Rascal Flatts‘ Jay DeMarcus has been a musician for most of his life. After first being part of the Christian duo, East to West, DeMarcus, along with Gary LeVox and Joe Don Rooney, formed Rascal Flatts in 1999. One year later, the trio released their eponymous debut album, the beginning of a career with a band that is still going strong after more than 25 years.
In addition to his work with Rascal Flatts, DeMarcus has produced several other artists. He also has his own record label, Red Street Records. Now 54, DeMarcus is profoundly grateful for the career he is still enjoying, even after all these years.
“The fact that I’ve been able to do something that I love so much for a living has been one of the greatest things you could ever hope for,” DeMarcus says. “Aside from my marriage and the birth of my children, it’s the most important thing that I’ve been a part of the entire time practically that I’ve been an adult. And the impact it’s had on my family; we’ve been very, very blessed because of what we’ve been able to do.
“I also realize how fortunate we are because it doesn’t happen to everybody,” he continues. “Everybody that has the dream of making it in music doesn’t necessarily get to live it out to the degree that we have had. And I’m just grateful for it every day. I try to always take a few moments and thank God for the platform, the career that he has given us, and that I’ve been able to do it with people that mean so much to me.”
Rascal Flatts Look Ahead After Releasing ‘Life Is A Highway: Refueled Duets’
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Rascal Flatts were supposed to go on their farewell tour in 2020, a tour that didn’t happen because of the pandemic. Earlier this year, the trio embarked on their Life Is A Highway Tour. They also released Life Is A Highway: Refueled Duets, a record of collaborations, which includes “I Dare You,” a Top 15 single, which they sing with the Jonas Brothers. Rascal Flatts just announced they are continuing their tour into 2026, while also looking for new music, although they have earned the right to be particular about what they record.
“We’ve been blessed to do so many albums with so many different types of songs, and covered so many different things from R&B feels to hardcore country feels to pushing the rock edge a little bit,” DeMarcus says. “For me, I now look for something that jumps out at me as being unique, whether it’s a lyric or a melody.
“The bar’s been set so high it’s very, very hard to find something now that jumps out at you,” he adds. “And I think it’s safe to say for all of us, it’s a difficult thing to find that song or a group of songs that’s different enough that makes you want to go in the studio and put the time into cutting.”
Why Rascal Flatts Split Up in 2020
Rascal Flatts may still not be together, if not for Rooney. Rooney has been sober since 2021, after being involved in a car accident while intoxicated.
“The pressures of my career and the many mistakes I made in regards to my home life, coupled with a lot of pain and trauma from my childhood and early on in my adult life, had become too much to bear,” Rooney explains. “I was not a good father – I was not a good husband – and I was not a good bandmate to my business partners. I probably would’ve never taken responsibility for any of this if it hadn’t been for my car wreck on Sep 9, 2021.”
Fortunately, Rooney is now doing better than ever, and is fully committed to sobriety.
“It’s incredible,” Rooney boasts. “For me personally, just my connection to God and my higher power, it’s unclouded now, and I’m so grateful for it. And my connection with my kids, that’s the most important thing. It’s amazing what God can do. If you just trust it and move forward with it, it’s incredible.”
Photo Credit: CMA / Hunter Berry