| Jay DeMarcus | |
| Background: | solo_singer |
| Birth Name: | Stanley Wayne DeMarcus Jr. |
| Birth Date: | 26 April 1971 |
| Birth Place: | Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
| Origin: | Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Instrument: | Bass guitar, vocals, keyboards, guitar, mandolin, banjo |
| Genre: | Country, contemporary Christian |
| Occupation: | Musician, songwriter, producer |
| Years Active: | 1992–present |
| Label: | Lyric Street, Big Machine |
| Past Member Of: | East to West, Rascal Flatts |
Jay DeMarcus (born Stanley Wayne DeMarcus Jr.; on April 26, 1971) is an American musician, vocalist, record producer and songwriter.[1] From 1999 to 2021, he was a member of the country music band Rascal Flatts.
DeMarcus was born in Columbus, Ohio. He graduated from the Tree of Life Christian Schools and Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center 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.
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 when they were younger, and convinced him to come to Nashville and provide some harmonies on Michael English's album Gospel, which he was producing. They engineered the album together, and became English's backup band and road manager.[3] The album was nominated for the Dove Award for Inspirational Song of the Year. He soon became bandleader for Chely Wright.
In addition to producing for English, he has also produced albums for James Otto, Jo Dee Messina, Austins Bridge, Chicago and others.
On March 4, 2010, DeMarcus and his band mates were guest stars on , 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 which he recovers from at the end of the episode. 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.
In October 2018, DeMarcus founded the label Red Street Records, an independent Christian music label.[4]
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.[5] In July 2012, he and Allison welcomed son Dylan Jay.[6] [7] [8] He also has another daughter from a previous relationship, whom he placed for adoption because he and his then-girlfriend were not ready to parent the baby.[9] [10]
See main article: Rascal Flatts discography.
| 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 | |
| Ten | Brian McKnight | Bass, piano | ||
| Whatever We Wanna | LeAnn Rimes | Bass | ||
| Chicago XXX | Chicago | Producer, arranger, engineer, guitar, keyboards, vocals | ||
| 2008 | Sunset Man | James Otto | Producer, bass | |
| The Prodigal Comes Home | Michael English | Arranger, vocal producer | ||
| 2010 | Jo Dee Messina | Producer | ||
| Times Like These | Austins Bridge | Producer | ||
| 2011 | New Day | The Martins | Producer, vocal arrangement, guitar, keyboards | |
| 2012 | New to This Town | Kix Brooks | Producer | |
| Tuskegee | Lionel Richie | Bass | ||
| Jennette McCurdy | Jennette McCurdy | Producer | ||
| iCarly: iSoundtrack II [Original TV Soundtrack] | Various artists | Producer | ||
| Brighter One | Marshall Hall | Producer, electric guitar | ||
| 2013 | Alabama & Friends | Alabama | Producer, bass | |
| Love Is Stronger | Jason Crabb | Producer, bass | ||
| Some People Change | Michael English | Producer, engineer, bass | ||
| Surrender | Adam Crabb | Bass | ||
| 2014 | Various artists | Producer, bass, piano | ||
| 2017 | Sing It Now Songs of Hope & Faith | Reba McEntire | Producer | |
| 2019 | Here I Am | Jason Scheff | Producer, bass, vocals |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Yes, Dear | Himself | Episode: "The Limo" | |
| 2009 | Rascal Flatts | |||
| 2010 | Himself | 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 | Zimmerman, Shark World Hotel manager | TV movie | ||
| 2018 | Chrisley Knows Best | Himself | Episode: "No Men For Old Country" | |
| 2020 | DeMarcus Family Rules | Himself |
| Year | Association | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | GMA Dove Awards | Inspirational Album of the Year | Gospel – Michael English | |
| 2011 | Grammy Awards | Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album | Times Like These – Austins Bridge | |
| 2013 | GMA Dove Awards | Southern Gospel Album of the Year | Love Is Stronger – Jason Crabb | |
| 2014 | Southern Gospel Performance of the Year | "Love Is Stronger" – Jason Crabb | ||
| 2014 | Inspirational Album of the Year | Four:Twelve – No Other Name |