"I'm Movin' On" was awarded Song of the Year by the Academy of Country Music in 2002. Following "Prayin' for Daylight", the album's other three singles all made the Top 10 on that chart with " This Everyday Love", " While You Loved Me", and " I'm Movin' On", which respectively peaked at numbers 9, 7, and 4. 3 on the Billboard country charts, was the first single from their self-titled debut, which was issued in early 2000 on Lyric Street. This song had been on the three-song demo that had gotten the band signed. In early 2000, the group made its debut with the single " Prayin' for Daylight". The lead singer has such a unique and compelling voice." The band was signed to Lyric Street in late 1999.Ĭareer 2000–2005: Rascal Flatts, Melt, and Feels Like Today According to Howard in an interview with HitQuarters: "The vocals and harmonies, it was all there-I was just blown away. Singer Mila Mason recommended the group to record producers Mark Bright and Marty Williams, who 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. To the group's recollection, a bond was formed instantly. The group covered the hit Shenandoah single " The Church on Cumberland Road" that night. Jim Riley was the drummer and bandleader for the band. 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 join them. Īt the same time, DeMarcus had become the bandleader of Chely Wright's band, where he met Joe Don Rooney, the guitarist in that band. They engineered the album together, and became English's back-up band. In 1997, DeMarcus called LeVox, and convinced him to come to Nashville and provide some harmonies on Michael English's album Gospel, which he was producing. DeMarcus moved to Nashville in 1992, earning his first record deal as part of a Christian group called East to West his brother-in-law, James Otto, is also a country music singer. Gary LeVox and Jay DeMarcus are second cousins from a musical family. Rascal Flatts' founding was at Fiddle and Steel Guitar Bar in Nashville, Tennessee. That's why we have had the longevity we have. We're not just business partners, we are good friends. However, this farewell tour was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic the group's disbandment was not officially confirmed until October 2021. On January 7, 2020, Rascal Flatts announced that they would be disbanding following a farewell tour after 22 years together. In addition to their own songs, DeMarcus has produced albums for Chicago, Jennette McCurdy, and Brooks & Dunn member Kix Brooks. Their music is defined by country pop influences.
The band also had commercial success with a cover of Tom Cochrane's " Life Is a Highway", which they recorded for the soundtrack of the Pixar animated movie Cars. Through 2006–07, " What Hurts the Most" was number one on both the Hot Country Songs and Adult Contemporary charts, and their highest peak on the Billboard Hot 100 at number six. Their longest-lasting number-one single, a cover of Marcus Hummon's " Bless the Broken Road", spent five weeks in that position in 2005. Rascal Flatts has released more than forty singles, sixteen of which have reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay, and/or Canada Country charts. After Lyric Street closed in 2010, they moved to Big Machine Records for five more studio albums: Nothing Like This (2010), Changed (2012), Rewind (2014), The Greatest Gift of All (2016), and their final studio album, Back to Us (2017).
In order of release, they are Rascal Flatts (2000), Melt (2002), Feels Like Today (2004), Me and My Gang (2006), Still Feels Good (2007), and Unstoppable (2009). While on that label, they released six studio albums, all of which have been certified platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). DeMarcus is LeVox's second cousin, a brother-in-law of country music singer James Otto, and a former member of the contemporary Christian music duo East to West.įrom 2000 to 2010, they recorded for Disney Music Group's former Lyric Street Records division. The band members were Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background vocals). Rascal Flatts was an American country music band founded in 1999.