Rascal Flatts Were ‘Movin’ On’ With First Opry Performance

Rascal Flatts have enjoyed unparalleled success as a country music trio -- scoring five multi-platinum selling albums, and watching all 27 of their singles land in the Top 20 on the charts. But it wasn't their huge crossover hit, 'Bless the Broken Road,' or the star they received on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last year that made the three guys -- Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney -- feel like they had reached superstar status. Rather, it was their first Opry performance -- long before any of their biggest milestones were even in the works -- that sealed the deal for the men.

"What was weird about it was the kids were lining the aisles and standing up front, which I had never seen before," Jay DeMarcus tells GAC. "I think it was right around the time when 'I'm Movin' On' came out, and we sort of saw our sales and our popularity and visibility go from next to nothing to huge all of a sudden. I think that was a time for me that I stopped and went 'Wow! We're doing something special here.' Not just a couple of Top 10 singles, we've got one that was really impacting people now."

The Flatts guys have a lot memorable moments since their debut in 2000 with their Top 5 single, 'Prayin' for Daylight,' but they insist their best days are still ahead of them.

"I can't believe ten years went by so fast," Gary tells The Boot. "It's been a great first ten years. We've been so blessed beyond measure. We're so thrilled for the next ten. We've got a lot of work to do. We never get complacent about where we're at. As a kid, when you dream about doing this your entire life, you finally achieve the record deal part of it, you get to live your dream. You get to live a fairy tale every day."

Their latest single, 'I Won't Let Go,' is in the Top 10 and climbing. Their inaugural Flatts Fest, which includes Sara Evans, Easton Corbin and Justin Moore, kicks off on June 18 in Bristow, Va. Keep track of their schedule here.