What You Don't Know About the Country Group Rascal Flatts

Rascal Flatts And Kelsea Ballerini In Concert - Clarkson, Michigan
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You've probably heard of the band Rascal Flatts, especially if you're a fan of country music. But you may not know some interesting facts about this contemporary country group. 

The band is made up of the following members:

  • Jay DeMarcus (multi-instrumentalist/vocalist), born April 26, 1971
  • Gary LeVox (vocalist), born July 10, 1970
  • Joe Don Rooney (guitarist/vocalist), born September 13, 1975

Making Rascal Flatts

DeMarcus started his career as part of the Christian group East to West. He moved to Nashville in 1992 and convinced LeVox to move from their hometown in Columbus, Ohio to Nashville in 1997. DeMarcus is actually LeVox's second cousin.

After leaving East to West, DeMarcus joined Chely Wright's band, where he met Joe Don Rooney. One evening, while DeMarcus and LeVoxy were playing a gig in a Nashville club, their part-time guitarist couldn't make it, so LeVox invited Rooney to sit in. The rest is history. The trio took the name Rascal Flatts, and in 1999, they were signed to Lyric Street Records.

The guys released "Rascal Flatts" in 2000, following on the heels of their hot debut single, "Prayin' for Daylight." The single would peak at No. 3, and three more singles would follow off the debut album, all charting in the Top 10.

Top Hits by Rascal Flatts

Their sophomore album, "Melt" was released in 2001, and the debut single off the disc, "These Days," would become the group's first No. 1 song. Three additional songs, "Love You Outloud," "I Melt" and "Mayberry" followed, all achieving Top 3 success, the latter also reaching No. 1.

"Feels Like Today" was the third album by Rascal Flatts, and with it came three more Top 10 songs, including two more No. 1's with "Bless the Broken Road" and "Fast Cars and Freedom."

Success just kept coming their way, and their fourth studio album, "Me and My Gang," had the biggest debut week sales (722,000 copies) of 2006 in any genre of music, and the second highest selling album of the year, earning 3.5 million in sales by the end of the year. They were also named the Top-selling Group in any genre of music for 2006.

"Still Feels Good" became the band's fifth studio release. They were one of the Top 10 Country Artists of 2007.

More albums followed: "Unstoppable" came out in 2009; "Nothing Like This" was released in 2010; "Changed" came out in 2012; then came " Rewind in 2014; and " The Greatest Gift of All" was released in 2016.

The Music of Rascal Flatts

The guys of Rascal Flatts are all accomplished songwriters and have penned several of their hits. But, they don't go so far as to the only record their own music. One of their biggest hits, the Grammy-winning "Bless the Broken Road" was written by Jeff Hannah and Marcus Hummon.

Some of the hits the guys have written or co-written include "Winner at a Losing Game," "Fast Cars and Freedom" and "I Melt." Some of their most popular hits include "Every Day," "Prayin' for Daylight," "These Days," and "What Hurts the Most."

Their musical influences range from Alabama and Eric Clapton to Stevie Wonder and Vince Gill.