Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts was an American country music group founded in 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee. The group consisted of Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background vocals). DeMarcus is LeVox's second cousin, a brother-in-law of country music singer James Otto, and was previously a member of the contemporary Christian music duo East to West. LeVox and DeMarcus are both natives of Columbus, Ohio.
This article is about the band. For their debut album, see Rascal Flatts (album).
Rascal Flatts
From 2000 to 2010, they recorded for Disney Music Group's former Lyric Street Records division. 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). The group's self-titled debut Rascal Flatts was released in 2000, and Melt (2002), netted their first number-one single, "These Days". Feels Like Today (2004), Me and My Gang (2006), Still Feels Good (2007), and Unstoppable (2009) all topped the US Billboard 200 upon release. After Lyric Street closed in 2010, they moved to Big Machine Records. During their tenure with that label, they recorded five more studio albums: Nothing Like This (2010), Changed (2012), Rewind (2014), a Christmas album entitled The Greatest Gift of All (2016), and their final studio album Back to Us (2017).
Rascal Flatts released more than forty singles, sixteen of which reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay, and/or Canada Country charts. Their longest-running number-one, a cover of Marcus Hummon's "Bless the Broken Road", spent five weeks at number one on Hot Country Songs in 2005. Through 2006 and 2007, "What Hurts the Most" was number one on both the Hot Country Songs and Adult Contemporary charts, and garnered their highest peak on the Billboard Hot 100 at number six. 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 film Cars (2006). Rascal Flatts' music is defined by country pop influences, as well as their distinct vocal harmonies. In addition to their own music, DeMarcus has produced albums for Chicago, Jennette McCurdy, and Brooks & Dunn member Kix Brooks.
The band was named Vocal Group of the Year by the Country Music Association every year from 2003 to 2008, Top Vocal Group by the Academy of Country Music from 2003 to 2009 and won the American Music Award for Artist of the Year in 2006. They were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2011 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012. "Bless the Broken Road" was also named Best Country Song at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards.
On January 7, 2020, Rascal Flatts announced that they would be disbanding following a farewell tour after twenty years together. However, this farewell tour was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the group's disbandment was officially confirmed in October 2021.
Career[edit]
2000–2005: Rascal Flatts, Melt, and Feels Like Today[edit]
In early 2000, the group made its debut with the single "Prayin' for Daylight". This song had been on the three-song demo that had gotten the band signed.[6] The song, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard country charts, was the first single from their self-titled debut, which was issued in early 2000 on Lyric Street.[1] 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. "I'm Movin' On" was awarded Song of the Year by the Academy of Country Music in 2002. Stephen Thomas Erlewine reviewed the album with favor, calling it "a sunny, pleasing modern country-pop album".[7]
Their second album, entitled Melt, was released in 2002. Unlike their previous album, Melt was co-produced by the band.[1] The album's first single, "These Days", became the band's first number one hit on the U.S. country charts.[1] The album included two more Top 10 hits with "Love You Out Loud" "I Melt", and "Mayberry". The latter became the band's second number one. The music video for "I Melt" featured partial nudity[8] and was banned from the Great American Country network.
Rascal Flatts' third album, Feels Like Today, was released in late 2004. The album's title track was released as its first single. Following it was "Bless the Broken Road". The song was originally recorded by its co-writer, Marcus Hummon, and had also been recorded by Melodie Crittenden (whose version made the country chart in 1998), the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Sons of the Desert. In early 2005, Rascal Flatts's version became the band's third number one hit on the U.S. country charts and spent five weeks at that position. The third single, "Fast Cars and Freedom", hit number one as well. While the latter was climbing the charts, some radio stations began playing a hidden track on the album, titled "Skin". This airplay caused "Skin" to enter the top 40. The song was released as a single under the title "Skin (Sarabeth)" and officially added to the album's track list.
