Joe Don Rooney

Joe Don Rooney (born September 13, 1975 in Baxter Springs, KS) is an American musician. From 1999 to 2021, he was the lead guitarist and high octave harmony singer in the American country pop trio Rascal Flatts.

Joe Don Rooney
Rooney at a ceremony to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in September 2012
Background information
Born	(1975-09-13) September 13, 1975 (age 48) Baxter Springs, Kansas, U.S.
Origin	Picher, Oklahoma
Genres	Country country pop
Occupation(s)	Singer
Instrument(s)	Vocals guitar bass guitar mandolin banjo
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Lyric Street, Big Machine
Formerly of	Rascal Flatts
Spouse(s)	Tiffany Fallon ​ ​ (m. 2006; sep. 2022)​

In addition to the electric guitar, Rooney plays the acoustic and bass guitars, as well as mandolin & banjo. His influences include guitarists Chet Atkins, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck.

Biography

Joe Don Rooney's first band formed in 1992 under the name Uncle Thumbtack. In addition to Rooney playing lead guitar and singing backup harmony, this band included bass guitarist Gregory Fitzgibbon, acoustic guitarist Erin Fitzgibbon, drummer Colin Frayser, and rhythm guitarist Jason. Like future bandmate Jay DeMarcus, he also played in Chely Wright's band before Rascal Flatts.^[1] Rooney frequently jammed with family member musicians Justin Speer, Tracy Conder, and Jeramy Essary (to whom he later dedicated "I'm Movin' On").^{[citation needed]}

In 2016, Rooney signed Dylan Brady to an artist development deal. Together, Brady and Rooney produced Brady's first single, "Shifting Gears," which was released in August 2018. In 2019, Rooney produced Brady's singles "Over Us" and "I Hate California."^[2]

Personal life

Rooney married former beauty queen Tiffany Fallon on April 23, 2006.^[3] She was Miss Georgia USA in 2001 and 2nd runner-up for the Miss USA 2001 competition. She was also the 2005 Playmate of the Year. The couple was featured in the Playboy Cyber Club's celebrity photographer section, with the nude pictorial of Fallon being shot by Rooney himself. The couple have three children: son Jagger Donovan Rooney (b. May 31, 2008) and daughters Raquel Blue Rooney (b. September 7, 2010) and Devon Olivia Rooney (b. September 25, 2014).^[4][5][6] The couple separated in 2022.^{[citation needed]}

On September 9, 2021, he was arrested for and charged in Tennessee with driving under the influence after crashing his vehicle into a tree line. He sustained no injuries in the crash. On June 1, 2022, Rooney pleaded guilty to the charges; he was sentenced to one year in jail, with all but two days of the sentence suspended, and the loss of his driver's license.^[7]

Discography

Main article: Rascal Flatts discography

• Rascal Flatts (2000)
• Melt (2002)
• Feels Like Today (2004)
• Me and My Gang (2006)
• Still Feels Good (2007)
• Unstoppable (2009)
• Nothing Like This (2010)
• Changed (2012)
• Rewind (2014)
• The Greatest Gift of All (2016)
• Back to Us (2017)

References

1. "Joe Don Rooney". World History Project. from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
2. "Dylan Brady's Tourette Syndrome Advocacy Leads to Rascal Flatts' Joe Don Rooney Co-Producing Single 'Over Us'". Country Music. Retrieved 2019-08-23.
3. . People.com. 26 April 2006. Archived from the original on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
4. . People.com. 3 June 2006. Archived from the original on 1 March 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
5. "Meet Joe Don Rooney's Little Rascal, Raquel Blue". People.com. 1 December 2020. from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
6. "Joe Don Rooney and Tiffany Fallon Welcome Daughter Devon Olivia". People.com. 2 December 2020. from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
7. Garner, Glenn (4 June 2022). "Rascal Flatts' Joe Don Rooney Pleads Guilty to DUI: Reports". People. Archived from the original on 4 June 2022. Retrieved 4 June 2022.

External links

• JoeDon Rooney at IMDb
• Rascal Flatts Official Site