Rascal Flatts Bio

God Indeed Blessed the Broken Road for Rascal Flatts

Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus, and Joe Don Rooney, collectively known as Rascal Flatts, have been famous for their slick-sounding singles that appeal to a much younger (also youthful) audience. As evidenced by the skillful writing and musicality in their 2006 hit “What Hurts The Most,” these three have proven their worth and abilities in the music scene despite initial disdain from traditionalists.

LeVox, born on July 10, 1970, and DeMarcus, born on April 26, 1971, were second cousins from Columbus, Ohio. In 1992, DeMarcus moved to Nashville to try a shot at becoming a musician. LeVox followed in 1997 with hopes of becoming a singer.

The cousins were already getting gigs at a Nashville bar together with a part-time guitarist. DeMarcus was working in Chely Wirght’s band when he met Joe Don Rooney, a native of Picher, Oklahoma.

One weekend, when the part-time guitarist couldn’t make it, DeMarcus invited Rooney to sub for the missing musician. The result was great. The two loved the outcome, prompting them to record some demos. They then signed up with Lyric Street.

Rascal Flatts were clearly more identified with the country scene that’s probably why they were held in contempt by traditionalists when they released three pop-flavored songs that landed into the Top 10 chart in early of 2000. The songs were “Prayin for Daylight,” “This Everyday Love,” and “While You Loved Me.” But despite the scorn they received, they sold more than half a million albums.

Their fourth single, “I’m Movin’ On,” which targeted a more mature audience, catapulted their self-titled album to reached platinum status. An inspirational book of the same title was also released. This new-found glory has brought attention to Rascal Flatts.

With the release of their 2002 album “Melt,” they caught the eyes and ears of CMA personnel and gave them the 2002 Horizon Award. “These Days,” the first single from their sophomore album was also released.

Then, everything else fell into place for this three-man group as Rascal Flatts music began to emerge. They went on tour with country legend Toby Keith that same year and won their first Vocal Group of the Year Award from the CMA.
In 2004, the follow-up single to “I Melt”, “Mayberry” landed in the top spot of the charts. They also sparked uproar when Rooney appeared naked in the music video of “I Melt.”

Their “Feels LikeToday” album, released in early 2005, spawned the hit song “Bless the Broken Road” and stayed on the top spot of the Billboard’s country airplay chart for five weeks. It was this single that LeVox sang with another (now) award-winning country act, Carrie Underwood, during the finale of American Idol in 2005 when she was still a contestant.

“Bless the Broken Road” has also blessed the album it originated from because people have started buying it. It picked up steam and became the top-selling country album for 2005. Plus, it earned the trio a Grammy for country song, though the award was technically for the songwriters.