Charles Kelley | |
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 Kelley performing in 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Charles Burgess Kelley |
| Born | September 11, 1981 Augusta, Georgia, U.S. |
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| Instrument(s) |
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| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | |
| Member of | Lady A |
| Website | charleskelley |
Charles Burgess Kelley (born September 11, 1981) is an American musician who is the co-lead vocalist and founding member of the country music trio Lady A, which was formed in 2006 and are signed to Big Machine Records. [1]
Kelley was born in Augusta, Georgia, the youngest of three sons of Gayle and Dr. John W. Kelley, a now retired cardiologist. He began his musical career at the age of 11. His older brother, Josh Kelley, is also a musician and singer. As teenagers, Charles, Josh and oldest brother John formed a band called Inside Blue; the band released a five-song CD that garnered the attention of a major label. [2] In middle school, Kelley met Dave Haywood [3] and, at the age of 14, they wrote their first song. They both graduated from Lakeside High School in Evans, Georgia.
Kelley attended the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, where he was a member of the Nu Zeta chapter of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. [4] He graduated in 2004 with a degree in finance. [5]
Before moving to Nashville, Tennessee, in mid-2005 to pursue a musical career, Kelley worked in his brother John's construction business in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, as an accountant for an affiliated waste management company. [6] Kelley made the move after his brother Josh, who was a pop musician at the time, bought a house in Nashville and convinced him to come live there so they could write songs together. [7]
Kelley, Hillary Scott, and Dave Haywood founded the country music group Lady A as Lady Antebellum in 2006 and released their debut album in April 2008. The trio either wrote or co-wrote ten of the eleven songs on the album, which featured production by Paul Worley and Victoria Shaw. The album included the trio's debut hit, "Love Don't Live Here", along with the singles, "Lookin' for a Good Time" and "I Run to You", the latter of which became their first number one hit on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart in July 2009. It was certified platinum by the RIAA in October 2009. In 2008, they returned to Charles' and Dave's former high school alma mater, Lakeside High School, and performed a short concert in the gymnasium.
In January 2010, they released their sophomore album, Need You Now , which was led off by the five-week number one and crossover hit, "Need You Now". It also peaked at number two on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 and is 6x certified Platinum. All three members of the band co-wrote eight of the eleven songs on the album and produced alongside Worley. The album generated the number one hits, "American Honey" and "Our Kind of Love", and the top 10 single, "Hello World", and was certified triple platinum in October 2010.
In May 2011, the group released "Just a Kiss" as the lead single from their third studio album, Own the Night , which was released on September 13, 2011, and became their fifth number one hit on the Hot Country Songs chart. "Just a Kiss" was 2x certified Platinum by the RIAA. It stayed on the Hot 100 for forty-two weeks. The second single "We Owned the Night" also became a number one hit and was certified Gold. The third single "Dancin' Away with My Heart" was also certified Gold and peaked at number two. "Wanted You More" was released as the fourth and final single from the album. It was their first single since "Lookin' For a Good Time" to miss the top 10. The band supported the album with their second headlining tour, the Own the Night Tour which was also their first arena and world tour.
On October 22, 2012, On This Winter's Night , the band's first Christmas album was released. One of the tracks on the album "A Holly Jolly Christmas" was released to Country radio and AC radio. A music video for the single was made.
Shortly after the release of On This Winter's Night, they started working on their fifth studio album. Golden was released on May 7, 2013. "Downtown" was the album's first single and peaked at number two on Country radio and number one on the US Country Airplay chart. It was certified platinum by the RIAA. The second single was "Goodbye Town". In late 2013, the deluxe edition re-issue of Golden was released which included the third single "Compass". "Compass" was met with positive reviews and went number one on the Country Airplay chart. In 2014, the band toured the album on the Take Me Downtown Tour and sold-out shows every night.
In May 2014, "Bartender" was released as the first single off their sixth studio album. "Bartender" became their third number on the Country Airplay chart and is certified Platinum. 747 was released on September 30, 2014. "Freestyle" and "Long Stretch of Love" are the second and third singles off 747 respectively.
In October 2015, the group appeared on Good Morning America to announce they will be taking some down time after their Wheels Up Tour finishes. [8] They still continued to do shows together throughout 2016.
