Rascal Flatts guitarist Joe Don Rooney charged with DUI after crashing into tree, police say

Natalie Neysa Alund, Nashville Tennessean
·1 min read
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A member of the country band Rascal Flatts was charged with driving under the influence Thursday morning near Nashville, Tennessee.

Joe Don Rooney, 45, was arrested after a vehicle crash at about 4 a.m., Williamson County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Sharon Puckett confirmed.

The sheriff's office reported Rooney, who lives in Nashville, crashed into a tree near Fieldstone Park just north of Franklin. It was not immediately known if he suffered injuries.

Rooney was booked into the Williamson County jail at 7:20 a.m. and released at 10:17 a.m. He remained free on $2,500 bond Friday, according to online records.

Rooney serves as a guitarist for the best-selling country music trio. In January 2020, the band announced plans for a farewell tour, which they later canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Rascal Flatts performs during the CMA Music Festival June 11, 2011 at LP Field in Nashville.
Rascal Flatts performs during the CMA Music Festival June 11, 2011 at LP Field in Nashville.

Over the course of their two-decade run, the trio — featuring Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Rooney — has scored 31 top 10 hits on Billboard's country airplay chart, including 14 No. 1 singles. With a signature sound blending country tradition with a pop spirit and arena rock, the group has sold an estimated 23 million albums.

Hit singles include "I Like The Sound of That," "Bless The Broken Road," "Fast Cars and Freedom" and celebrated cover "Life Is A Highway."

One of the most-awarded country music groups this decade, Rascal Flatts joined the Music City Walk of Fame in 2010 and the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012.

" When we started out 20 years ago, we could not imagine all of the people, places and gifts we would encounter,” singer LeVox said in a January 2020 news release. "The greatest feeling ever, is being told that our music has been the soundtrack to their lives."

Rascal Flatts' Jay DeMarcus reveals 'heartbreak' over giving daughter up for adoption

Contributing: Matthew Leimkuehler, Nashville Tennessean

Opry General Manager Pete Fisher, left, and Little Jimmy Dickens look on as Joe Don Rooney says a few words after he and fellow Rascal Flatts members Gary LeVox and Jay DeMarcus received their induction honors as the newest members of the Grand Ole Opry on Oct. 8, 2011.
Opry General Manager Pete Fisher, left, and Little Jimmy Dickens look on as Joe Don Rooney says a few words after he and fellow Rascal Flatts members Gary LeVox and Jay DeMarcus received their induction honors as the newest members of the Grand Ole Opry on Oct. 8, 2011.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Rascal Flatts' Joe Don Rooney charged with DUI after Tennessee crash