Rascal Flatts

Rascal Flatts

Rascal Flatts is an American country music band with roots in Columbus, Ohio. Since its inception, Rascal Flatts has been composed of three members: Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, keyboards/piano, vocals), and JoeDon Rooney (lead guitar, vocals). DeMarcus and LeVox are also second cousins.

They have released seven studio albums and a greatest hits album, the first six on Lyric Street Records. Their first two albums, 2000's Rascal Flatts and 2002's Melt, have been certified 2× Multi-Platinum and 3× Multi-Platinum, respectively, in the United States, while 2004's Feels Like Today and 2006's Me and My Gang have received 5× Multi-Platinum and 5× Multi-Platinum certifications respectively. 2007's Still Feels Good is certified 2× Multi-Platinum. Their sixth album, Unstoppable, was released on April 7, 2009, and has been certified platinum. In July 2010, Rascal Flatts signed to Big Machine Records, and their new album, Nothing Like This was released November 16, 2010.

They have also released twenty-seven singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, including 11 Number Ones. A cover of Tom Cochrane's "Life Is a Highway", from the soundtrack to the 2006 film Cars, also entered the country music charts from unsolicited airplay. Their longest-lasting Number One is "Bless the Broken Road" (late 2004–early 2005) at five weeks, while their biggest crossover single is "What Hurts the Most", which topped both the country and Adult Contemporary charts in 2006, and was a Top Ten pop hit.

History

We're not just business partners, we are good friends. That's why we have had the longevity we have.

JoeDon Rooney, 2006, People magazine

Rascal Flatts' founding was at Fiddle and Steel Guitar Bar in Nashville, Tennessee. Gary Levox and Jay DeMarcus are second cousins from a musical family. (DeMarcus's brother-in-law, James Otto, is also a country music artist.) DeMarcus moved to Nashville in 1992, earning his first record deal as part of a Christian group called East to West. In 1997, he finally convinced LeVox to leave his job and pursue a career in music.

DeMarcus soon joined Chely Wright's band, and there he met JoeDon Rooney. DeMarcus and LeVox were working in a Printer's Alley nightclub, and when their part-time guitarist could not make it one night, DeMarcus invited Rooney to sit in. The crowd's reaction was a positive one, and many asked the trio what their band's name was. They told the crowd that they did not have a name, and according to Gary, a man approached them and told the trio that he had a garage band when he was younger, named Rascal Flatts. The trio liked the name, and began performing together.

Producers Mark Bright and Marty Williams played Lyric Street Records A&R Doug Howard a three-song demo and Howard thought they were "just incredible". After he'd heard the demos, the band went into the Lyric Street offices the next day, sat down with acoustic guitars and played a couple of songs. According to Howard in an interview with HitQuarters: "The vocals and harmonies, it was all there - I was just blown away. The lead singer has such a unique and compelling voice." The band were signed to Lyric Street Records in late 1999.

Musical career

2000–2004 Rascal Flatts, Melt & Feels Like Today

In early 2000, the group made their debut with their single "Prayin' for Daylight", a song that had been on the three-song demo that had got the band signed. It was chosen as a great introduction for the radio. The song, which reached #1 on the Billboard country charts, was the first of four consecutive Top Ten hits from their self-titled debut, which was issued in early 2000 on Lyric Street. Following "Prayin' for Daylight" were "This Everyday Love", "While You Loved Me", and "I'm Movin' On", which peaked at #9, #7, and #4 on the country charts, respectively. "I'm Movin' On" was awarded Song of the Year by the Academy of Country Music in 2002.

Melt was the title of their second album, released in 2002. Unlike their previous album, Rascal Flatts co-produced Melt. Its first single, "These Days", also became their first Number One hit. This song was followed by "Love You Out Loud" at #3, "I Melt" at #2, and "Mayberry", their second Number One. "I Melt" featured a controversial music video which featured partial nudity, and as a result, the video was banned from the Great American Country network.

