Rascal Flatts Biography
US country pop trio formed by Columbus, Ohio, USA natives Gary LeVox (Gary Wayne Vernon Jnr., 10 July 1970, Columbus, Ohio, USA; vocals) and Jay DeMarcus (b. Stanley Wayne DeMarcus Jnr., 26 April 1971, Columbus, Ohio, USA; vocals, piano, bass, drums, guitar). The duo grew up in Columbus as close friends and musical partners. The multi-instrumentalist DeMarcus relocated to Nashville in 1992, working as a session musician and joining Christian group East To West. He persuaded LeVox to leave his job in Ohio and join him in a band with fellow session musician Joe Don Rooney (b. 13 September 1975, Baxter Springs, Kansas, USA; vocals/guitar). The trio signed a recording contract with Lyric Street Records and set about completing work on the songs that would comprise their debut album. Released in 2000, Rascal Flatts spawned four US Top 10 country hits, including "Prayin' For Daylight" and "I'm Movin' On'. The album went on to spend over two years on the charts in achieving platinum status. The trio was voted ACM's 2001"s New Vocal Group Of The Year.
The eagerly anticipated Melt repeated the formula the trio had perfected on their debut, and duly went straight in at the top of the US country charts in November 2002 and spawned the country number 1 singles "These Days" and "Mayberry". The album also reached the mainstream Top 5. The trio's third album Feels Like Today went one stage further, debuting at the top of the Billboard 200 in October 2004. The feat meant Rascal Flatts was only the second country act, after the Dixie Chicks, to top the mainstream charts. The trio's fourth album, Me And My Gang, repeated the feat in April 2006, and also spawned the Top 10 pop hit "What Hurts The Most". Like its predecessor the album chalked up multi-platinum status and featured a string of country chart-toppers, making Rascal Flatts one of the most successful country acts of the new millennium. The trio's cover of Tom Cochrane's "Life Is A Highway", recorded for the soundtrack of the animated movie Cars, gave them a major pop hit later in 2006. The following year's Still Feels Good was business as usual, racing to the top of the country and pop charts and dominating country radio througout the latter part of the year.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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