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Rascal Flatts is an American
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, o ...
band that was formed in 1999 in
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...
. The group consists of
Gary LeVox Gary LeVox (born Gary Wayne Vernon Jr., July 10, 1970) is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for being the lead vocalist of the contemporary country music band Rascal Flatts, and his stage name was taken from the studio-console label ...
(lead vocals),
Jay DeMarcus Jay DeMarcus (born Stanley Wayne DeMarcus Jr.; on April 26, 1971) is an American bassist, vocalist, pianist, record producer and songwriter. From 1999 to 2021, he was a member of the country pop group Rascal Flatts. Early life DeMarcus was born ...
(bass guitar, background vocals), and
Joe Don Rooney Joe Don Rooney (born September 13, 1975 in Baxter Springs, KS) is an American musician. From 1999 to 2021, he was the lead guitarist and high octave harmony singer in the American country pop trio Rascal Flatts. In addition to the Electric guita ...
(lead guitar, background vocals). DeMarcus is LeVox's second cousin, a brother-in-law of country music singer
James Otto James Allen Otto (born July 29, 1973) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Otto began his career on Mercury Nashville Records in 2002, charting three minor singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts and recording his de ...
, and was previously a member of the
contemporary Christian music Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and ...
duo
East to West East to West was a Contemporary Christian music duo from Cleveland, Tennessee, formed in 1993. Background Neal Coomer and Jay DeMarcus met in Cleveland, Tennessee, at Lee College (now Lee University) and decided to form a Christian pop group alo ...
. From 2000 to 2010, the band recorded for
Disney Music Group Disney Music Group (DMG) is the music recording arm of Disney Platform Distribution, a division of The Walt Disney Company. It is located at the studio's headquarters in Burbank, California. The division's subsidiaries consist of two owned record ...
's former
Lyric Street Records Lyric Street Records was an American country music record label. It was owned by the Disney Music Group and founded in 1997 by Randy Goodman. The label had its first successes in 1998 with singles by Lari White and Aaron Tippin, both formerly of ...
division. While on that label, it released six studio albums, all of which were
certified Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...
platinum or higher by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...
(RIAA). The group's self-titled debut ''
Rascal Flatts Rascal Flatts is an American country music band founded in 1999. The band members were Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background vocals). DeMarcus is LeVox's second co ...
'' was released in 2000, and ''
Melt Melt may refer to: Science and technology * Melting, in physics, the process of heating a solid substance to a liquid * Melt (manufacturing), the semi-liquid material used in steelmaking and glassblowing * Melt (geology), magma ** Melt inclusions, ...
'' (2002), garnered their first number-one single, "
These Days These Days may refer to: Music Albums * ''These Days'' (Bon Jovi album), and the title song (see below) ** These Days Tour, a 1995–1996 tour by Bon Jovi in support of the above album * ''These Days'' (Crystal Gayle album), 1980 * ''These D ...
". ''
Feels Like Today ''Feels Like Today'' is the third studio album by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released on September 28, 2004, via Lyric Street Records. The album has sold 5.274 million copies in the United States as of July 2014, and it h ...
'' (2004), ''
Me and My Gang ''Me and My Gang'' is the fourth studio album by the American country music group Rascal Flatts, released on April 4, 2006 by Lyric Street Records. The album became the highest US debut of 2006, with 721,747 units and went double platinum in the ...
'' (2006), ''
Still Feels Good ''Still Feels Good'' is the fifth studio album by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released September 25, 2007, via Lyric Street Records. The album sold 2,192,000 copies in the United States up to May 2009 and was certified 2× P ...
'' (2007), and ''
Unstoppable Unstoppable may refer to: Film and television * ''Unstoppable'' (2004 film), an American film directed by David Carson * '' Unstoppable: Conversation with Melvin Van Peebles, Gordon Parks, and Ossie Davis'', a 2005 American television documentar ...
'' (2009) all topped the US ''Billboard'' 200 upon release. After Lyric Street closed in 2010, they moved to
Big Machine Records Big Machine Records is an American independent record label, distributed by Universal Music Group. Specializing in country and pop artists, Big Machine is based on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. The label was founded in September 2005 by for ...
. Since joining that label, they've recorded five more studio albums: '' Nothing Like This'' (2010), ''
Changed Change or Changing may refer to: Alteration * Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time * Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of the menstrual period * Metamorphosis, or change ...
'' (2012), ''
Rewind Rewind may refer to: General uses * Rewind, the process of winding magnetic tape inside a cassette or a microform, microfilm reel backwards to a previous point on the reel ** Rewind symbol, a media control symbol indicating tape rewind or analogou ...
'' (2014), a Christmas album entitled ''
The Greatest Gift of All ''The Greatest Gift of All'' is the only Christmas album recorded by American country pop trio Rascal Flatts. It was released October 21, 2016, through Big Machine Records. The album was produced by group member Jay DeMarcus. Critical receptio ...
'' (2016), and ''
Back to Us ''Back to Us'' is the tenth and final studio album by American country music trio Rascal Flatts. It was released on May 19, 2017 through Big Machine Records. The group produced the album themselves, save one track on the deluxe edition, which wa ...
'' (2017). Rascal Flatts has released more than forty singles, sixteen of which reached number one on the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' Hot Country Songs,
Country Airplay Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since January 20, 1990. This chart lists the 60 most-listened-to records played on 150 mainstream country radio stations across the country as monitored ...
, and/or
Canada Country The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the wor ...
charts. Their longest-running number-one, a cover of
Marcus Hummon Marcus Spencer Hummon (born December 28, 1960) is an American country music artist. He is the father of country singer Levi Hummon. Early life Hummon was born in Washington, D.C.. He graduated from Williams College. Career After several years ...
's "
Bless the Broken Road "Bless the Broken Road" is a song that has been recorded by several American country music artists. Co-written by Marcus Hummon, Bobby Boyd, and Jeff Hanna in 1994, it tells how the journey through relationship heartbreak and disappointment was ...
", spent five weeks at number one on Hot Country Songs in 2005. Through 2006 and 2007, their cover of
Mark Wills Mark Wills (born Daryl Mark Williams; August 8, 1973) is an American country music artist. Signed to Mercury Records between 1996 and 2003, he released five studio albums for the label – '' Mark Wills'', '' Wish You Were Here'', ''Permanently' ...
' "
What Hurts the Most "What Hurts the Most" is a song written by American songwriter Jeffrey Steele and English songwriter Steve Robson. Initially recorded by country music artist Mark Wills in 2003 on his album '' And the Crowd Goes Wild'', it was covered by Bellef ...
" was a number one hit on both the Hot Country Songs and
Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...
charts, and garnered their highest peak on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number six. The band has also found commercial success with a cover of
Tom Cochrane Thomas William Cochrane ( ; born May 14, 1953) is a Canadian musician best known as the frontman for the rock band Red Rider and for his work as a solo singer-songwriter. Cochrane has won eight Juno Awards. He is a member of the Canadian Music ...
's "
Life Is a Highway "Life Is a Highway" is a song by Canadian musician Tom Cochrane from his second studio album, ''Mad Mad World'' (1991). The song became a number-one hit in Canada in late 1991. "Life Is a Highway" also peaked at number six on the US ''Billboard'' ...
", which they recorded for the
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
of the
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
/
Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californ ...
animated film ''
Cars A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as t ...
'' (2006). Rascal Flatts' music is defined by
country pop Country pop (also known as pop country or urban cowboy) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres ...
influences, as well as their distinct
vocal harmonies Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are simultaneously sung as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical chora ...
. In addition to their own music, DeMarcus has produced albums for
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
,
Jennette McCurdy Jennette Michelle Faye McCurdy (born June 26, 1992) is an American writer, director, podcaster, singer and former actress. McCurdy's breakthrough role as Sam Puckett in the Nickelodeon sitcom ''iCarly'' (2007–2012) earned her various award ...
, and
Brooks & Dunn Brooks & Dunn are an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, both of whom are vocalists and songwriters. The duo was founded in 1990 through the suggestion of Tim DuBois. Before their formation, both members were solo ...
member
Kix Brooks Leon Eric Brooks III, better known by his stage name Kix Brooks (born May 12, 1955), is an American country music artist, actor, and film producer best known for being one half of the duo Brooks & Dunn and host of radio's '' American Country ...
. On January 7, 2020, the trio 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 COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
; the group's disbandment was officially confirmed in October 2021. They would later announce a reunion on October 1, 2024, with a tour commemorating their twenty-fifth anniversary that commenced in 2025. Rascal Flatts was named Vocal Group of the Year by the
Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre. The objectives of the organization are to guide and enha ...
every year from 2003 to 2008, Top Vocal Group by the
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris Christensen. They wanted to promote country musi ...
from 2003 to 2009 and won the
American Music Award for Artist of the Year The American Music Award for Artist of the Year, which is the most prestigious award of the night, has been awarded since 1996. Years reflect the year during which the awards were presented, for works released in the previous year (until 2003 onwa ...
in 2006. They were inducted into the
Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divi ...
in 2011 and received a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...
in 2012. "Bless the Broken Road" was also named
Best Country Song The Grammy Award for Best Country Song (sometimes known as the Country Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1965. The award is given to the songwriter(s) of the song, not to the artist, except if the artist is also the songwriter. There ha ...
at the
48th Annual Grammy Awards The 48th Annual Grammy Awards took place on February 8, 2006, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning from October 1, 2004 through September 30, 2005. Irish rock band U2 we ...
. In 2025, ''Billboard'' ranked the group #48 on their list of the Top 100 Artists of the 21st Century.


