One’s 45, one’s 44, one’s 40. And if they were in the audience, they’d seem—figuratively speaking, at least—like a trickle of graybeards among a wave of whipper-snappers. Good thing they’re onstage—the ones the whipper-snappers came to see.
“This is a testament to where country music is right now,” says Gary LeVox, lead vocalist and eldest of the elders—with second cousins Jay DeMarcus (the 44-year-old) and Joe Don Rooney (the baby, at 40) who comprise youth magnet Rascal Flatts.
How magnetic? The trio that’s practically made of gold and platinum (albums and singles) enjoys a fan base tilted toward 18-to-25-year-olds, a rarity in country. (It’s instructive to note that, in 2007, a Weekly Reader Research poll of 2,000-plus children ranked the “Life is a Highway”/“Bless the Broken Road” hitmakers the sixth-most-popular act among 10- to 12-year-olds.)
Graciously, LeVox spreads the credit around. “So many other artists in so many other genres are cutting records and collaborating with country artists,” he says. “Who would ever think you’d hear Bon Jovi and Steven Tyler doing country music? Or see rappers on an awards show with Florida Georgia Line? That brings a whole new demographic.”
Among millennials—who have been praised by sociologists, religious leaders and ethicists for their dedication to volunteerism and service to others—LeVox is more than just a musical inspiration. He’s a moral one, stretching back to when he was their age. “It was a part of my life from when I was 18 years old to 28 years old,” says LeVox about his pre-Rascal years when he worked with developmentally disabled adults in his native Columbus, Ohio. “A long time I spent with them and loved every minute of it. I took their stories and their reactions and their laughs and their love with me.”
Not to mention their gumption. Though he grew up immersed in music and was an aspiring musician, he had yet to risk the life he had for the one he wanted—crashing the Nashville scene. Then he got a touching lesson in perseverance while working at a Columbus training center, teaching his clients the basics of holding a job, from punching a timecard to packing a lunch to just holding a conversation. One client was so nervous in front of others that he couldn’t fill a bottle of cleaning fluid without spilling it.
Not long afterward, LeVox was at the training center when some clients returned from the Special Olympics, including the nervous spiller—who was proudly displaying a medal he’d just won, racing in front of a stadium full of strangers. “They showed such determination, they were so proud, it was awesome,” LeVox says. “It was their push to continue; they tried with all they had. I thought, “I’ve got to go try.” If I win a gold medal or not, I’ve got to give it my all. They were a big influence on me. They even influenced my songwriting early on.”
They—and his unshakable religious faith—finally set him Nashville-bound for a career atop the country charts, as well as concerts, some of which took him back home to Ohio for cherished reunions.
“Anytime we play in Columbus, they have showed up,” he says of his clients-turned-friends. “It meant the world to me. It brought back so many of the memories and I was so proud that they were proud.”
That journey is a life lesson for the ages, no matter your age.
The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel, 8 p.m. March 2 & 4-5, starting at $39.95 plus tax and fee. 888.929.7849
