Rascal Flatts
WHERE: The Nutter Center, 3640 Colonel Glenn Highway, Fairborn
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 28
COST: $25, $39.75, $59.75 and $99
MORE INFO: (937) 775-4789 or www.nuttercenter.com.
ARTISTS INFO: www.rascalflatts.com
Kid Rock
WHERE: The utter Center, 3640 Colonel Glenn Highway, Fairborn
WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 29
COST: SOLD OUT!
MORE INFO: (937) 775-4789 or www.nuttercenter.com
ARTISTS INFO: www.kidrock.com
Conventional wisdom says most musical talent today comes from New York or Los Angeles. However, anyone who pays close attention to modern music knows a majority of the top performers of the past decade, including Rascal Flatts and Kid Rock, are products of the Midwest.
Both chart-toppers, who now represent flipsides of the crossover-act phenomenon, took niche genres and road them to mainstream success.
Here’s a look at the careers of both acts, which just happen to have concerts at the Nutter Center this weekend. Rascal Flatts performs on Friday, Jan. 28, followed by Kid Rock on Saturday, Jan. 29.
THE FORMATIVE YEARS
Racal Flatts formed in Nashville in the late 1990s when second cousins Gary LeVox and Jay Demarcus, both from Columbus, met Joe Don Rooney, from Picher, Okla., at Printer’s Alley nightclub. The trio signed a deal with Lyric Street Records in 2000 and released its self-titled debut later that year.
Kid Rock was born Robert James Ritchie in Romeo, Mich., on Jan. 17, 1971. He was 19 in 1990 when he released his Beastie Boys-inspired debut album, “Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast.” He was active in the musical underground for the better part of the ’90s, releasing albums on smaller labels such as Jive and Continuum. Rock’s fortunes changed drastically in 1998 when he signed to Atlantic Records and released the career-defining “Devil Without a Cause.”
MAKING IT BIG
Racal Flatts’ self-titled debut tore up the charts fueled by the top 10 hits “Prayin’ for Daylight,” “This Everyday Love” and “While You Loved Me.” The album racked up sales of more than 2 million copies
“Devil Without a Cause,” Kid Rock’s major-label debut, spawned four singles — “I am the Bullgod,” “Bawitdaba,” “Cowboy” and “Only God Knows Why” — and went on to sell more than 10 million copies.
EXPANDING THE BRAND
“Feels Like Today,” Rascal Flatts’ third album, was released September 2004 and debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 200 album chart. The material put a fine-tuned sheen to the group’s middle-of-the-road approach, which resulted in sales exceeding 5 million copies and solidified the photogenic trio as a true presence of the pop charts. “Bless the Broken Road,” “Skin (Sarabeth),” “Fast Cars and Freedom” and other songs are firmly ensconced in the realm of adult contemporary with heartland Americana overtones and lyrics exploring themes of love, loss, escape and other adult concerns.
Kid Rock’s earliest releases were clearly created under the influence of rappers from the 1980s and ’90s, but by the time the 2000s rolled around he was ready to embrace some of his other influences, such as Bob Seeger, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Hank Williams Jr. He released “Cocky” in late 2001 and began straying further and further from his rap-rock roots in favor of ’70s-style hard rock and country. The album yielded several minor hits and hovered in the middle of the Billboard album charts for almost two years before hitting crossover pay dirt with Top 10 hit, “Picture,” a duet with Sheryl Crow.
STILL ROLLING STRONG
“Still Feels Good,” Racal Flatts’ fifth studio album, was released in 2007 and debuted at atop the Billboard album chart. It was the third consecutive Rascal Flatts release to debut at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart and sold more than 547,000 units in its first week of release.
The cleverly titled album, “Kid Rock,” was released in late 2003 and continued his infatuation with hard rock, country and Southern rock. The ballad-heavy project featured guest appearances by blues guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd, ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons and country legend Hank Williams Jr. “Kid Rock” received favorable reviews but was inevitably the poorest selling album of his career, selling less than 2 million copies.
THE LATEST RELEASE
When longtime home Lyric Street Records folded in 2010, Rascal Flatts signed to Big Machine Records, home of Taylor Swift and Trisha Yearwood. The group’s label debut, “Nothing Like This,” was released Nov. 16. The album debuted at the top spot on Billboard’s Top Country albums chart, but never got above No. 6 on Billboard’s Top 200. That was the first time that had occurred since the group’s second album, “Melt,” was released in 2002.
After years of worshipping at the altar of Bob Seeger, Kid Rock finally caved in and recorded his tribute, of sorts, to the fellow Michigan rocker. On “Born Free,” released Nov. 15, Rock has finally shorn away any hints of his bad boy origins and delivers his most focused recordings yet, which were backed up by brisk sales. The album reached No. 1.
LIVE AND LOCAL
Racal Flatts performs in concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 28, at the Nutter Center. The following night, Jan. 29, the Nutter welcomes Kid Rock at 7 p.m.
Contact contributing arts and music writer Don Thrasher at donaldthrasher8@aol.com.
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