Origins

Gary LeVox Gary LeVox (born Gary Wayne Vernon Jr., July 10, 1970) is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for being the lead vocalist of the contemporary country music band Rascal Flatts, and his stage name was taken from the studio-console label ...
and
Jay DeMarcus Jay DeMarcus (born Stanley Wayne DeMarcus Jr.; on April 26, 1971) is an American bassist, vocalist, pianist, record producer and songwriter. From 1999 to 2021, he was a member of the country pop group Rascal Flatts. Early life DeMarcus was born ...
are second cousins from a musical family based in
Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...
, where they were raised. DeMarcus moved to Nashville in 1992, earning his first record deal as part of a Christian group called
East to West East to West was a Contemporary Christian music duo from Cleveland, Tennessee, formed in 1993. Background Neal Coomer and Jay DeMarcus met in Cleveland, Tennessee, at Lee College (now Lee University) and decided to form a Christian pop group alo ...
. 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. They engineered the album together, and became English's backup band. At the same time, DeMarcus had become the bandleader of
Chely Wright Chely Wright (born Richell Rene Wright; October 25, 1970) is an American activist, author and country music artist. She initially rose to fame as a commercial country recording artist with several charting singles, including the number one hit, ...
's band, where he met
Joe Don Rooney Joe Don Rooney (born September 13, 1975 in Baxter Springs, KS) is an American musician. From 1999 to 2021, he was the lead guitarist and high octave harmony singer in the American country pop trio Rascal Flatts. In addition to the Electric guita ...
, the guitarist in that band. DeMarcus and LeVox were working in a
Printer's Alley Printer's Alley is a famous alley in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., between Third and Fourth Avenues, running from Union Street to Commerce Street. The portion of the alley between Union and Church Street is the home of a nightclub distric ...
nightclub called the Fiddle & Steel Guitar Bar, and when their part-time guitarist could not make it one night, DeMarcus invited Rooney to fill in. Jim Riley was the drummer and bandleader for the band. The three men covered the 1989 Shenandoah hit "
The Church on Cumberland Road "The Church on Cumberland Road" is a song written by Bob DiPiero, John Scott Sherrill and Dennis Robbins, and recorded by American country music group Shenandoah. It was released in January 1989 as the second single from their album ''The Road N ...
" that night. To the group's recollection, a bond was formed instantly. Singer
Mila Mason Mila Mason (born August 22, 1963) is an American country music artist. She made her debut in 1996 with her debut album ''That's Enough of That'', which produced three hit singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Country Airp ...
recommended the group to record producers
Mark Bright Mark Abraham Bright (born 6 June 1962) is an English sports correspondent and former footballer. Born to a Gambian father and English mother, he was adopted into a foster family in Stoke-on-Trent at an early age. He played non-league football ...
and Marty Williams, who played
Lyric Street Records Lyric Street Records was an American country music record label. It was owned by the Disney Music Group and founded in 1997 by Randy Goodman. The label had its first successes in 1998 with singles by Lari White and Aaron Tippin, both formerly of ...
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 HitQuarters was an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It was noted for its in-depth interviews with industry figures, as well as its A&R and manager contact directory, free artist promo pages and song ...
: "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 was signed to Lyric Street in late 1999.