Rascal Flatts' third album was entitled Feels Like Today, and it was released in late 2004. Although its title track quickly fell from a peak position of #9, its follow-up, "Bless the Broken Road", became their biggest Number One, with a five-week run at the top of the country charts. This song had previously been recorded by Marcus Hummon (who co-wrote it with Jeff Hanna of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), and had previously been a #42 single in 1998 for Melodie Crittenden. "Bless the Broken Road" also brought the group to the Adult Contemporary charts for the first time, peaking at #20 there.

Following "Bless the Broken Road" was their fourth Number One hit, "Fast Cars and Freedom". While this song was climbing the charts, a hidden track from Feels Like Today, entitled "Skin", also received enough airplay to chart in the Top 40. Due to the success of "Skin" on the charts, it was then officially added to the album's track listing on later presses, and was shipped to radio under the title "Skin (Sarabeth)". This song went on to peak at #2 in late 2005, and was the final single from the album.

2005–2007 Me and My Gang and Still Feels Good

Rascal Flatts' thirteenth chart entry, "What Hurts the Most", was released in December 2005. This song, which had previously been recorded by Mark Wills in 2003, was the first single from their fourth album, 2006's Me and My Gang. This album also brought a new producer in Dann Huff. "What Hurts the Most" was a crossover hit, not only spending four weeks at the top of the country charts, but also topping the Adult Contemporary charts, and reaching Top Ten on the Billboard Hot 100. This song was followed by the album's title track at #6, and then two more Number One country hits in "My Wish" and "Stand".

Also in 2006, the group charted in the Top Ten on the Billboard Hot 100 with a cover of "Life Is a Highway" (originally by Tom Cochrane), which they recorded for the Pixar film Cars. Although "Life Is a Highway" was not released to country radio, several country stations began playing the song, causing it to chart as high as #18 on the country charts while "My Wish" was also climbing. As a result of its chart success, "Life Is a Highway" was added to later presses of Me and My Gang as a bonus track.

A special version of the cd was also sold in Target stores. While this version did not include "Life Is a Highway", it did contain three previously unreleased live bonus tracks, including "Love You Out Loud", "Mayberry", and "These Days".

Me and My Gang had the highest US debut of 2006, with 722,000 units in April. The album spent 15 weeks as the number one album on the Billboard Country Chart and was the second-best selling album of 2006 (behind High School Musical) with sales totaling 3.5 million by year's end. The album's success led the band to take the spot of top-selling artist for all genres of music, which hadn't been accomplished in 15 years by a country group.

Carrie Underwood and Rascal Flatts performed together at the 2007 Grammy Awards ceremony. Later the same year, the group released the single "Take Me There", a song which Kenny Chesney co-wrote and had initially planned to record himself. A Number One hit by September of that year, this was the first single from their album Still Feels Good. It was followed by "Winner at a Losing Game" and the ballad "Every Day", both of which peaked at #2. The fourth single from Still Feels Good, entitled "Bob That Head", became their first official country release to miss the Top Ten, when it peaked at #15. The album's fifth and final single, "Here", was released in August 2008 and became their ninth Number One hit on the chart week of January 3, 2009.

2008–2010 Greatest Hits Volume 1 and Unstoppable

Rascal Flatts released their first Greatest Hits CD, Greatest Hits Volume 1 on October 28, 2008. The album contains 13 of their biggest songs, starting with "Prayin' for Daylight" and going through "Life Is a Highway". The limited edition of the album contains a second disc with three Christmas songs: "White Christmas", "Jingle Bell Rock", and "I'll Be Home for Christmas". A year later in October 2009, they released a second edition of their greatest hits collection, this time with a second disc containing live performances of "Take Me There", "Summer Nights", "Me & My Gang", and "Winner at a Losing Game".

