Ah, the "summer song." It's a tag the media often gives to a new single with catchy hooks, impeccable harmonies, a melody that plays itself over and over in your head, infectious instrumental breaks, an instantly memorable chorus. Six years ago, during the year's literally hottest season, chances are you found yourself humming Rascal Flattsâ first single, "Prayinâ For Daylight." Little did the trio behind this three-minute bit of guilty pleasure-bassist Jay DeMarcus, vocalist Gary LeVox and guitarist Joe Don Rooney, who deserves extra credit for having the most "country" name to come down the music business pike in years÷ever dream that this song would mark the beginning of a multi-Platinum career.
      The band's highly anticipated new CD, Me And My Gang, produced by Nashville hit-maker Dann Huff (see this monthâs special feature), scanned over 1 million units within two weeks of its release, making it the highest-selling country title for 2006. It debuted in the No. 1 position on the Soundscan Top 200 albums chart, making it the highest-selling CD across all genres. The albumâs first single, "What Hurts The Most," is the fastest rising and charting single of their career. Including their previous three CDs, Feels Like Today, Melt and Rascal Flatts, they have sold over 10 million albums. Feels Like Today is the best-selling album in Lyric Street Recordsâ history, passing the 4 million mark.
      Included in the first-week sales of Me and My Gang are 30,246 digital units, making it the No. 1 country digital album debut in Soundscan history. According to Nielsen, in one week the new Rascal Flatts album sold more units digitally than any other country album for the entire year of 2005. The highest-selling digital album in 2005 was Feels Like Today, with 22,685 in sales. In addition, Rascal Flatts holds the record for the most country digital tracks sold in a single week, with 62,113 downloads of "What Hurts The Most."
      Thatâs a lot of success and a lot of numbers for a trio that came together almost by accident. DeMarcus and LeVox moved to Nashville in 1992 and 1997, respectively. In 1998, Rooney was commuting in and out of the city. "A buddy, Preston Stanfill, who played drums with Chely Wright, got me an audition with her," he says. "I was meeting people in clubs, sitting in, and I moved in December 1998. In January 1999, Preston got me the audition. I played with Chely all of [that] year, and that's how I met Jay. He was her bandleader. We all started singing at a club, [country artist] Mila Mason heard us, and in June 1999 we met Mark Bright and Marty Williams, sang for them and they wanted to do a development deal. We demoed three songs: ÎPrayin' For Daylight,â ÎFrom Time to Timeâ and ÎLong Slow Beautiful Dance.â They took them to Lyric Street. We decided during the demoing process that we wanted to go there. They were a new, hip label, part of Disney. They fell in love with our demo, we fell in love with them, and it all worked out. Mila and Chely are a big part of this÷our deal, meeting each other. We owe them lot."
      Bright went on to co-produce the bandâs first three albums · and brought in his friend and colleague Dann Huff to cut some of the guitar solos. Huff developed a close relationship with the group, staying on the sidelines and admittedly harboring thoughts of producing them at some point. When they asked, he jumped at the chance. According to Rooney, it was the best move that Rascal Flatts could have made.
      "This has all been a learning process," he says, "and luckily weâve nurtured it gradually to this point. We never wanted to blow it out with a huge success on the front end. We wanted to stair-step our career from day one. Three or 4 million on a first album÷how do you top that? But at the end of the day, you canât control what happens, so weâre just lucky to have a lot of say in our career with our label and management. We gradually built it to where it is now, the timing worked out, and thanks to Dann, when you listen to this album you can really hear the passion, heart and soul. Heâs the kind of guy who will take his ego and his pride and sit them on the shelf. He doesnât care about that kind of stuff. He lets everyone else shine · and he has the best ears in the business."
      Touring in Chely Wrightâs band, Rooney says, was perfect preparation for launching Rascal Flatts. "I couldnât have paid someone to teach me that stuff. It was the biggest year of Chelyâs career and to watch her work with people, do interviews, make her calls and do phoners÷I learned about the flipside of the business, the side people donât see. It was impeccable timing for me. Jay and Gary knew the business better than I did. I couldnât have asked for anything more. I learned that even though youâve got a Number One song, youâve still got to bust it. Youâve got to work. Itâs nonstop."
      In an industry filled with breakups and lineup changes, the pieces literally fell right into place for Rascal Flatts. Rooney admits that the old adage of "too good to be true" often comes up.
      "We think that every day because weâve been so lucky," he says, "and honestly, itâs like weâve been spoiled rotten. Everything that could go right has, so we're almost afraid that when we come to a brick wall, we wonât be able to handle it. We will, Iâm sure, but it does put a little fear in us. Weâve got to be prepared because walls are out there everywhere, and everyone hits them in business and personally. Weâre in no rush to hit ours! Whatâs cool about Lyric Street is that theyâre very wise people who have a lot of experience. Itâs cool to know that when you go to battle, the people around you are willing to go with you.
      With three men and three opinions, decisions can require a tie-breaker, he admits, and "thatâs a tough one because weâre all very passionate and speak our minds, especially in meetings, and we all three have different ideas at times, but we listen to each other. Itâs pretty balanced. The rule of thumb is that you always put somebody else first. You have to, or selfishness is involved and that breaks bands up. We pride ourselves on putting others first and I think that helps create longevity."
      While itâs unlikely that Rooney÷or his bandmates÷will opt for a different career choice anytime soon, itâs also no secret that he harbors another passion. "Iâd love to be a golfer, if I had to do something other than this," he says. "Itâs the greatest job in the world, traveling around playing beautiful golf courses. I love golf. I lived in northeast Oklahoma, a small town, and the closest golf course was a mile away in Kansas. It was a little nine-hole and my dad played every weekend, so I started playing at a young age, having fun, watching him and learning. I was 8 or 9. By the time I was 15 or 16, I could drive myself over there and play by myself. I did that once or twice a week.
      "I played basketball, baseball and football, but golf was special to me. Youâre out there with nature in an open area, you can vent, get away from things. Itâs like a four- or five-hour vacation. It takes you away. You just focus on golf. There are days you get pissed off at golf, but thatâs better than being pissed off at your job. Even on a bad day, I'm still smiling after golf.
      "We were less than middle class when I was growing up, but [my parents] managed to get me the things I needed to start in my musical career; in fact, more than I needed. To get the right nurturing is a blessing nowadays. [My siblings] all played in high school bands and loved rock and country music, so I grew up with 1970s and 1980s music; I heard it all. But country roped me in and stole my heart when I was in my late teens. Iâve worked several jobs in my life, but I couldnât imagine doing anything other than this. Well, maybe golfing!"
      Also high on the groupâs list of priorities is their work as spokespeople for the American Red Cross. "Weâre all about helping others," says Rooney, "and we do our best to give back. Anytime you get any Îcelebrityâ status, giving back is the right thing to do. Itâs part of the gig. We chose the Red Cross because they embody that: the money they raise, the food and supplies they bring, the help they offer. We just started working with them, and when they need us, weâll do whatever we can."