Career


2000–2005: ''Rascal Flatts'', ''Melt'', and ''Feels Like Today''

In February 2000, the group made its debut with the single "
Prayin' for Daylight "Prayin' for Daylight" is a song written by Steve Bogard and Rick Giles and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in February 2000 as the first single from the band's self-titled debut album and as their debut si ...
". The song had been on the three-track demo that had gotten the band signed. The song, which reached No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' country charts, was the first single from their self-titled debut, which was issued in June 2000 on Lyric Street. Following "Prayin' for Daylight", the album's other three singles all made the Top 10 on that chart with "
This Everyday Love "This Everyday Love" is a song written by Gene Nelson and Danny Wells, and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in August 2000 as the second single from the band’s Rascal Flatts (album), self-titled debut album. ...
", "
While You Loved Me "While You Loved Me" is a song written by Kim Williams, Danny Wells and Marty Dodson and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in March 2001 as the third single from the band’s self-titled debut album. The son ...
", 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 Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, oc ...
reviewed the album with favor, calling it "a sunny, pleasing modern country-pop album". In November 2000, the group contributed the song "Walk The Llama Llama" to the
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
for the
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
film ''
The Emperor's New Groove ''The Emperor's New Groove'' is a 2000 American animated slapstick comedy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 40th animated film produced by the studio, it was directed by Mark Dindal and p ...
'' (2000). In early 2002, they also recorded a song titled "The Glory of Life" for the
Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...
war film ''
We Were Soldiers ''We Were Soldiers'' is a 2002 war film written and directed by Randall Wallace and starring Mel Gibson. Based on the book '' We Were Soldiers Once… and Young'' (1992) by Lieutenant General (Ret.) Hal Moore and reporter Joseph L. Galloway ...
'' (2002). Their sophomore album ''
Melt Melt may refer to: Science and technology * Melting, in physics, the process of heating a solid substance to a liquid * Melt (manufacturing), the semi-liquid material used in steelmaking and glassblowing * Melt (geology), magma ** Melt inclusions, ...
'' was released on October 29, 2002. Unlike its predecessor, ''Melt'' was co-produced by the band. The album's first single, "
These Days These Days may refer to: Music Albums * ''These Days'' (Bon Jovi album), and the title song (see below) ** These Days Tour, a 1995–1996 tour by Bon Jovi in support of the above album * ''These Days'' (Crystal Gayle album), 1980 * ''These D ...
", became the band's first number one hit on the U.S. country charts. The album included two more Top 10 hits with "
Love You Out Loud "Love You Out Loud" is a song written by Brett James and Lonnie Wilson and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in January 2003 as the second single from the band’s 2002 album ''Melt''. The song peaked at numbe ...
" and "
I Melt "I Melt" is a song written by Gary LeVox, Wendell Mobley, and Neil Thrasher and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in July 2003 as the third single from the band’s 2002 album ''Melt''. The song peaked at numbe ...
". "
Mayberry Mayberry, North Carolina, is a fictional community that was the setting for two popular American television sitcoms, ''The Andy Griffith Show'' (1960–1968) and '' Mayberry R.F.D.'' (1968–1971); Mayberry was also the setting for a 1986 reun ...
", the album's fourth and final single, became the band's second number one. The
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...
for "I Melt" garnered controversy for its scenes which featured partial nudity, and was banned from the
Great American Country Great American Family is an American cable television network. Owned by Great American Media, it broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming, including television series and made-for-TV movies. It was originally established i ...
network. Rascal Flatts' third album, ''
Feels Like Today ''Feels Like Today'' is the third studio album by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released on September 28, 2004, via Lyric Street Records. The album has sold 5.274 million copies in the United States as of July 2014, and it h ...
'', was released in September 2004. ''Feels Like Today'' topped the ''Billboard'' 200 and Top Country Albums charts upon release. The album's
title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...
was released as its first single. The second single was "
Bless the Broken Road "Bless the Broken Road" is a song that has been recorded by several American country music artists. Co-written by Marcus Hummon, Bobby Boyd, and Jeff Hanna in 1994, it tells how the journey through relationship heartbreak and disappointment was ...
". The song was originally recorded by its co-writer,
Marcus Hummon Marcus Spencer Hummon (born December 28, 1960) is an American country music artist. He is the father of country singer Levi Hummon. Early life Hummon was born in Washington, D.C.. He graduated from Williams College. Career After several years ...
, and had also been recorded by
Melodie Crittenden Melodie Crittenden (born 1968) is an American country and Christian music artist. Her first album was recorded at the age of nine in Norman, Oklahoma, and was titled ''Melodie Sings''. She traveled around Oklahoma with her family band "The Crit ...
(whose version charted in 1998), the
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country rock band formed in 1966. The group has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California. Between 1976 and 1981, the band performed and recorded as the Dirt Band. Constant ...
, and
Sons of the Desert A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative. Social issues In pre-industrial societies and some current co ...
. In early 2005, Rascal Flatts' 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 "Fast Cars and Freedom" is a song recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in March 2005 as the third single from the album ''Feels Like Today''. It was the group's fourth Number One single on the U.S. ''Billboard' ...
", hit number one as well. While the latter was climbing the charts, some radio stations began playing a
hidden track In the field of recorded music, a hidden track (sometimes called a ghost track, secret track or unlisted track) is a song or a piece of audio that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, LP record, or other recorded medium, in such a way as to ...
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) "Skin (Sarabeth)" (listed on the album, ''Feels Like Today'', as just "Skin") is a song written by Doug Johnson and Joe Henry, and performed by American country music group Rascal Flatts. The song was originally a hidden track on the first shipme ...
" and officially added to the album's track list, later peaking at #2 on the country charts.


