Joe Don Rooney of Rascal Flatts onstage (2014)
Over the summer, Gary LeVox shared his initial thoughts on Rooney playing with the band with Taste of Country. Apparently, Joe Don had been snagged to fill in for their regular guitar player for a show at Fiddle and Steel Guitar Bar in Nashville’s Printer’s Alley and Gary wasn't even aware of the swap until they were ready to take the stage. A six hour show with a guitar player he had never met nor heard play wasn't his idea of a great partnership and he told Jay DeMarcus that if Rooney didn't know the music in their set, he was outta there! Needless to say, from the first notes of their first song, "The Church on Cumberland Road," LeVox was hooked. He described the moment as "something God came down from heaven to deliver."
This has also been a year of fashion for the guitarist. Rooney and his six-year-old son, Jagger, have launched a golf fashion line with Slingo Wear. The collection for boys lines up with Slingo's men's line and mixes Joe Don's love of argyle, family, golf and music. An added plus is that Slingo will be donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the line to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.
Another biggee this year has been a new baby on the way. Joe Don and his wife Tiffany are counting down the days to the birth of their third child, a little girl, who is due on September 25th.
Rascal Flatts Trivia:
In 2007, Joe Don turned 32 and the video for the band's song, "Take Me There," debuted on both CMT and GAC.
