Lady A What A Song Can Do
by Snehashree Mandal for Country Music News International
The trio that comes together for the Lady A band is Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood, and Charles Kelley.
Hillary Scott hails from parents who are into country music all their life. Dave Haywood comes from an altogether different background and Charles Kelley, the elder brother of Josh Kelley too, comes from an entirely different background.
When Scott met Kelley and Haywood in Nashville, they formed the group, and after a few months of performing in the vicinity, they signed with Capitol Nashville in 2007. “Love Don’t Live Here” reached number three on the country charts. In April 2008, she launched her self-titled debut album, produced by Victoria Shaw and Paul Worley.
Lady A’s debut album went platinum and received a Grammy nomination within a year and a half from its release, and the band relished their newfound fame while collaborating on a follow-up.
“Need You Now” was released in early 2010. The album’s lead single, “Need You Now,” became the group’s highest-charting hit to date. It topped the country charts and reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Over three million copies were sold for this album during this period. The album had a similar level of success, picking up gold in its second week of release and quickly becoming platinum.
“Golden,” Lady A’s fourth full-length studio album, was released in May 2013. Golden debuted at number one on the Billboard charts, preceded by the hit single “Downtown”. The album track “Compass” was incorporated later in the Deluxe edition.
Lady A commemorated soldiers who have returned from service and have selflessly contributed to their communities in addition to being honored. Lady Antebellum honored eight outstanding military members for their service in 2013 by inviting them to intimate performances and by honoring them on stage.
In March of that year, they released the one-off single “Like a Lady,” a retro-pop groove inspired by powerful female songwriters like Dolly Parton and Shania Twain from the 1980s.
Lady A was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in January 2021.
The single previewed the first half of Lady A’s seventh album, ‘What a Song Can Do, Chapter One.’ Written with songwriters including Thomas Rhett and Amy Wadge and once again produced by Huff, it appeared in June 2021.
On April 18, 2010, the 44th ACM Awards presented it with Top Vocal Group, Song of the Year (“Need You Now”), and Single of the Year (“Need You Now”) awards. At the 53rd Annual Grammy Honors, the band ended up receiving five awards, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year for “Need You Now.”
On a personal front, Scott’s other credits include backing vocals on Luke Bryan’s song “Do I,” which he co-wrote with fellow Lady A colleagues Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood. In April 2009, the song was released to radio, and in December of that year, it reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs list. “Christmas Tonight,” a duet between Scott and Dave Barnes, has been recorded.
Kelley too tested himself during the band’s hiatus. Though he admitted Lady Antebellum was his priority, he wanted to take the lone shot. His debut solo “The Driver” was released on 28th September 2014. It featured Dierks Bentley and Eric Paslay. The song got nominated for the 58th Grammy in the category of the best country duo.