2005–2007: ''Me and My Gang'' and ''Still Feels Good''

Rascal Flatts's thirteenth chart entry, "
What Hurts the Most "What Hurts the Most" is a song written by American songwriter Jeffrey Steele and English songwriter Steve Robson. Initially recorded by country music artist Mark Wills in 2003 on his album '' And the Crowd Goes Wild'', it was covered by Bellef ...
", was released in January 2006. This song had previously been recorded by
Mark Wills Mark Wills (born Daryl Mark Williams; August 8, 1973) is an American country music artist. Signed to Mercury Records between 1996 and 2003, he released five studio albums for the label – '' Mark Wills'', '' Wish You Were Here'', ''Permanently' ...
in 2003. Rascal Flatts' version of that song was released as the first single from their fourth album ''
Me and My Gang ''Me and My Gang'' is the fourth studio album by the American country music group Rascal Flatts, released on April 4, 2006 by Lyric Street Records. The album became the highest US debut of 2006, with 721,747 units and went double platinum in the ...
'', which was released in April. For the full album, the band worked with producer
Dann Huff Dann Lee Huff (born November 15, 1960) is an American record producer and songwriter. For his work as a producer in the country music genre, he has won several awards, including the ''Musician of the Year'' award in 2001, 2004, and 2016 at the Co ...
to create a more band-oriented album. Rascal Flatts' rendition of "What Hurts the Most" was a crossover hit for the band, reaching No. 1 on both the country and adult contemporary charts, as well as peaking at #6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, spending a total of 51 weeks on the latter chart. The album's
title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...
was released as the second single and reached #6 on the country chart. The third and fourth singles, "
My Wish "My Wish" is a song written by Jeffrey Steele and Steve Robson, and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in August 2006 as the third single from their album '' Me and My Gang''. It reached number one on the ...
" and "
Stand Stand or The Stand may refer to: * To assume the upright position of standing * Forest stand, a group of trees * Area of seating in a stadium, such as bleachers * Stand (cricket), a relationship between two players * Stand (drill pipe), 2 or 3 jo ...
", both reached number one. In the summer of 2006, the group charted in the top 10 of the Hot 100 again with a cover of
Tom Cochrane Thomas William Cochrane ( ; born May 14, 1953) is a Canadian musician best known as the frontman for the rock band Red Rider and for his work as a solo singer-songwriter. Cochrane has won eight Juno Awards. He is a member of the Canadian Music ...
's "
Life Is a Highway "Life Is a Highway" is a song by Canadian musician Tom Cochrane from his second studio album, ''Mad Mad World'' (1991). The song became a number-one hit in Canada in late 1991. "Life Is a Highway" also peaked at number six on the US ''Billboard'' ...
", which they recorded for the
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
/
Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californ ...
film ''
Cars A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as t ...
''. Although "Life Is a Highway" was not released to country radio, many country stations began playing the song, causing it to chart within the top 20 of Hot Country Songs. ''Me and My Gang'' had the highest US debut of 2006, with 722,000 units in April. The album spent 15 weeks at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Top Country Albums chart and was the second-best selling album of 2006 (behind ''
High School Musical ''High School Musical'' is a 2006 American musical television film directed by Kenny Ortega and written by Peter Barsocchini. The 63rd Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) and first installment of the ''High School Musical'' film series, ...
''), with sales totaling to about 3.5 million by year's end.Tucker, Ken (August 25, 2007), "Can Rascal Repeat?" ''Billboard''. 119 (34):20–22 The album's success led the band to take the spot of top-selling artist for all genres of music, which had not been accomplished in 15 years by a country group. In the summer of 2007, the band recorded a cover of the 1968 Beatles song "
Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
" for the film ''
Evan Almighty ''Evan Almighty'' is a 2007 American comedy film, and a spin-off of ''Bruce Almighty'' (2003). The film was directed by Tom Shadyac, written by Steve Oedekerk, based on the characters created by Steve Koren and Mark O'Keefe from the original fi ...
''. Later the same year, the group released the single " Take Me There", a song which
Kenny Chesney Kenneth Arnold Chesney (born March 26, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has recorded more than 20 albums and has produced more than 40 Top 10 singles on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs and Country ...
co-wrote and had initially planned to record himself. That song became a number-one country hit for the band in September and served as the first single from the album ''
Still Feels Good ''Still Feels Good'' is the fifth studio album by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released September 25, 2007, via Lyric Street Records. The album sold 2,192,000 copies in the United States up to May 2009 and was certified 2× P ...
''. It was followed by "
Winner at a Losing Game "Winner at a Losing Game" is a song written and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in October 2007 as the second single from their album '' Still Feels Good'', as well as their nineteenth chart single overall. ...
", which was the first single the band had written themselves. The single and its followup " Every Day" both peaked at No. 2 on the country charts in 2008. The fourth single from the album, "
Bob That Head "Bob That Head" is a song written by Gary LeVox, Neil Thrasher, and Michael Dulaney and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in July 2008 as the fourth single from their album ''Still Feels Good''. With a peak o ...
", became the band's first single to miss the Top 10 on the chart. The fifth and final single, "
Here Here is an adverb that means "in, on, or at this place". It may also refer to: Software * Here Technologies, a mapping company * Here WeGo (formerly Here Maps), a mobile app and map website by Here Television * Here TV (formerly "here!"), a ...
", was released in August 2008 and became the band's 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 compilation album, '' Greatest Hits Volume 1'', on October 28, 2008. The album contains 13 of their biggest songs, starting with "
Prayin' for Daylight "Prayin' for Daylight" is a song written by Steve Bogard and Rick Giles and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in February 2000 as the first single from the band's self-titled debut album and as their debut si ...
" and going through "
Life Is a Highway "Life Is a Highway" is a song by Canadian musician Tom Cochrane from his second studio album, ''Mad Mad World'' (1991). The song became a number-one hit in Canada in late 1991. "Life Is a Highway" also peaked at number six on the US ''Billboard'' ...
". The limited edition of the album contains a second disc with three Christmas songs: "
White Christmas White Christmas most commonly refers to: * White Christmas (weather), snowfall or snow-covered ground on Christmas Day * "White Christmas" (song), a 1942 song written by Irving Berlin White Christmas may also refer to: Film, television, and the ...
", "
Jingle Bell Rock "Jingle Bell Rock" is an American Christmas song first released by Bobby Helms in 1957. Since its release, it has received frequent airplay in the United States during every Christmas season since then. "Jingle Bell Rock" was composed by Joseph Ca ...
", and "
I'll Be Home for Christmas "I'll Be Home for Christmas" is a Christmas song written by the lyricist Kim Gannon and composer Walter Kent and recorded in 1943 by Bing Crosby, who scored a top ten hit with the song. Originally written to honor soldiers overseas who longed t ...
". 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". In January 2009, Rascal Flatts released the song "
Here Comes Goodbye "Here Comes Goodbye" is a song written by ''American Idol'' season 6 finalist Chris Sligh and Clint Lagerberg and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts, who released it in January 2009 as the first single from their album '' Unsto ...
" as the first single from the album ''
Unstoppable Unstoppable may refer to: Film and television * ''Unstoppable'' (2004 film), an American film directed by David Carson * '' Unstoppable: Conversation with Melvin Van Peebles, Gordon Parks, and Ossie Davis'', a 2005 American television documentar ...
'', which was released on April 7 of that year. Co-written by ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to A ...
'' season six finalist
Chris Sligh Charles Christopher Sligh (born April 13, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and pastor who was a finalist on the sixth season of ''American Idol'', finishing in tenth place. He has released 14 albums since 2001 as a solo artist, wi ...
, "Here Comes Goodbye" became the group's tenth number one hit. The second single from the ''Unstoppable'' album, " Summer Nights", which was co-written by Gary LeVox, was released in early May 2009. That song debuted at No. 57 and topped out at No. 2 on the country charts. The third single off the album, "
Why Why may refer to: * Causality, a consequential relationship between two events * Reason (argument), a premise in support of an argument, for what reason or purpose * Grounding (metaphysics), a topic in metaphysics regarding how things exist in ...
", peaked at No. 18 on the country charts, their poorest-charting effort to date at that point. The
title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...
was released as the album's fourth single in January 2010 and peaked at #7 on the country chart in June. In April 2009, the band contributed re-recordings of their songs "Bless the Broken Road" and "Backwards" for the
soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...
of '' Hannah Montana: The Movie'' (2009), which they also appeared in. A special release version of their album ''Unstoppable'' was sold at
JCPenney Penney OpCo LLC, doing business as JCPenney and often abbreviated JCP, is a midscale American department store chain operating 667 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Departments inside JCPenney stores include Mens, Womens, Boys, Girl ...
stores nationwide. It featured an exclusive bonus track entitled "American Living" only available on the albums sold at JCPenney stores. JCPenney was the official sponsor of Rascal Flatts' Unstoppable American Living Tour. On July 16, 2009, as part of the American Living Tour, Rascal Flatts made history as the first country music group to play
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
's
Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago W ...
. The trio was joined by fellow artists
Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist ...
and
Darius Rucker Darius Carlos Rucker (born May 13, 1966) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He first gained fame as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Ca ...
for a near-sellout crowd.


