About Lady A
Lady A, known until 2020 as Lady Antebellum, is an American country music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006. The group is composed of Hillary Scott , Charles Kelley , and Dave Haywood . Scott is the daughter of country music singer Linda Davis, and Kelley is the brother of pop singer Josh Kelley. The band abbreviated the name to "Lady A" in June 2020 during the George Floyd protests in an attempt to blunt the name's associations with slavery and the Antebellum South, inadvertently causing a dispute with Black blues and gospel singer Anita White, who had been using the name Lady A for more than 20 years.
The group made its debut in 2007 as guest vocalists on Jim Brickman's single "Never Alone", before signing to Capitol Nashville. Lady A has released six albums for Capitol: Lady Antebellum, Need You Now, Own the Night, Golden, 747, Heart Break, plus one Christmas album , and one for Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment: Ocean. The first three albums are certified platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America . The albums have produced sixteen singles on the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, of which nine have reached number one. The longest-lasting number one single is "Need You Now", which spent five weeks at that position in 2009; both that song and 2011's "Just a Kiss" reached number one on the Adult Contemporary charts.
Lady A was awarded Top New Duo or Group by the Academy of Country Music and New Artist of the Year by the Country Music Association in 2008. The band was nominated for two Grammy Awards at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards and two more at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, winning Best Country Performance by Duo or Group with Vocals for "I Run to You". It was awarded Top Vocal Group, Song of the Year , and Single of the Year at the 44th ACM Awards on April 18, 2010. It won five awards at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year for "Need You Now". At the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, Lady A won the award for Best Country Album for Own the Night. By August 2013, the group had sold more than 12.5 million digital singles and 10 million albums in the United States.
Lady A was formed in 2006 by Charles Kelley, Dave Haywood, and Hillary Scott in Nashville, Tennessee. Scott, a Nashville native, is the daughter of country music singer Linda Davis, best known for collaborating with Reba McEntire on her 1993 single "Does He Love You", and Charles Kelley is the brother of pop and country artist Josh Kelley. Scott attended Donelson Christian Academy in Donelson, Tennessee. Kelley and Haywood were Georgia natives who went to middle school together. Kelley moved to Nashville in mid-2005 from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he had been working construction with his brother John. Trying to become a successful solo country artist, Kelley convinced Haywood to relocate to Nashville in 2006 so they could write music together. Shortly thereafter, Scott recognized Kelley from Myspace, and they started to talk at a local music club. Kelley invited Scott to join him and Haywood in the new group, which assumed the name Lady Antebellum.
On the BBC Radio 2 Drivetime Show August 9, 2010, the band explained that the name comes from when the group did a photo shoot in historical costumes at antebellum houses. In American history, the Antebellum era was the period in the Southern United States before the Civil War. The trio then began performing at local venues before Capitol Records Nashville signed them in July 2007. In an interview with Sirius Satellite Radio, Scott said she was rejected from participating in American Idol twice, not even making it past the first round.
Shortly after the trio signed to the label, it was chosen by recording artist Jim Brickman to sing on his 2007 single "Never Alone," which reached No. 14 on the Billboard adult contemporary charts. In mid-2007, the group also wrote a song for the MTV reality television series The Hills.
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