Gary LeVox | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Gary Wayne Vernon Jr. |
Born | Powell, Ohio, U.S. | July 10, 1970
Genres | Country music country rock country pop |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, drums, harmonica |
Years active | 1984–present |
Labels | Lyric Street, Big Machine |
Formerly of | Rascal Flatts |
Spouse(s) | Tara Vernon (m. 1999) |
Website | rascalflatts |
Gary LeVox (born Gary Wayne Vernon Jr., July 10, 1970) is an American singer and songwriter. He is best known for being the lead vocalist of the contemporary country music band Rascal Flatts, [1] and his stage name was taken from the studio-console label for his lead-vocal track. [2]
LeVox was born in Powell, Ohio. [3] LeVox's first musical performance was at the age of eight, in a play at his church. He graduated from Olentangy High School and is an alumnus of Ohio State University. Prompted by his cousin, LeVox moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1997. [4]
LeVox and his second cousin, Jay DeMarcus, started out together in singer Chely Wright's band. When the regular guitarist was not available, Joe Don Rooney stepped in. The three men say they felt chemistry immediately and afterwards formed Rascal Flatts. [5]
The band disbanded in 2021, after which LeVox began releasing solo music. In May 2021, he released his first solo EP, One on One. [6] This was followed in 2022 by a single titled "Get Down Like That" on Big Machine Records, the label to which Rascal Flatts was previously signed. [7]
LeVox has been friends with Jamie Foxx since the mid-1990s, and Foxx made a guest appearance on the album Still Feels Good . [5]
"We used to sit around for hours at Jamie’s house, singing and playing and having a good time...So when Jay and Joe and myself wrote this song, we thought it would be great to have him on it. I called him up just to say, ‘Hey, man, you’ve got to hear this song. I think you could really, really kill it.’ He said, ‘Tell you what. I’ll sing on your record if you guys will sing on mine.’ I said, ‘All right.’"
— Gary LeVox (2007) [5]
LeVox was employed in his local burger bar from age 14 after which he started an AC/DC cover band with his close childhood friends.
LeVox has been married to Tara Vernon since May 1999. He says it was love at first sight when they met backstage at a gospel festival concert. "I knew at that moment that I was looking at my future wife," he said in a 2011 interview. "It was the weirdest thing ever." They have two daughters together, Brittany, born in 2000, and Brooklyn, born in 2004.
Rascal Flatts were an American country music band founded in 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee. The group consisted of Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus, and Joe Don Rooney. DeMarcus is LeVox's second cousin, a brother-in-law of country music singer James Otto, and was previously a member of the contemporary Christian music duo East to West. LeVox and DeMarcus are both natives of Columbus, Ohio.
Jay DeMarcus is an American guitarist, vocalist, record producer and songwriter. From 1999 to 2021, he was a member of the country music band Rascal Flatts.
"Me and My Gang" is a song written by Jeffrey Steele, Jon Stone, and Tony Mullins and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released on April 17, 2006 as the second single and title track from the band's 2006 album of the same name. The song peaked at #6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart that year.
Feels Like Today is the third studio album by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released on September 28, 2004, via Lyric Street Records. The album has sold 5.274 million copies in the United States as of July 2014, and it has been certified 5× Multi-Platinum by the RIAA. The album produced its title track as a single along with "Bless the Broken Road", "Fast Cars and Freedom", and "Skin (Sarabeth)". "Bless the Broken Road" was initially recorded by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and has also been recorded by Marcus Hummon, Melodie Crittenden, and Geoff Moore before the release of Rascal Flatts' version. It would later be a Top 5 Christian hit for Selah as well. "When the Sand Runs Out" was later recorded by Marty Raybon on his 2006 album of the same name.
Melt is the second studio album by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released on October 29, 2002, on Lyric Street Records and sold 3,073,000 copies in the United States up to May 2009. The album’s first single "These Days" was the group's first Number One hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. The follow-ups, "Love You Out Loud" and "I Melt", respectively reached number 3 and number 2, while "Mayberry" was also a Number One. A music video was also made for "My Worst Fear" in 2004 even though it was never released as a single.
"My Wish" is a song written by Jeffrey Steele and Steve Robson, and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in August 2006 as the third single from their album Me and My Gang. It reached number one on the U.S. country charts in December 2006 and also peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it one of their popular crossover singles. It peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks and at number 49 on the Billboard Pop 100. As of May 2016, the song has sold 2.927 million in the US. In August 2016, a re-recorded version of the song was released to celebrate the song's 10 year anniversary.
