Jay DeMarcus
| Jay DeMarcus | |
|---|---|
 DeMarcus at a ceremony to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Stanley Wayne DeMarcus, Jr. |
| Born |
April 26, 1971 Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
| Origin | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Genres | Country, contemporary Christian |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, producer |
| Instruments | Bass guitar, keyboards, guitar, drums, vocals |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | Lyric Street, Big Machine |
| Associated acts | East to West, Rascal Flatts |
| Website |
www |
Jay DeMarcus (born Stanley Wayne DeMarcus, Jr.; April 26, 1971) is an American bassist, vocalist, pianist, record producer and songwriter.[1] He is a member of the country group Rascal Flatts.
Early life
DeMarcus was born in Columbus, Ohio. He graduated from the Tree of Life Christian School in Columbus while living with his mother and sister. He also has a half-sister from his father's side of the family. DeMarcus attended Lee College in Cleveland, Tennessee, from 1990 to 1992. At the time, he traveled and performed as a keyboard player in the Christian music group New Harvest, led by Danny Murray.
Career
DeMarcus co-founded the contemporary Christian music group East to West and moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1993. In 1997, after East to West disbanded, he called his second cousin, Gary LeVox,[2] with whom he played with when they were younger, and convinced him to come to Nashville and provide some harmonies on Michael English's album Gospel, for which he was producing. They engineered the album together, and became English's back-up band.[3] The album was nominated for the Dove Award for Inspirational Song of the Year.
In addition to producing for English, he has also produced albums for James Otto, Jo Dee Messina, Austins Bridge and others. He produced the 2006 release for the band Chicago titled, Chicago XXX. He soon became bandleader for Chely Wright. Eventually, he met Joe Don who is now the group's other member. DeMarcus called Joe Don to fill in for a guitarist who had left the band one night.
On March 4, 2010, DeMarcus and his band mates were guest stars on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, appearing as themselves. In the episode titled "Unshockable" (10.14), he is electro-shocked by his bass guitar during a performance at a Vegas club, leaving him with total amnesia. DeMarcus has continued to explore his acting career, appearing in the film A Country Christmas, as well as episodes of ABC's Nashville and Lifetime's Drop Dead Diva.
Personal life
On May 15, 2004, DeMarcus married Allison Alderson a former beauty queen who has held the titles Miss Tennessee 1999 and Miss Tennessee USA 2002. DeMarcus met her on the set while filming the video for the Rascal Flatts song, "These Days". Their first child, Madeline Leigh, was born in December 2010. In July 2012, he and Allison welcomed son Dylan Jay.
Non-Rascal Flatts album credits
| Year | Album | Artist | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Gospel | Michael English | Producer, engineer, bass, acoustic guitar |
| 2003 | Some Things Never Change | Mark Lowry | Keyboards |
| 2006 | She Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool: Tribute to Barbara Mandrell | Various artists | Bass |
| 2006 | Ten | Brian McKnight | Bass, piano |
| 2006 | Whatever We Wanna | LeAnn Rimes | Bass |
| 2006 | Chicago XXX | Chicago | Producer, arranger, engineer, guitar, keyboards, vocals |
| 2008 | Sunset Man | James Otto | Producer, bass |
| 2008 | The Prodigal Comes Home | Michael English | Arranger, vocal producer |
| 2010 | Unmistakable: Love | Jo Dee Messina | Producer |
| 2010 | Times Like These | Austins Bridge | Producer |
| 2011 | New Day | The Martins | Producer, vocal arrangement, guitar, keyboards |
| 2012 | New to This Town | Kix Brooks | Producer |
| 2012 | Tuskegee | Lionel Richie | Bass |
| 2012 | iCarly: iSoundtrack II [Original TV Soundtrack] | Various artists | Producer |
| 2012 | Brighter One | Marshall Hall | Producer, electric guitar |
| 2013 | Alabama & Friends | Alabama | Producer, bass |
| 2013 | Love Is Stronger | Jason Crabb | Producer, bass |
| 2013 | Some People Change | Michael English | Producer, engineer, bass |
| 2013 | Surrender | Adam Crabb | Bass |
| 2014 | Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute to Mötley Crüe | Various artists | Producer, bass, piano |
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Yes, Dear | Himself | Episode: "The Limo" |
| 2009 | Hannah Montana: The Movie | Rascal Flatts | |
| 2010 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Hmself | Episode: "Unshockable" |
| 2013 | A Country Christmas | Chim Ritchels | |
| 2014 | Drop Dead Diva | Trevor | Episode: "First Date" |
| 2015 | Nashville | Himself | Episode: "Forever and for Always" |
| 2016 | Sharknado: The 4th Awakens | Zimmerman, Shark World Hotel manager | TV movie |
Awards and nominations for producing
- See also: Awards received by Rascal Flatts
| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | GMA Dove Awards | Inspirational Album of the Year | Gospel – Michael English | Nominated |
| 2011 | Grammy Awards | Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album | Times Like These – Austins Bridge | Nominated |
| 2013 | GMA Dove Awards | Southern Gospel Album of the Year | Love Is Stronger – Jason Crabb | Won |
| 2014 | Southern Gospel Performance of the Year | "Love Is Stronger" – Jason Crabb | Nominated | |
| 2014 | Inspirational Album of the Year | Four:Twelve – No Other Name | Nominated |
References
- ↑ Live Daily Jay DeMarcus interview
- ↑ "James Otto: Putting the Pieces Together". Country Weekly.com. 2008-03-24. Retrieved 2008-04-09.
- ↑ Mueller, Walt. "Rascal Flatts: Taking kids to the country". Center for Parent/Youth Understanding. Retrieved 30 May 2012.