Gary LeVox

Gary LeVox fronts the vocal ensemble Rascal Flatts, whose polished blend of contemporary country and pop rests on his resonant tenor delivery. The group first gained traction in 2000 when the Top Five single “Prayin’ for Daylight” emerged from their self-titled debut album. Capitalizing on that broad appeal, Rascal Flatts soon claimed simultaneous number-one positions on the country albums chart and the Billboard 200 with Melt in 2002, Feels Like Today in 2004, and Unstoppable in 2009. They have since sustained their presence in country music by amassing 25 hit singles, fourteen of which reached the top spot, while further mining their country heritage and venturing into contemporary Christian and gospel textures on the 2012 release Changed and the 2017 album Back to Us.

Born Gary Wayne Vernon, Jr. in 1970 in Columbus, Ohio, LeVox adopted his stage name after growing up in a close-knit Christian household. Soccer and an early fondness for country music shaped his youth; he sang in church and joined family jam sessions with second cousin Jay DeMarcus. After earning a degree from Ohio State University, he worked at the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, yet music continued to draw him. In 1997 he accepted DeMarcus’s invitation to relocate to Nashville, where his cousin was then performing in country artist Chely Wright’s backing band.

Sessions and live appearances alongside vocalist Michael English soon followed, after which LeVox and DeMarcus began writing original material and performing regularly at local clubs. When their guitarist was unavailable one evening, DeMarcus recruited bandmate Joe Don Rooney from Chely Wright’s ensemble to fill the slot. The immediate chemistry prompted the three musicians to proceed as a trio; a fan who had used the name Rascal Flatts in the 1960s suggested the moniker they ultimately adopted. Signing with Lyric Street Records, they issued their self-titled 2000 debut, which reached number three on the Top Country Albums chart and yielded four Top Ten country singles: “Prayin’ for Daylight,” “This Everyday Love,” “While You Loved Me,” and “I’m Movin’ On.” Five additional well-received albums followed on the same label, each ascending to the summit of the country charts.

Throughout the 2010s LeVox continued to thrive with Rascal Flatts as further chart-topping projects appeared, including Nothing Like This in 2010, Rewind in 2014, and Back to Us in 2017; these recordings continued to balance melodic pop sensibilities with country and Christian gospel influences. Collectively the trio earned seventeen number-one hits, six Country Music Awards, and four Grammy nominations. Outside the group, LeVox pursued acting roles in Yes, Dear, Hannah Montana: The Movie, and CSI, and he introduced the apparel lines Freedom Farms and LeVox Wear. In September 2020 he rejoined Rascal Flatts for the EP How They Remember You. March 2021 brought the release of “The Distance,” the debut single from his solo Christian music project.