Rascal Flatts released the first single "Here Comes Goodbye" from their album, Unstoppable, to radio on January 20, and the album was released on April 7, 2009. The song was co-written by American Idol season 6 finalist Chris Sligh. The second single, "Summer Nights", co-written by Gary LeVox, was released in early May 2009 debuting at #57 and topped out at #2 on the country charts. The group performed Summer Nights at the CMT Music Awards, Oprah's Kickoff Party, and the finale of America's Got Talent. The third single off the album, "Why", peaked at #18 on the country charts. Rascal Flatts performed "Why" on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. The band released their fourth single, "Unstoppable", in January 2010.

A special release version of their album Unstoppable is available at JCPenney stores nationwide. It features a special release song entitled "American Living" only available on the albums sold at JCPenney stores. JCPenney is an official sponsor of Rascal Flatts' Unstoppable American Living Tour in an two-year partnership and $1 of every CD sold at JCPenney will be donated to the JCPenney Afterschool Fund. On July 16, 2009, as part of the JCPenny American Living Tour, Rascal Flatts made history as the first country music group to play Chicago's Wrigley Field. The trio was joined by fellow artists, Vince Gill and Darius Rucker for a near-sellout crowd.

2010–present Nothing Like This

After the closure of Lyric Street in April 2010, Rascal Flatts signed to Big Machine Records in July of the same year. The group's first release for the label is "Why Wait." Their next album Nothing Like This was released November 16. "Why Wait" became Rascal Flatts' eleventh #1 hit on the country charts for the week of December 18, 2010.

Rascal Flatts appeared at the 44th Annual Country Music Awards on November 10, 2010. They received the Decade Artist award.

Reception

The group has an uncommon youth demographic (18–25) for country music (where the average listener is 44 years old). In September 2007, Weekly Reader Research (Weekly Reader being a children's general-interest magazine) conducted a poll of more than 2,000 children and Rascal Flatts ranked as the sixth-most-popular act among ages 10–12.

They have raised and donated millions of dollars to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt . They are also involved with the American Red Cross as they are members on the celebrity cabinet board .

Touring

Rascal Flatts has enjoyed financial success as touring artists. Nielsen reported that the band was the top selling artist in 2006: "Rascal Flatts was the biggest selling artist, with nearly 5 million physical album sales and nearly 4 million digital track sales." They had their first headlining tour beginning in Fall 2002, and by 2005 they were among the top 25 tours of the year, grossing $26.3 million in 777,384 tickets sold, according to Billboard Boxscore. Their follow-up tour in 2006 grossed $46.2 million, drawing more than a million people to 79 shows. Rascal Flatts has the third-highest US country tour in 2007, grossing $34 million from 588,009 tickets sold. The group grossed $16.8 million dollars from their summer tour alone.

Rascal Flatts's shows are heavy on special effects, including videos, pyrotechnics and laser lights.

Tours

• Jo Dee Messina's Burn Tour – 2000-2001
• I Melt Tour – 2002–2003
• Brooks & Dunn's Neon Circus & Wild West Show – 2003
• Kenny Chesney's Guitars, Tiki Bars & Whole Lotta Love Tour – 2004
• Here's to You Tour – 2004–2005
• Me & My Gang Tour – 2006–2007
• Still Feels Good Tour – 2007–2008
• Bob That Head Tour – 2008–2009
• American Living Unstoppable Tour – 2009–2010
• Nothing Like This Tour – 2010-2011

Contributions for other artists

Rascal Flatts' members have also contributed to the work of other artists. LeVox, along with Jason Sellers and Wendell Mobley, co-wrote Phil Stacey's 2008 debut single "If You Didn't Love Me". DeMarcus has co-produced albums for several artists, including Chely Wright's 2002 album Never Love You Enough as well as Chicago's Chicago XXX. James Otto's 2008 album Sunset Man was co-produced by DeMarcus and John Rich of Big & Rich. They have also contributed portions of the Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack, with acoustic versions of "Bless the Broken Road" and "Backwards".

