Rascal Flatts, a country trio known primarily for its pleasing harmony and Grammy-winning songcraft, is comprised of Gary LeVox, Jay Demarcus, and Joe Don Rooney. Cousins Demarcus and LeVox grew up in Columbus, OH, a town Demarcus eventually left in 1992 to pursue a material career in Nashville. Meanwhile, LeVox pursued his own musical success with a Christian ensemble; at the behest of his cousin, however, he also relocated to Nashville toward the decade’s end. Although LeVox quickly found work as the keyboardist for country star Chely Wright, he still found time to play local concerts with Demarcus. One night, the pair asked Oklahoma native Joe Don Rooney (who played guitar in Wright’s ensemble) to become a part of them while a Printer’s Alley gig in Nashville. A bond was rapidly formed, and the musicians abandoned their other duties in favor of forming Rascal Flatts in the late ’90s.
After landing a album deal with Lyric Street Records, Rascal Flatts recorded an eclectic mix of country and pop for the trio’s self-titled debut. The album arrived in 2000, and “Prayin’ for Daylight” became the group’s first smash single. Rascal Flatts ultimately sent four singles to the Top Ten before the band’s second album, Melt, appeared in October 2002. Co-produced by the bandmates themselves, Melt sold a million albums in eight weeks and yielded the band’s first number one country hit, “These Days.” By this time, Rascal Flatts had established themselves as a highly successful country act, with a particularly strong not long after among younger listeners (an elusive demographic to most country stars). A live album served as an amiable segue between Melt and 2004’s chart-topping Feels Like Today, at a time of Me and My Gang arrived in April 2006. Rascal Flatts’ 2007 release, Still Feels Good, enjoyed a similar reception, going platinum before the year’s end and yielding another number one hit, “Take Me There.” Unstoppable came in 2009.
