BIGSONG:
Gary LeVox (born Gary Wayne Vernon Jr., July 10, 1970) is an American singer and songwriter. He is known for being the lead vocalist of the contemporary country rock band Rascal Flatts, and his stage name was taken from the studio-console label for his lead-vocal track. LeVox was born in Powell, Ohio.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.LeVox and his second cousin, Jay DeMarcus, started out together in singer Chely Wright’s band. One day, when the regular guitarist was not available, Joe Don Rooney stepped in. The three men say they felt the chemistry immediately and afterwards formed Rascal Flatts.The band disbanded in 2020, after which LeVox began releasing solo music. In May 2021, he released his first solo EP, One on One.LeVox has been friends with Jamie Foxx since the mid-1990s, and Foxx made a guest appearance on the album Still Feels Good.“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.’”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 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 now have two daughters together.
