‘Catch of the Day’ – Rascal Flatts – “Yours If You Want It” [AUDIO]

Today we take a look at the most successful trio in country music in the new millenium. A group formed in the country music hotbed of Columbus, Ohio, who came together in a recording studio, who got their start in Gospel music before their breakthrough in country.

Second cousins Jay DeMarcus and Gary LeVox began playing together professionally in 1997, when DeMarcus convinced his cousin to come to Nashville and help out on Michael English's Gospel album, which LeVox was producing. They engineered the album together and soon after became English's back-up band. At the same time, DeMarcus joined Chely Wright's backing band, where he met guitarist Joe Don Rooney. One night, when Jay and Gary were scheduled to play a gig at Nashville's Printer's Alley night club, their regular guitarist was unavailable, so they gave Rooney a call, and immediately clicked as a trio. Rascal Flatts was born.

In 1999 the trio was recommended to producers Mark Bright and Marty Williams by singer Mila Mason. Bright and Williams produced a three song demo for the trio, and when it was presented to Lyric Street Records executive Doug Howard he immediately began the process to signing the trio before the end of the year.

Rascal Flatts' debut single "Prayin' For Daylight", which had actually been part of the three song demo, was released in early 2000, leading the way for their self-titled debut album later in the year. It began a fruitful partnership with Lyric Street Records that produced six albums between 2000 and 2009, all of which have received a minimum of platinum certification. The albums featured 26 singles, all but two of which made it to the top-10 of the Billboard country music chart; 10 of these #1 hits.

In 2010 Disney, the parent company of Lyric Street records, closed the label, first announcing that Rascal Flatts and several other country artists would be transferred to other labels under the company's umbrella, then dropping them all together by the end of the year. Rascal Flatts didn't spend long on the streets, signing with Big Machine Records just a few weeks later.

The group picked up right where they left off at Lyric Street, releasing three more albums for Big Machine, all of which have been certified gold and have generated 7 more top-10 hits, including 3 chart toppers. The group is back in the studio, working on a brand new album for 2017, and we have the first single from that project in our spotlight today. Rascal Flatts and "Yours If You Want It" is our Catch of the Day, new music you haven't heard, but you'll want to hear it again.