.thenewtontheatre.com or contact the box office at 973-383-3700.

The historic Newton Theatre, located at 234 Spring Street in Newton, N.J.