Still Feels Good is the fifth studio album by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released September 25, 2007, via Lyric Street Records. The album sold 2,192,000 copies in the United States up to May 2009 and was certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA.
"Winner at a Losing Game" is a song written and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in October 2007 as the second single from their album Still Feels Good, as well as their nineteenth chart single overall. The song peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in February 2008, spending four weeks at that position behind "Letter to Me" by Brad Paisley.
"I Melt" is a song written by Gary LeVox, Wendell Mobley, and Neil Thrasher and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in July 2003 as the third single from the band’s sophomore studio album Melt (2002). The song peaked at number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, staying at that position for three weeks behind Toby Keith’s "I Love This Bar". This was the group’s seventh entry on that chart.
Rascal Flatts were an American country music group founded in 1999 by Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus, and Joe Don Rooney. Signed to Lyric Street Records until 2010, the band released ten studio albums plus a greatest hits package, the first six on the Lyric Street Records label, the last four on Big Machine Records. Their highest-certified albums are Feels Like Today and Me and My Gang, which are both certified 5× Platinum. Except for their 2000 self-titled debut and 2017's Back to Us, all of the group's albums have reached No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart.
"Bob That Head" is a song written by Gary LeVox, Neil Thrasher, and Michael Dulaney and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in July 2008 as the fourth single from their album Still Feels Good. With a peak of number 15 in late 2008, the song became their first single not to reach Top 10.
"I'm Movin' On" is a song written by Phillip White and D. Vincent Williams and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in October 2001 as the fourth and final single from the band’s self-titled debut album. The song reached number 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in early 2002.
"Here Comes Goodbye" is a song written by American Idol season 6 finalist Chris Sligh and Clint Lagerberg and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts, who released it in January 2009 as the first single from their album Unstoppable and the twenty-third single of their career. This song debuted at number 29 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts dated for February 7, 2009 and became their 10th number one on the chart dated April 25, 2009. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals" in 2010.
"Summer Nights" is a song recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was written by the band's lead singer Gary LeVox, along with Brett James and busbee. It was released in May 2009 as the second single from their sixth studio album Unstoppable.
"That Should Be Me" is a song by Canadian singer Justin Bieber, included as the tenth and final track on his first studio album, My World 2.0, released on March 19, 2010. The song was written by Bieber alongside Luke Boyd and Nasri Atweh and Adam Messinger of The Messengers, the production team who produced the track. "That Should Be Me" is an orchestral ballad in which Bieber sings about losing his love, and according to Monica Herrera of Billboard, plays the "scorned ex." Most music critics positively received the song, and it debuted at number ninety-two on the Billboard Hot 100 following the release of My World 2.0.
"I Won't Let Go" is a song written by Steve Robson and Jason Sellers and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in January 2011 as the second single from the band's seventh studio album, Nothing Like This as well as their 28th single overall. The song received positive reviews from critics who praised Gary LeVox's vocal delivery. "I Won't Let Go" peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, number one on the Canadian country charts and number 31 on the Hot 100. The song was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting sales of over one million units in the country. It also managed to chart in Australia and Canada, peaking at numbers 39 and 68 respectively. The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Deaton-Flanigen Productions and is footage of a live performance.
"Banjo" is a song written by Neil Thrasher, Wendell Mobley, and Tony Martin and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It was released in January 2012 as the first single from their eighth studio album, Changed. Rascal Flatts also performed the song live with Steve Martin at the Academy of Country Music Awards in 2012.
"Rewind" is a song written by Chris DeStefano, Ashley Gorley, and Eric Paslay, and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts. It is their 33rd single release, and the first from their ninth studio album of the same name.
"Words I Couldn't Say" is a song written by Steve Robson, Tammi Kidd, and Gregory Becker and recorded by American country music group Rascal Flatts for their fourth studio album, Me and My Gang (2006). The song found renewed popularity in 2010 after it was featured in the drama film Country Strong as performed by American actress and singer Leighton Meester. Her cover, from the soundtrack album released by RCA Records Nashville, appeared on multiple Billboard sales charts in 2011.
Mark David Bright is an American country music producer, songwriter, and publishing company executive based in Nashville. His peers call Bright "one of the architects of the modern contemporary country sound". Bright's most noted success in producing records has been with the country acts BlackHawk, Rascal Flatts, and Carrie Underwood, but he has produced recordings for many artists including Reba McEntire, Sara Evans, Scotty McCreery, Lonestar, Peter Cetera, Brad Paisley, Luke Bryan, and Keith Urban