2010–2011: ''Nothing Like This'' and ''The Best of Rascal Flatts Live''

After the closure of Lyric Street in April 2010, Rascal Flatts signed to
Big Machine Records Big Machine Records is an American independent record label, distributed by Universal Music Group. Specializing in country and pop artists, Big Machine is based on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. The label was founded in September 2005 by for ...
in July of that year. The group's first single from the label was " Why Wait". The song was the first single from the album '' Nothing Like This'', which was released November 16, 2010. In December 2010, "Why Wait" became the trio's eleventh number one hit on the U.S. country charts. In March 2011, Rascal Flatts was featured on a remix of
Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
's song "
That Should Be Me "That Should Be Me" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber, included as the tenth and final track on his first studio album, ''My World 2.0'', released on March 19, 2011. The song was written by Bieber alongside Luke Boyd and Nasri Atweh and ...
". The second single from ''Nothing Like This'' was " I Won't Let Go". That song went to number 2 in early 2011. Following it was the band's first collaborative release to country radio, " Easy", which is a duet with British
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...
singer
Natasha Bedingfield Natasha Anne Bedingfield (born 26 November 1981) is a British singer and songwriter. Bedingfield released her debut album, '' Unwritten'', in 2004, which contained primarily up-tempo pop songs and was influenced by R&B music. It enjoyed intern ...
. "I Won't Let Go", and "Easy" peaked at numbers 2 and 3 respectively on the country charts. On November 8, 2011,
Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label focuses in pop, rock, alternative, hip hop, and country genres, as well as specializing in mature recordings not suitable for the flagship Walt Disney Record ...
released ''The Best of Rascal Flatts Live''.


2012–2013: ''Changed''

Rascal Flatts' eighth studio album, ''
Changed Change or Changing may refer to: Alteration * Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time * Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of the menstrual period * Metamorphosis, or change ...
'', was released on April 3, 2012. It was produced by
Dann Huff Dann Lee Huff (born November 15, 1960) is an American record producer and songwriter. For his work as a producer in the country music genre, he has won several awards, including the ''Musician of the Year'' award in 2001, 2004, and 2016 at the Co ...
and Rascal Flatts. The first single from that album, "Banjo (song), Banjo", became their twelfth number one on the country charts. The second single off the album, "Come Wake Me Up", reached #4 on the
Country Airplay Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since January 20, 1990. This chart lists the 60 most-listened-to records played on 150 mainstream country radio stations across the country as monitored ...
chart. The third single from the album was its Changed (Rascal Flatts song), title track, which peaked at #20 on the Airplay chart. Rascal Flatts received the 2,480th star in the category of recording of the
Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...
on September 17, 2012. The star is located in front of the Sergeant Supply Store at 6664 Hollywood Boulevard. They became the second country artist with Oklahoma ties to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame that month after Vince Gill received his star the previous week. On November 19, Rascal Flatts released a DVD, ''All Access & Uncovered: The Making of Changed and Beyond'', inviting the public into their inner circle. The DVD project revealed a more intimate side of the trio's lives during the making of ''Changed''. The project made a one-night-only debut in movie theaters across the country in conjunction with the album release earlier that year, with the band celebrating with fans at the AMC Theatres, AMC Theater in New York City's Times Square. On November 20, the band made a guest appearance on NBC's ''The Voice (U.S.), The Voice'' to promote their new DVD. They performed "Changed" with Cody Belew and Cassadee Pope, contestants from the show. In December 2012, Rascal Flatts and ''Nashville (2012 TV series), Nashville'' actress Hayden Panettiere hosted the third annual 2012 ''CMT Artists of the Year'' to honor the top country acts of the year. Rascal Flatts also hosted ''The 14th Annual A Home for the Holidays with Rascal Flatts''. The show earned a 4.91(million) rating. Rascal Flatts and Journey (band), Journey headlined the Super Bowl XLVII ''CMT Crossroads'' concert at the New Orleans Sugar Mill on February 2, 2013. This marked the second collaboration for Rascal Flatts and Journey. In June 2012, Rascal Flatts closed the CMT Music Awards by inviting Journey to perform their hit "Don't Stop Believin'" with them on stage. Rascal Flatts was nominated for International Artist of the Year and International Music Video of the Year (for "Banjo" and "Come Wake Me Up") at the 2013 Country Music Channel, CMC Music Awards.


