Rascal Flatts scored the most important signature song of their career with "Bless the Broken Road," but they were not the first act to record it ... or the second or the third, for that matter. In fact, the song had been kicking around Nashville for years before the hitmaking trio took it to No. 1 on Feb. 12, 2005. Marcus Hummon, Bobby Boyd and Jeff Hanna from the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band wrote "Bless the Broken Road" in 1994, inspired by a conversation Hanna had with Hummon right after returning from his honeymoon with songwriter Matraca Berg. "We got to talking about the circuitous route you take in life and how sometimes you think things are horrible and are never going to get better, but they lead you to something that ultimately is a lot better, whether it's a relationship, spiritual path, business or whatever," Hanna recalls to the Boot.