The Journey Begins From Columbus
Rascal Flatts was formed at the Fiddle and Steel Guitar Bar in 1999, where the band members, Gary and Jay teamed up with Joe Don. Jay and Gary were already planning on forming their own band when they met Joe. The trio was completed and the band was officially formed. Starting off at Nashville’s Printer’s Alley, the members shared a passion for music. They would spend hours making their own music; it was visible that these three had something special about them, even though at that time there was no one to hear their tunes. Eventually, the band started to perform in a nightclub, where they were soon to be discovered.
After managing a reasonable local fan base, Rascal Flatts recorded a three-song demo and presented it to the Lyric Street Record’s managers. Loving the harmonies and vocals, the manager commented that they were “incredible” and in late 1999, signed them to the Lyric Street.
A Stellar Debut and Critical Acclaim
In 2000, Rascal Flatts released their debut single titled, Prayin’ for Daylight. The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Country chart, cultivating fertile grounds for the upcoming self-titled debut album. It was followed by the release of three more singles from the album, all of which made it to the top ten charts, with I’m Movin’ On taking home Academy of Country Music Award in the category of “Song of the Year”. Eventually, the album was released and met with critical and commercial acclaim. Two years later, the Flatts released their sophomore studio record titled “Melt”, which featured yet another number one hit, These Days.
“Greatest Hits” to “Rewind”
With this grand start, Rascal Flatts made it to the mainstream fairly quickly. The albums that followed the debut and Melt were equally acclaimed. Their 2006 album, “Me and My Gang” was the US highlight release, with more than 722,000 units sold by April. It also managed to spend fifteen straight weeks at number one spot on the Billboard Country chart and became the second top selling album of the year 2006.
Rascal Flatts released their very first “Greatest Hits” compilation in October of 2008, made up of thirteen tracks. The disc included their evergreen hits such as Life Is A Highway and Prayin’ for Daylight. A limited version of the album was also released, which included three extra Christmas special songs. This was followed by the release of three more studio albums up till 2013; “Unstoppable”, “Nothing Like This” and “Changed”. Currently, the band is getting ready to embark on its North American Tour, during which their ninth studio album, “Rewind” will also be released. The lead song has already hit the market and is receiving a lot of airplay.