2013–2016: ''Rewind'' and ''The Greatest Gift of All''

On April 8, 2013, Jay DeMarcus tweeted that Rascal Flatts was working on a new album The lead single, "Rewind (Rascal Flatts song), Rewind", was issued in January 2014 from the album Rewind (Rascal Flatts album), of the same name, which was released on May 13, 2014. The band admitted they were lip-syncing to a recording of "Rewind" during the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards on April 6, 2014. In response to the controversy, Rascal Flatts communicated afterwards that LeVox had lost his voice and so they made a last-minute decision to lip-sync. "Rewind" became a Top 5 hit on the
Country Airplay Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since January 20, 1990. This chart lists the 60 most-listened-to records played on 150 mainstream country radio stations across the country as monitored ...
chart in 2014. ''Rewind'' produced three more singles with "Payback (Rascal Flatts song), Payback", which peaked at 21, "Riot (Rascal Flatts song), Riot", which reached 20, and "I Like the Sound of That", which was released to country radio on September 14, 2015. The latter song, co-written by Shay Mooney of Dan + Shay and pop musician Meghan Trainor, reached number 1 on the Country Airplay chart in April 2016. That year, Rascal Flatts were selected as one of 30 artists to perform on "''Forever Country''", a mash-up track of "Take Me Home, Country Roads", "On the Road Again (Willie Nelson song), On the Road Again" and "I Will Always Love You" which celebrates 50 years of the CMA Awards. The band released a Christmas album entitled ''
The Greatest Gift of All ''The Greatest Gift of All'' is the only Christmas album recorded by American country pop trio Rascal Flatts. It was released October 21, 2016, through Big Machine Records. The album was produced by group member Jay DeMarcus. Critical receptio ...
'' in October 2016.


2017–2020: ''Back to Us'', announced breakup and second greatest hits package

Rascal Flatts' next single, "Yours If You Want It", was released to country radio in early 2017. The track served as the lead single from their tenth studio album ''
Back to Us ''Back to Us'' is the tenth and final studio album by American country music trio Rascal Flatts. It was released on May 19, 2017 through Big Machine Records. The group produced the album themselves, save one track on the deluxe edition, which wa ...
'', which was released on May 19 of the same year. It topped the Country Airplay charts in August 2017, marking the band's fourteenth number one on the chart. On September 28, 2018, Rascal Flatts released a new single titled "Back to Life (Rascal Flatts song), Back to Life". The band embarked on their Summer Playlist tour in summer 2019. On January 7, 2020, Rascal Flatts appeared on ''CBS This Morning'' to announce a farewell tour, the "Rascal Flatts: Life Is a Highway Tour" to celebrate their twentieth anniversary. They also promised new music. On February 25, Gary LeVox posted on Instagram that the band was working on a new album. On May 1, the band released a cover of "Through the Years" as a tribute to the late Kenny Rogers. On May 19, the group announced on social media that their farewell tour had been indefinitely postponed amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.Rascal Flatts on Cancelled Farewell Tour and How They Want to Be Remembered , Billboard's 5-Minute Interview
retrieved July 31, 2020
The band released a new single entitled "How They Remember You" on June 19. It appears on an EP of the same name, released on July 31. On September 18, the band announced a new greatest hits package, ''Twenty Years of Rascal Flatts: The Greatest Hits'', released on October 2. In November 2020, the band was forced to cancel their performance at the 54th Annual Country Music Association Awards, 54th Annual CMA Awards after an unspecified member tested positive for COVID-19.


