Once upon a time, the sound of a banjo in the woods was linked with terror and nightmares, thanks to its inclusion in the 1972 film Deliverance and numerous parodies. A few notes of that memorable “Dueling Banjos” sequence and that was one’s cue to get out of town post-haste.
Well, Big Machine’s Rascal Flatts is aiming to set the record straight with CountryBreakout No. 1 song “Banjo,” penned by Tony Martin, Wendell Mobley, and Neil Thrasher. The uptempo single makes the deep woods sound like a place of fantastic escape and respite, built on a bed of chugging guitars and mixed with some incredibly deft banjo pickin’. The superstar trio recently played the song on the ACM Awards stage with comic legend and banjo aficionado Steve Martin.
This No. 1 accolade is well-timed, of course. Rascal Flatts’ eighth studio album Changed just hit stores on April 3, debuting at No. 1 with over 130k units sold. The group went for a unique and high-visibility approach for the release, offering a one-night-only movie theater concert experience which aired on more than 650 screens nationwide.
