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Numbers don't lie for Rascal Flatts
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Rascal Flatts is Jay Demarcus, left, Gary Levox and Joe Don Rooney.
By John Benson
Since the turn of the century, Rascal Flatts has sold more than 21 million albums, 25 million digital downloads and recorded 14 No. 1 hits.
Not surprisingly, Rascal Flatts has been the most-awarded country group of the past decade, earning more than 40 pieces of hardware from the ACAs, ACMs, AMAs, CMAs, People’s Choice Awards and more. Such success has made the trio one of the hottest-selling acts, with more than 7 million concert tickets sold.
Now the “Bless the Broken Road” band is coming to Youngstown for a Friday show at Covelli Centre. Here are 10 things that you maybe didn’t know about Rascal Flatts:
Though the group is often listed as being from Columbus, in actuality, Central Ohio natives Jay DeMarcus and Gary LeVox were working on Nashville’s Music Row when they met future bandmate Joe Don Rooney.
The band’s song “I Melt” became its first No. 1 hit in 2002. Oddly enough, nudity in the video led to it being banned by Great American Country.
In 2005, Rascal Flatts performed “Bless the Broken Road” on “American Idol” with then-contestant Carrie Underwood.
For the 2006 animated feature film “Cars,” Rascal Flatts recorded a cover of Tom Cochrane’s “Life Is a Highway.” The track was a top-10 hit.
The group’s fourth album, “Me and My Gang” was the No. 1 selling album of 2006 with sales of more than 3.5 million copies. Funny enough, the second-best selling album that year was the “High School Musical” soundtrack.
Justin Bieber featured Rascal Flatts vocals in a remix version of his 2010 song “That Should Be Me.”
The band’s song “Banjo” was performed live with Steve Martin at the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2012.
“Come Wake Me Up” was the second single from the band’s latest album, “Changed.” Late last year the song was recorded as a duet version with Swedish country-pop singer Jill Johnson and was subsequently released on her album, “A Woman Can Change Her Mind.”
Last year Rascal Flatts received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It’s the 2,480th star awarded in the recording category.
In the band’s current set list, Rascal Flatts is playing its hits as well as covers by Bill Withers (“Lean On Me”), Journey (“Open Arms” and “Faithfully”) and Grand Funk Railroad (“We’re an American Band”).