2021-2024: Confirmed breakup and solo projects

Appearing alongside LeVox and Rooney, DeMarcus told ''Access Hollywood'' in August 2020 regarding the resumption of the farewell tour: "I don't know what the tour's gonna look like. We don't know when it's gonna happen. But, I don't even know if it's gonna be a farewell tour." LeVox released his first solo material, a Christmas song entitled "Christmas Will Be Different This Year", on November 13, 2020 and DeMarcus released a song entitled "Music Man" on January 29, 2021, as a tribute to his late father. LeVox released a Christian single entitled "The Distance" on March 19, 2021. In an interview for ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'', LeVox revealed that Rascal Flatts would not tour at any point in 2021. On April 27, 2021, DeMarcus stated in an interview with ''Taste of Country'' that the pandemic may have altered the band's plans for a farewell tour, and that they may stay together and perform 10-15 concerts annually. In July 2021, DeMarcus and Rooney attended the American Century Championship together. When asked if the band had broken up, Rooney said; "No, we're never going to be done. No way. For us now, we are just recalibrating things, taking some time off and waiting for things to open up the next couple of years. We have no set year yet even, but at some point we'll get back at it." DeMarcus himself said; "Rascal Flatts is bigger than the three of us. The time will come when we pass the torch. But first we have some unfinished business." DeMarcus and Rooney appeared at the 2021
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris Christensen. They wanted to promote country musi ...
Honors show on August 25 to receive the Cliffie Stone Icon Award on behalf of the group, though LeVox was not present. Additionally, DeMarcus and Rooney did not mention him or address his absence. In October, LeVox revealed that the band decided to break up officially, citing that Rooney had quit the band. LeVox also revealed he had not spoken to Rooney since his DUI arrest on September 10 and that the group quietly disbanded after the cancellation of their farewell tour. In 2020, DeMarcus formed a new band called Generation Radio alongside ex-
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...
vocalist Jason Scheff, Journey (band), Journey drummer Deen Castronovo, Chris Rodriguez and former Rascal Flatts live instrumentalist Tom Yankton. Their eponymous debut album, released on August 12, 2022, features a new rendition of Rascal Flatts' song "All Night to Get There", with DeMarcus on lead vocals. LeVox released a new single titled "Get Down Like That" on August 19, 2022. In a June 2023 appearance on Chrisley Knows Best, Savannah Chrisley's podcast ''Unlocked with Savannah'', DeMarcus further elaborated on the band's breakup and the possibility of a reunion: "I would want to say never say never. But we're in such different places right now and don't really communicate on a consistent basis. There are just so many steps that would have to take place in order for us to get back to even talking about it. It's not too late, I just...I think the further we get away from it the harder it is to put it back together. For us, the thing that happened is we burnt the candle at both ends for so long. It was a never-ending cycle and it did work, but it's hard to put the machine down or put the brakes on when everything is cruising along and going full-speed ahead. For us, we should have taken a break at some point, just a year off to kind of collect ourselves, hit the reset button." On June 13, 2024, DeMarcus and Rooney performed onstage together for the first time since March 2020, performing with Chicago-based cover band Maggie Speaks.


2024–present: Reunion and ''Life Is a Highway: Refueled Duets''

Following a series of teasers and speculation, the band announced on October 1, 2024 that they would reunite to commemorate their twenty-fifth anniversary with a 21-date tour entitled the "Life Is A Highway Tour". The tour commenced in February 2025. On January 20, 2025, Rascal Flatts performed together for the first time in nearly five years at the Commander in Chief Ball during the Second inauguration of Donald Trump, second inauguration of Donald Trump. Four days later, they announced on social media that they were working on new music. On January 31, the group released a new single entitled "I Dare You (Rascal Flatts and Jonas Brothers song), I Dare You" featuring the American Pop rock, pop rock band Jonas Brothers. On June 6, 2025, they will release their new album ''Life Is a Highway: Refueled Duets''. In addition with their duet with the Jonas Brothers, the album will feature nine reimagined recordings of their past hits with artists such as Kelly Clarkson, Blake Shelton, Backstreet Boys, Jason Aldean, Carly Pearce, Brandon Lake, Ashley Cooke, Jordan Davis (singer), Jordan Davis, and Lzzy Hale.


Artistry

Rascal Flatts' music is defined primarily by
country pop Country pop (also known as pop country or urban cowboy) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres ...
influences as well as their distinct
vocal harmonies Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are simultaneously sung as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical chora ...
. Though the band is a vocal group, DeMarcus and Rooney have 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 Kenneth Arnold Chesney (born March 26, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has recorded more than 20 albums and has produced more than 40 Top 10 singles on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs and Country ...
, 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. 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 (American band), 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.'" The band has cited Alabama, the Eagles (band), Eagles, Shenandoah, George Jones, Earl Thomas Conley, Keith Whitley, Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Jeff Beck and
Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist ...
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 Dann Lee Huff (born November 15, 1960) is an American record producer and songwriter. For his work as a producer in the country music genre, he has won several awards, including the ''Musician of the Year'' award in 2001, 2004, and 2016 at the Co ...
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." Among the artists who claim the group as an influence on their own music are Hunter Hayes and Dan + Shay.


Philanthropy

Rascal Flatts has helped support music education in disadvantaged U.S. public schools by filming a PSA with Little Kids Rock. The band has 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". Their chart-topping song, "
My Wish "My Wish" is a song written by Jeffrey Steele and Steve Robson, and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in August 2006 as the third single from their album '' Me and My Gang''. It reached number one on the ...
" 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. 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. They have raised and donated millions of dollars to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt. They were also involved with the American Red Cross as members on the celebrity cabinet board.


Reception

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.


Touring

Rascal Flatts has enjoyed financial success as a touring act. 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.Waddell, Ray; Tucker, Ken (August 25, 2007), "Rascal on the Road". ''Billboard''. 119 (34):22 Their follow-up tour in 2006 grossed $46.2 million, drawing more than a million people to 79 shows. Rascal Flatts had the third-highest US country tour in 2007, grossing $34 million from 588,009 tickets sold. The group grossed $16.8 million from their summer tour. Rascal Flatts' shows are heavy on special effects, including videos, pyrotechnics and laser lights. In 2013, Rascal Flatts headed to Australia for the first time to headline ''CMC Rocks The Hunter 2013'', which was a three-day festival from March 15 to 17. They closed the proceedings. Between 2004 and 2012, Rascal Flatts sold over 7 million tickets, making them one of the top selling music acts in that time. In 2012, Rascal Flatts began the year with their "Thaw Out 2012" tour adding 47 additional dates on the Farmers Insurance Presents "Changed Tour" to bring the 2012 year-end total to just over 60 concerts and 1 million fans attending shows in the year alone. On April 9, 2013, the group announced that they would co-headline a show with Journey (band), Journey on August 1 at Hersheypark Stadium with The Band Perry and Cassadee Pope as openers. In 2016, Rascal Flatts celebrated a career milestone of 10 million tickets sold. As of 2020, Rascal Flatts had sold over 11 million concert tickets.


