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Music
Ed Rode / CMT/... Rascal Flatts ("Take Me There") ...
With strong Columbus ties, Rascal Flatts' Dayton show is a family affair
Hot Topics
By Kim Margolis,
Staff Writer
Updated 2:29 PM Monday, February 8, 2010
Ohio is the place where a big part of what would be Rascal Flatts started. It’s also a place the supergroup loves to return to years after achieving tremendous success in country music.
Gary LeVox and Jay DeMarcus, who make up two-thirds of Rascal Flatts, are cousins from Columbus who grew up singing together at the Tree of Life Christian Church there.
Since joining with Joe Don Rooney 10 years ago, Rascal Flatts have charted 11 No. 1 singles, sold 20 million records and received 40 major awards.
But every year, they revel in returning to Ohio to play an always-sold-out concert at Columbus Crew Stadium to close the Ohio State Fair.
But LeVox and DeMarcus’ parents, siblings and other family usually find the state fair scene overwhelming and come see the boys play their gig in the Dayton area.
“Less family shows up there (at the Ohio State Fair) and instead wait to come to Dayton, so it’s not so hectic,” said DeMarcus in a recent telephone call from Nashville.
Opening for them this time around is Darius Rucker, who has had hits with “Alright” and “It Won’t Be This Way for Long” and won the Country Music Association’s Best New Act of 2009.
So how did two church boys from Columbus, plus a musician from Kansas turn into super-group Rascal Flatts?
DeMarcus said he went to Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn., to study music. After graduation, he and a friend started Christian singing duo East to West.
While that was going on, cousin LeVox called and said he was winning a lot of singing contests in Columbus. LeVox, incidentally, graduated from Ohio State University and worked for the state Department of Mental Retardation for a while.
LeVox eventually visited DeMarcus in Nashville. DeMarcus was so impressed by his cousin’s voice, he told him to move to Nashville for a music career.
“You’ve got to leave Columbus, Ohio, and at least try,” DeMarcus told him.
Eventually, LeVox listened. DeMarcus meanwhile was working as the bandleader for singer Chely Wright (“Single White Female”). He hired Joe Don to be the guitar player for Wright’s band.
“And when it came time for Gary and I to put a band together and try to put Gary out there and get him heard, I asked Joe Don to join,” DeMarcus said. “And we’ve been together ever since.”
Those who attend the Nutter Center show should expect a situation that should create a good show. They’re well into the “Unstoppable” Tour, which started in June 2009, but they also recently took a break. So they’re well-rested, but they also have all the kinks worked out of the show, DeMarcus said.
“We’ve got some great surprises, but there’s a whole lot of music packed into 90 minutes,” DeMarcus said. “It’s a little faster paced than the last year or so.”
And back to Ohio.
As DeMarcus said, it’s home and despite being geographically a northern state, it feels like the South when he’s in concert, he said.
“A lot of Southerners end up in Ohio for whatever reason,” DeMarcus said. “It always feels like the South to me when we play Ohio. There are a lot of redneck hillbillies ready to party and have a good time. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Rascal Flatts fast facts
What’s with the name? When the group was playing small gigs in Nashville’s Printer’s Alley, they were looking for a name and almost went with Deuces Wild until a friend mentioned he was in a band in high school called Rascal Flatts and suggested they use it.
In 2003, a Rascal Flatts video caused a lot of controversy — as well as notoriety. The video for “I Melt” featured a shower scene with a glimpse of guitarist Joe Don Rooney’s bare backside. Country Music Television viewers both complained about and celebrated the video.
The band’s singles include “Take Me There,” “What Hurts the Most,” “Bless the Broken Road,” “My Wish,” “Prayin’ for Daylight,” “I’m Movin’ On,” “Me and My Gang,” “Take Me There” and “These Days,” among many others. Many others.
Chris Sligh, the curly-haired, glasses-wearing singer from “American Idol” Season 6, co-wrote “Here Comes Goodbye” for Rascal Flatts.
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10:48 PM, 2/7/2010