Discography

Main article: Rascal Flatts discography

• Rascal Flatts (2000)
• Melt (2002)
• Feels Like Today (2004)
• Me and My Gang (2006)
• Still Feels Good (2007)
• Greatest Hits Volume 1 (2008)
• Unstoppable (2009)
• Nothing Like This (2010)

U.S. Country number one singles

• "These Days" (2002) (3 weeks)
• "Mayberry" (2004)
• "Bless the Broken Road" (2005) (5 weeks)
• "Fast Cars and Freedom" (2005) (3 weeks)
• "What Hurts the Most" (2006) (4 weeks)
• "My Wish" (2006)
• "Stand" (2007)
• "Take Me There" (2007) (3 weeks)
• "Here" (2009) (2 weeks)
• "Here Comes Goodbye" (2009)
• "Why Wait" (2010)

Awards

2000

• ACM Top New Vocal Duo Or Group

2002

• CMA Horizon Award
• ACM Song of the Year ("I'm Movin' On")
• ACM Top Vocal Group

2003

• CMT Flameworthy Video Music Award for Group/Duo of the Year
• CMA Vocal Group of the Year
• ACM Top Vocal Group

2004

• CMT Flameworthy Music Video Award for Group/Duo of the Year
• CMA Vocal Group
• ACM Top Vocal Group

2005

• CMT Music Award for Group/Duo of the Year
• CMA Vocal Group of the Year
• ACM Top Vocal Group

2006

• CMT Music Award for Group/Duo of the Year
• ACM Top Vocal Group
• CMA Vocal Group of the Year
• AMA Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group
• AMA T-Mobile Text-In Award
• People's Choice Awards Favorite Song from a Movie ("Life Is A Highway")
• People's Choice Awards Favorite Song Remake ("Life Is A Highway")
• CMT Loaded Awards – Number One Digitally Active Group/Duo
• CMT Loaded Awards – Number One Streamed Music Video ("What Hurts the Most")

2007

• CMT Best Group Video of the Year ("What Hurts the Most")
• ACM Top Vocal Group
• CMA Vocal Group of the Year
• AMA Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group

2008

• People's Choice Awards Favorite Country Song ("Stand")
• People's Choice Awards Favorite Group
• CMT Music Award for Group Video of the Year ("Take Me There")
• ACM Top Vocal Group
• ACM Humanitarian Award
• CMA Vocal Group of the Year
• AMA Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group

2009

• People's Choice Awards Favorite Group
• ACM Top Vocal Group
• CMT Music Award for Group Video of the Year ("Every Day")
• AMA Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group

2010

• Star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame
• "ACA" Decade Artist award

Film and television appearances

Rascal Flatts, along with David Hartley, contributed "Walk The Llama Llama" to the sound track of The Emperor's New Groove.

In addition to "Life Is A Highway," Rascal Flatts also contributed their version of an old classic to the movie Evan Almighty, putting their own spin on "The Beatles" hit "Revolution". Their version of the song did not appear on the soundtrack.

On February 1, 2006, Rascal Flatts appeared as themselves in ""The Limo"" episode of Yes, Dear. After being kidnapped in a limo by the main characters, the group performed "Bless the Broken Road" for them as an anniversary gift.

On April 10, 2009, Rascal Flatts appeared as themselves in Hannah Montana: The Movie singing their songs "Backwards" during the scene of Miley's grandma's birthday party and then "Bless the Broken Road" in an evening scene on the front porch.

They appeared as themselves, promoting Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution in Huntington, West Virginia.

On March 4, 2010, Rascal Flatts appeared as themselves in an episode of the CBS drama, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, in which they performed a concert. In the episode, titled "Unshockable," one of the group's members was the victim of a crime and the other two members were suspects.

They also appeared in a Hershey commercial to promote Hershey Chocolate.

On April 28, 2010, Rascal Flatts appeared as themselves on American Idol. They also sang with Shakira.

On September 11, 2010, Rascal Flatts sang the National Anthem in Columbus, OH, opening the much anticipated rematch of the 2003 BCS National Championship game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Ohio State Buckeyes. The game resulted in another win for Ohio State over Miami.

External links

• Rascal Flatts Official Website