Born September 13, 1975, in Baxter Springs, KS, Joe Don Rooney is best known as the lead guitarist and harmony singer in the multi-platinum-selling country-pop group Rascal Flatts. He was raised in the tiny Oklahoma town of Picher, learning to love music through the diverse tastes of his brothers and sisters. Later relocating to Nashville, Rooney was playing in the backing band of country star Chely Wright when one of his bandmates, Jay DeMarcus, asked him to sit in one night as a substitute guitar player at a gig DeMarcus had on the side. The chemistry between the three -- the gig also included DeMarcus' second cousin Gary LeVox -- was immediately apparent and, thus, Rascal Flatts were born. The group's debut self-titled album appeared in 2000 via Lyric Street Records, a label owned by the Walt Disney Company. In the spring of 2006, Rooney married the 2005 Playmate of the Year, Tiffany Fallon. ~ Corey Apar, Rovi