Rascal Flatts

Rascal Flatts was formed in 1999 in Columbus, Ohio. Two band members, Jay DeMarcus and Gary LeVox, who are cousins, started their performances in the nightclub in Nashville. Jay moved to Nashville in 1992 and signed a contract with a Christian group, East To West. However, he soon decided to change the genre. In 1997, DeMarcus called LeVox and invited him to Nashville to record an album, Gospel, for a Christian singer Michael English. After the album’s release, the musicians stayed with English and assisted him with other recordings. DeMarcus joined the band Chely Wright and met a guitar player Joe Rooney. For some time, Jay and Gary were working in a nightclub. One day, the guitar player called in sick and DeMarcus invited Rooney to replace them. That’s when the group was formed.

A popular country singer, Mila Mason recommended the group to ask for the assistance of Lyric Street Record. The band sent its demo album to the label. Producers were impressed with Rascal Flatt’s talent and invited the musicians to their office to hear them perform. At the end of 1999, the group signed a contract with Lyric Street.

At the beginning of 2000, the band released a debut single, "Prayin 'for Daylight". It was one of the singles from the demo album. The song reached the third place on Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart and became the lead single of the debut album, Rascal Flatts. Three more songs from the LP made it into the charts. They were "While You Loved Me", "This Everyday Love", and "I'm Movin' On". The album sold over 2 million copies. Many organizers wanted to book Rascal Flatts for private events. The second LP, Melt, came out in 2002. The lead single “These Days” became a hit. The album featured other successful songs, such as "Love You Out Loud", "I Melt", and "Mayberry". The LP sold over 3 million copies in the USA.

In 2004, the band presented its next LP, Feels Like Today, The most popular single was "Bless the Broken Road". It topped Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart and became platinum. The single "Fast Cars and Freedom" was also a chart-topper. The album itself earned 5 platinum certifications from RIAA. In 2005, the group recorded a new song, "What Hurts the Most", which ended up being part of the fourth LP, Me and My Gang. It topped the charts. The album came out in 2006 and earned four platinum statuses in the USA. The same year, the group recorded a cover for Tom Cochrane’s song "Life Is a Highway" for the animated movie Cars. The song reached a high spot on Billboard Hot 100. In 2007, the new album, Still Feels Good, came out. The next year, the band presented its first compilation album, Greatest Hits Volume 1. It featured 13 hits from "Prayin 'for Daylight" to "Life Is a Highway".

In 2009, the musicians recorded a new popular track, "Here Comes Goodbye", which was featured in the next LP, Unstoppable. The second single "Summer Nights" was recorded with Gary LeVox. It came in second on Hot Country Songs Chart.In 2010, Lyric Street Records went out of business. Rascal Flatts signed a contract with Big Machine Records. The first single recorded with the new label was “Why Wait”. It was featured in the next LP, Nothing Like This. A year later, Hollywood Records released a compilation album, The Best of Rascal Flatts Live.

The group’s eighth LP, Changed, came out in 2012. The same year Rascal Flatt got a star at the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. Later, the musicians started a restaurant business and formed a company, Rascal Flatts Restaurant Group. They promote these restaurants in the USA and Canada. Between 2014 and 2017, the group released three more LPs, Rewind, The Greatest Gift of All, and Back to Us, all of which made it into the top-10 of Billboard 200. In 2018, the group released a hit single “Back To Life”, which is expected to become a part of its next LP. The name and the release date of the album are currently unknown.