Discography


Studio albums

*''
Rascal Flatts Rascal Flatts is an American country music band founded in 1999. The band members were Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background vocals). DeMarcus is LeVox's second co ...
'' (2000) *''
Melt Melt may refer to: Science and technology * Melting, in physics, the process of heating a solid substance to a liquid * Melt (manufacturing), the semi-liquid material used in steelmaking and glassblowing * Melt (geology), magma ** Melt inclusions, ...
'' (2002) *''
Feels Like Today ''Feels Like Today'' is the third studio album by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released on September 28, 2004, via Lyric Street Records. The album has sold 5.274 million copies in the United States as of July 2014, and it h ...
'' (2004) *''
Me and My Gang ''Me and My Gang'' is the fourth studio album by the American country music group Rascal Flatts, released on April 4, 2006 by Lyric Street Records. The album became the highest US debut of 2006, with 721,747 units and went double platinum in the ...
'' (2006) *''
Still Feels Good ''Still Feels Good'' is the fifth studio album by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released September 25, 2007, via Lyric Street Records. The album sold 2,192,000 copies in the United States up to May 2009 and was certified 2× P ...
'' (2007) *''
Unstoppable Unstoppable may refer to: Film and television * ''Unstoppable'' (2004 film), an American film directed by David Carson * '' Unstoppable: Conversation with Melvin Van Peebles, Gordon Parks, and Ossie Davis'', a 2005 American television documentar ...
'' (2009) *'' Nothing Like This'' (2010) *''
Changed Change or Changing may refer to: Alteration * Impermanence, a difference in a state of affairs at different points in time * Menopause, also referred to as "the change", the permanent cessation of the menstrual period * Metamorphosis, or change ...
'' (2012) *''
Rewind Rewind may refer to: General uses * Rewind, the process of winding magnetic tape inside a cassette or a microform, microfilm reel backwards to a previous point on the reel ** Rewind symbol, a media control symbol indicating tape rewind or analogou ...
'' (2014) *''
Back to Us ''Back to Us'' is the tenth and final studio album by American country music trio Rascal Flatts. It was released on May 19, 2017 through Big Machine Records. The group produced the album themselves, save one track on the deluxe edition, which wa ...
'' (2017) *''Life Is a Highway: Refueled Duets'' (2025)


Tours

;Headlining *2002–03: CMT Most Wanted Live/I Melt Tour *2004–05: Here's to You Tour *2006–07: Me & My Gang Tour *2007–08: Still Feels Good Tour *2008–09:
Bob That Head "Bob That Head" is a song written by Gary LeVox, Neil Thrasher, and Michael Dulaney and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in July 2008 as the fourth single from their album ''Still Feels Good''. With a peak o ...
Tour *2009–10: American Living Unstoppable Tour *2010–11: Nothing Like This Tour *2011: Flatts Fest Tour *2012: Thaw Out 2012 Tour *2012–13: Changed (album)#Tours, Changed Tour *2013: Live & Loud Tour *2014: Rewind Tour *2015: Riot Tour *2016: Rhythm and Roots Tour *2018: Back To Us Tour *2019: Summer Playlist Tour *2025: Life Is a Highway Tour ;Supporting *2000–01: Burn Tour *2002: Alan Jackson's Drive Tour *2003: Neon Circus & Wild West Show *2004: Guitars, Tiki Bars & Whole Lotta Love Tour


Awards

2000 *Academy of Country Music, ACM Top New Vocal Duo Or Group (presented 2001) 2002 *Country Music Association, CMA Horizon Award *ACM Song of the Year ("I'm Movin' On") (presented 2003) *ACM Top Vocal Group (presented 2003) 2003 *Country Music Television, CMT Flameworthy Video Music Award for Group/Duo of the Year ("These Days") *CMA Vocal Group of the Year *ACM Top Vocal Group (presented 2004) 2004 *CMT Flameworthy Music Video Award for Group/Duo of the Year ("I Melt") *CMA Vocal Group *ACM Top Vocal Group (presented 2005) 2005 *Country Music Television, CMT Music Award for Group/Duo of the Year ("Feels Like Today") *CMA Vocal Group of the Year *ACM Top Vocal Group (presented 2006) *Radio Music Awards for Song of the Year/Country Radio ("Bless The Broken Road") *Billboard Touring Awards#2005, Billboard Roadworks '05 Touring Awards for Breakthrough Act *Grammy for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal ("Bless the Broken Road") 2006 *CMT Music Award for Group/Duo of the Year ("Skin (Sarabeth)") *CMA Vocal Group of the Year *American Music Award, 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") *Grammy Nomination: Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal ("What Hurts The Most") 2007 *CMT Music Awards for Group Video of the Year ("What Hurts the Most") *ACM Top Vocal Group (presented 2008) *CMA Vocal Group of the Year *AMA Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group *BMI Song of The Year ("What Hurts The Most") 2008 *People's Choice Awards Favorite Country Song ("Stand") *CMT Music Award for Group Video of the Year ("Take Me There") *ACM Top Vocal Group (presented 2009) *ACM Humanitarian Award *CMA Vocal Group of the Year *AMA Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group *Grammy Nomination: Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal ("Every Day") 2009 *People's Choice Awards Favorite Group *CMT Music Award for Group Video of the Year ("Every Day") *AMA Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group *Grammy Nomination: Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal ("Here Comes Goodbye") 2010 *Star on the Music City Walk of Fame *American Country Awards, ACA Decade Artist award 2011 *Tony Martell Lifetime Entertainment Achievement Award *CMT Music Award for Collaborative Video of the Year ("
That Should Be Me "That Should Be Me" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber, included as the tenth and final track on his first studio album, ''My World 2.0'', released on March 19, 2011. The song was written by Bieber alongside Luke Boyd and Nasri Atweh and ...
") *Member of the
Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divi ...
2012 *CRS 2012 Artist Humanitarian Award *Star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...
2013 *ACM Jim Reeves International Award (presented 2014) 2021 *CRS Artist Career Achievement Award *ACM Cliffie Stone Icon Award 2025 * ''Billboard'''s Top 100 Artists of the 21st Century (#48)


Film and television appearances

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: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI'' (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (season 10)#Episodes, 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." In early 2011, the band appeared in an episode of ''Inside West Coast Customs'' featuring a customized Chevrolet Camaro inspired by their song "Red Camaro". 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.


References


External links

* * {{Authority control 1999 establishments in Ohio 2021 disestablishments in Ohio American country rock groups American musical trios Big Machine Records artists Grand Ole Opry members Lyric Street Records artists Musical groups established in 1999 Musical groups from Columbus, Ohio Musical groups disestablished in 2021 Musical groups reestablished in 2024 Vocal trios