Rascal Flatts on the Tour Again!
Joe Don Rooney had left small-town Oklahoma hitting the road for Nashville. Like so many others before him, he hoped it would be the road to stardom also. Jay and Joe Don met before Gary moved to Nashville, running into each other while both were playing at the same clubs around town. Rascal Flatts was born one fateful night after Gary arrived. After arriving in Nashville,he and Jay began doing gigs together. One night while working in a Printer's Alley nightclub,the guitar player they'd hired for backup was a no-show. As fate would have it, Joe Don happened to be there. Jay invited him to join them onstage as a replacement. Before the end of the first song all three knew that something special was happening. The trio decided to recorded some demos together which caught the attention of Lyric Street Recording executives. They signed with the company and Rascal Flatts was born.
The trio's self-titled debut album released in 2000 reached an impressive number three on the country charts. Even more impressive things were to come as every album released since then has achieved the Number One spot on the charts. "I Melt", the group's second album was released in October of 2002. It has sold three million copies to date in the U.S. Released in 2004, "Feels Like Today" their third album was a huge success. It debuted at #1 and selling nearly 5 million copies to date in the US alone. "Me and My Gang", their 2006 release was a huge success almost immediately. "Still Feels Good" is Rascal Flatts' fifth studio album. It was released in September 2007 and had sold over a million copies before the end of the year. Target stores released a bonus 5 track CD along with Still Feels Good which includes four songs written by the band.
Rascal Flatts have racked up an impressive lists of awards to match their sales records. The first was in 2000 when they were picked as ACM's Top New Vocal Duo Or Group. From there, the list just keeps growing. Currently, they are the reigning CMA, ACM, CMT and ASCAP Vocal Group of the Year.
The trio's 2006 concert tour played to over 1 million fans in 74 cities. They broke venue attendance records throughout the tour, playing to sellout crowds in 61 cities. They hosted a farewell tribute to the legendary group Alabama, who's style the group has drawn inspiration from.They have played for the President and First Lady,and recently become national spokesmen for the American Red Cross.