Who is Jay DeMarcus?
American bassist and vocalist Jay DeMarcus, was actually born as Stanley Wayne DeMarcus Jr. in Columbus, Ohio USA, on 26 April 1971, meaning that his zodiac sign is Taurus. He’s probably known best for having been a member of the popular American country music band Rascal Flatts from 1999 until 2021, when they disbanded.
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Education and early life
Jay was raised alongside his sister in Columbus, solely by their mother who worked multiple jobs to pay the bills and put food on the table; Jay’s parents divorced before he turned 10, and his father married his second wife, with whom he has a daughter.
Both his parents were deeply religious, and Jay went to church with them at least once a week. It was during his teenage years that he fell in love with music, and began learning to play the guitar. He studied at the Tree of Life Christian Schools prior to progressing to Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center; some of Jay’s other interests while a teenager were acting with his school’s drama club, running track and playing soccer.
Upon matriculating in 1990, he moved to Cleveland, Tennessee and enrolled at Lee College, but from which he dropped out two years later, wanting to pursue music.
Career beginnings
Jay soon became a member of the Christian music group New Harvest, and toured with them around the USA. He formed his own Christian music group East to West in 1993, and they performed mostly in Nashville for the following four years, prior to disbanding.
Following on, Jay helped produce Michael English’s album “Gospel”, which was nominated for a Dove Award for Inspirational Song of the Year. Jay then began working for American country music artist and author Chely Wright as her bandleader, and the following years also saw him produce albums for Austins Bridge, Jo Dee Messina and James Otto.
Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts was founded at Nashville’s Fiddle and Steel Guitar Bar by Jay, his cousin Gary LeVox and American musician Joe Don Rooney; the trio was signed to Lyric Street in 1999, after the meeting had been arranged by American country artist Mila Mason.
Their debut single “Prayin’ for Daylight” was released in 2000, and peaked at #3 on the Billboard Country Chart; the song was featured on their debut album “Rascal Flatts”, which was released on 6 June 2000, while their other single “I’m Movin’ On” won a 2002 Academy of Country Music Award for Song of the Year.
The year 2002 also saw the release of their second album “Melt”, and its single “These Days” became a hit in the US, topping the US Country Chart; the album spawned two more hits: “Mayberry” and “Love You Out Loud”. The boys’ third album. “Feels Like Today” came out in 2004, and its single “Bless the Broken Road” topped the US Country Chart, holding the position for five weeks.
Rascal Flatts’ fourth album “Me and My Gang” was released on 4 April 2006, and spent 15 weeks on top of the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart; their fifth album “Still Feels Good” was released on 25 September 2007, and went on to become certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, having sold nearly 2.2 million copies by May 2009.
On 7 April 2009, the boys released their sixth album “Unstoppable”, which was followed by their seventh album “Nothing Like This” on 16 November 2010, and eighth “Changed” on 3 April 2012.
Been 11 years since we released #NothingLikeThis! What was your favorite song from this @rascalflatts album? pic.twitter.com/SEOFPiiqmv
— Jay DeMarcus (@JayDeMarcus) November 16, 2021
On 17 September 2012, Rascal Flatts was honored with their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Their new single “Rewind” came out in January 2014, and was made the lead single of their eponymous album, which was released on 13 May 2014; the song topped the Country Airplay Chart. Their 10th album “Back to Us” came out on 19 May 2017, and was followed by their extended play (EP) “How They Remember You” on 31 July 2020.
Rascal Flatts had to cancel many of their performances in 2020 and 2021, and then confirmed in October 2021 that they were disbanding.
It’s believed that Jay’s now taking some time off music to spend with his wife and children, and that he’ll soon start working on his solo career; he’s also the owner and CEO of the record label Red Street Record.
Love life and wife
Jay doesn’t usually speak about his love life, but has still allowed his fans to have a glimpse into it. He married American actress and model Allison Leigh Alderson DeMarcus in a private ceremony on 15 May 2004, attended by over 300 of their family members and friends; Allison was Miss Tennessee in both 1999 and 2002, and starred as Emily in the 2015 short romantic movie “Garlic”.
In December 2010, Allison gave birth to their daughter Madeline Leigh, and their son Dylan Jay followed in July 2012.
It’s perhaps less known that Jay has a daughter from a previous relationship, which he and his ex-girlfriend gave up for adoption because they weren’t ready to become parents.
Jay hasn’t mentioned other women whom he’s dated, he’s married to Allison Leigh Alderson DeMarcus as of November 2022, and they have two children together.
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Interesting facts and hobbies
Jay and Rascal Flatts took part in various charity events, and they supported music education in disadvantaged public school, made multiple donations to the Make a Wish Foundation and raised over $1 million for the Central Ohio Foundation.
Jay loves running his Instagram account, and he’s uploaded nearly 2,000 pictures and videos onto the social media network, and is today followed by more than 100,000 people.
He’s a huge dog-lover, and his two pet dogs have been featured in his numerous Instagram pictures.
One of his favorite musicians is Elvis Presley.
Jay enjoys watching Hollywood movies with his family, and his favorite actors are Samuel L. Jackson and Russell Crowe, while some of his favorite movies are “Big Game”, “The Hateful Eight” and “The Samaritan”.
Height, eyes and wealth
Jay’s age is 51. He has light blue eyes and short brown hair, weighs around 190lbs (87kgs) and is 6ft (1.83m) tall.
Jay’s net worth’s been estimated at more than $60 million, as of November 2022.