Artistry[edit]
Rascal Flatts' music is defined primarily by country pop influences as well as their distinct vocal harmonies. Though the band was a vocal group, DeMarcus and Rooney played bass and lead guitar on the majority of the band's studio albums. While the band's contemporaries, namely Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney, originally incorporated a more neotraditional country approach to their sound, Rascal Flatts employed a crossover-friendly country pop sound as early as their debut album. This led to them often being derided as a country boy band, the genre's response to the wave of success seen by acts such as NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys.[48] Brian Mansfield of USA Today explained: "Rascal Flatts—with clean-cut looks, showy vocals and pop-influenced arrangements—quickly found fans, as well as detractors willing to lump them with the boy-band knockoffs." DeMarcus recalled: "Randy Owen from Alabama grabbed me by the shoulders at the CMA Awards in New York. He said, 'I'm not going to BS you, buddy. Nobody likes you. Everybody hates you. You're just taking over the spot we were in 20 years ago.'"[49]
The band has cited Alabama, the Eagles,[50] Shenandoah, George Jones, Earl Thomas Conley, Keith Whitley, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Jeff Beck and Vince Gill as some of their most prominent musical influences. LeVox told Billboard: "Alabama was huge for us — the songs that they chose and the harmonies. Shenandoah — [lead singer] Marty Raybon, to this day, is the finest country singer on the planet. Shenandoah had a huge impact on me. Of course, George Jones and Earl Thomas Conley — just the tone of their voices and songs they’ve recorded. Keith Whitley and Stevie Wonder, too. [Stevie] is one of the best singers on the planet." Rooney said: "Being a guitar player… people like Eric Clapton. I love Jeff Beck’s playing and Chet Atkins and Vince Gill, those styles. I love technical players like Steve Vai and Larry Carlton. [I am a] huge Brent Mason fan. Dann Huff is one of my heroes, too. He always has been. He can do it all, the rock stuff, he can blues it up, too, and he can do some country chicken pickin’, which I think is incredible." DeMarcus said: "Some of my biggest commercial musical influences would be people like Merle Haggard, George Jones, of course, Johnny Cash. People that wrote and sang their own stuff, I really admired. I was an ’80s child, so I grew up loving all kinds of ’80s rock. I like R&B, too."[51]
Among the artists who claim the group as an influence on their own music are Hunter Hayes[52] and Dan + Shay.[53]
Philanthropy[edit]
Rascal Flatts helped support music education in disadvantaged U.S. public schools by filming a PSA with Little Kids Rock. Through their encouragement for music education, giving the gift of "music" is possible in children's lives.[54]
The band supported charities such as the Make A Wish Foundation. They helped raise one million dollars for the Central Ohio foundation. The event was Ohio State University's second annual "Big Wish Gala".[55] Their chart-topping song, "My Wish" is also used on ESPN as the soundtrack for its series that follows the Make-a-Wish Foundation as they turn dreams into reality for children with life-threatening illnesses.[56]
Since then, they have also contributed countable hours of their time—and $4 million—to Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt which is among the nation's leading pediatric facilities, where the Rascal Flatts Pediatric Surgery Center was named in recognition of the trio's long-standing involvement.[57]
They have raised and donated millions of dollars to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.[58] They were also involved with the American Red Cross as members on the celebrity cabinet board.[58]
Reception[edit]
The group had an uncommon youth demographic (18–25) for country music. In September 2007, Weekly Reader Research conducted a poll of more than 2,000 children and Rascal Flatts ranked as the sixth-most-popular act among ages 10–12.[59]
Contributions for other artists[edit]
Rascal Flatts' members have also contributed to the work of other artists.
In 2006 they provided backing vocals on the song 'Love Will Come Back' by Chicago, from the album Chicago XXX. The album was produced by DeMarcus.
LeVox, along with Jason Sellers and Wendell Mobley, co-wrote Phil Stacey's 2008 debut single "If You Didn't Love Me".[68]
DeMarcus has co-produced albums for several artists, including Chely Wright's 2002 album Never Love You Enough, Chicago's Chicago XXX, and James Otto's 2008 album Sunset Man, the last of which had John Rich of Big & Rich as a co-producer. He also produced New to This Town, the first solo album released by Kix Brooks following his split from Brooks & Dunn,
The group has also contributed portions of the Hannah Montana: The Movie soundtrack, with acoustic versions of "Bless the Broken Road" and "Backwards".
In 2011, they did a remix of "That Should Be Me" by Justin Bieber on his remix album Never Say Never – The Remixes.
In the same year, Anna Wilson's Countrypolitan Duets album also included a song featuring Rascal Flatts and Ray Price, "You're the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me".
Also in 2011, the band collaborated with Michael Bolton on his album Gems, on the song "Love Is Everything".
In 2012, Lionel Richie featured Rascal Flatts on his duet album, Tuskegee, on the song "Dancing on the Ceiling".
Also in 2012, Swedish country pop singer Jill Johnson featured Rascal Flatts on her album A Woman Can Change Her Mind, on a cover of their single "Come Wake Me Up".
The band appears on the track "Until Grace" by Tauren Wells, on his second studio album Citizen of Heaven.[69]
2000
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2021
Film and television appearances[edit]
The group appears as themselves in Hannah Montana: The Movie singing their song "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.
The group appears as themselves on CSI (season 10 episode 14), in which they perform in concert. In the episode entitled "Unshockable", DeMarcus is electrocuted by what turned out to be their bass tech Travis Murray. On the commentary they said what a great opportunity it was to work with such fine actors who are so good at what they do, LeVox stated, "It's one of my favorite shows and it was an honor to add a little piece of Rascal Flatts to the episode."
On April 5, 2012, Rascal Flatts appeared on the television special Changed: One Night Exclusive Theater Event. The special in-theater concert hit movie screens nationwide for one night only. It included live performance footage, Q&A sessions, and welcome messages from the band. The event showcased many tracks from the upcoming studio album.[80]