One of the hottest young country acts to emerge in the late 00s, Lady Antebellum mix country with a sprinkling of 60s soul and a healthy dose of 70s pop influence. The trio formed in 2006, when singer-songwriters Hillary Scott (daughter of country star Linda Davis) and Charles Kelley (brother of pop singer Josh Kelley) met in Nashville and began writing together. With the addition of Charles’ old school-friend, multi-instrumentalist Dave Haywood, the line-up was complete. The double-barrelled vocal firepower of Scott and Kelley is the band’s calling card, with some songs finding them trading off on lead vocals and others harmonizing with Haywood. The band, which took its name from a photo shoot in front of an Antebellum house, signed with Capitol Records in 2007. Their self-titled 2008 debut was produced by Nashville titan Paul Worley and displayed influences from the Eagles to Gladys Knight And The Pips, but even before it was released, Lady Antebellum had a hit single with ‘Love Don’t Live Here’, toured with Martina McBride, Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood and numerous others, played the Grand Ole Opry, and were nominated for the Academy Of Country Music’s Top New Group award. The album reached the top of the US country charts and also made the mainstream Top 5.