In January 2017, Lady Antebellum released "You Look Good", the lead single off their upcoming seventh studio album Heart Break. The album will be released on June 9, 2017, and will support it on the You Look Good Tour. [9]
In June 2020, the band announced they were changing their name to Lady A in light of the original name's Confederate origins. [10]
During the band's break, Kelley focused on a solo project and said that Lady Antebellum is his priority but he wanted to try working alone out. On September 28, 2015, he released his debut solo single "The Driver" which features Dierks Bentley and Eric Paslay. Kelley revealed on GMA that he started working on his solo project six months prior to his single's release. [8] "The Driver" received a Grammy nomination for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for the 58th Annual Grammy Awards. [11] His solo debut studio album The Driver was released on February 5, 2016. [12]
Kelley's other works consist of co-writing songs for other artists, mainly with Lady Antebellum bandmate, Dave Haywood. One of those songs was "Do I" on labelmate Luke Bryan's 2009 album, Doin' My Thing . [13] Written in late 2008, the song was released to radio in April 2009 and peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart in December of that year. [14] The song also featured Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott on background vocals. [13]
In 2006, prior to forming the band, Kelley released a solo album called 2 to 9's. The record met with little mainstream success, but was well-rated by listeners. [15]
In 2009, Kelley and Haywood penned a song called "It's Only" for Danny Gokey's debut album, My Best Days , with "I Run to You" cowriter, Tom Douglas. [16] That same year, the two also wrote "Love Song" with Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert, which Lambert would later record for her third studio album, Revolution , and Kelley would sing background on. [17]
In 2010, Kelley and Haywood wrote "Kiss Me Slowly" with Will Anderson, lead singer of the pop rock band, Parachute. The song made it on to Parachute's second studio album, The Way It Was, and was released to iTunes in the weeks leading up to the release of the album. [18] That same year, Kelley, along with Scott and Haywood, recorded a duet with Maroon 5 called "Out of Goodbyes" as Lady Antebellum. The song was included on Maroon 5's third studio album, Hands All Over , but was never released as a single. [19]
In addition, Kelley has co-written numerous songs for his brother, Josh Kelley. Those songs are "Just Say the Word" and "Pop Game" on Josh's 2006 album, Just Say the Word , which were written by the brothers with Haywood; [20] "Lift Me Up" and "Stay Awake" on 2008's Special Company ; [21] and "Georgia Clay" and "Ain't Lettin' Go" on his 2011 country debut, Georgia Clay . [22]
Kelley and Haywood co-wrote the semi-autobiographical track "Better Than This" on (Encore) , the 2013 re-issue of rising country star Hunter Hayes' self-titled debut album. [23]
Kelley is married to music rep Cassie McConnell. The couple wed in a Nashville courthouse in late June 2009 as a legal formality before having a destination wedding in the Bahamas. After the wedding, Lady A tweeted a photo of Kelley showing off his wedding ring, saying, "What is that you see on Charles' hand... yep a wedding ring!!!" McConnell represents several country musicians, including her brother-in-law, Josh Kelley. Charles and Cassie wed on July 6, 2009. On August 7, 2015, the couple announced that they were expecting their first child in February 2016. On August 28, 2015, his wife Cassie appeared on Good Morning America to reveal her fertility struggle and also announced they were expecting a baby boy. [24] [25] [26] The couple welcomed their son, Ward on February 11, 2016. [27]
As a result of his brother Josh Kelley's marriage, Kelley is the brother in-law of actress Katherine Heigl.
Kelley had the lyrics, "All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise," from the Beatles song, "Blackbird", tattooed on his right forearm in early 2009. [28] In 2010, Kelley got a second tattoo, a design of the "flower of life", on his upper left arm.[ citation needed ]
In addition to being an avid golfer, [29] Kelley is a motorcycle enthusiast and owns a 2006 Harley Softail Custom. [30]
In August 2022, Lady A announced that they were postponing their Request Line Tour tour to 2023 so that Kelley could focus on his sobriety. [31] On December 23, 2022, Kelley released "As Far As You Could", a song about his struggles with alcohol. [32]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | AUS | CAN | |||
| The Driver |
| 2 | 35 | 35 | 43 |
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| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Sales | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US Country Airplay | ||||
| 2015 | "The Driver" (featuring Dierks Bentley and Eric Paslay) | 37 | 44 |
| The Driver |
| 2016 | "Lonely Girl" | — | 52 | ||
| 2022 | "As Far As You Could" | — | — | Non-album single | |
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | |||
| 2016 | "The Only One Who Gets Me" | 39 | The Driver |
| Year | Single | Artist | US Country Airplay | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | "Young Americans" | Colt Ford (with Josh Kelley) | — | Love Hope Faith |
| 2018 | "Straight to Hell" | Darius Rucker (with Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan) | 40 | When Was the Last Time |
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | "The Driver" [35] (featuring Dierks Bentley and Eric Paslay) | TK McKamy |
| 2016 | "Lonely Girl" [36] | Shaun Silva |
| 2017 | "Young Americans" (with Josh Kelley & Colt Ford) | Wayne Miller |
| 2018 | "Straight to Hell" (with Darius Rucker, Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean) | TK McKamy |
Since Lady Antebellum won the Country Music Association Awards New Artist of the Year award in 2008, they have accumulated seven more awards, including their first Grammy in 2010 for Best Country Performance by Duo or Group with Vocals. At the 2009 CMA's, the group ended Rascal Flatts' six-year reign as Vocal Group of the Year. At the 2010 CMA's, the group became the first artist in CMA Award history to receive the Single of the Year honor for two consecutive years. [37]
At the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, the trio won the Song of the Year. [38] They won Top Vocal Group at the 2012 ACM Awards April 1, 2012. [39]
| Year | Awards | Award | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Grammy Awards [11] | Best Country Duo/Group Performance – "The Driver" (with Dierks Bentley and Eric Paslay) | Nominated |
Joshua Bishop Kelley Sr. is an American musician and singer-songwriter. Kelley has recorded for Hollywood Records, Threshold Records and DNK Records as a pop rock artist. His songs "Amazing" and "Only You" reached the top ten on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart.
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.
"Love Don't Live Here" is the debut single recorded by American country music trio Lady Antebellum, released in October 2007 from their self-titled debut album. Although the group had charted along with pop artist Jim Brickman on his 2007 single "Never Alone", this song serves as Lady Antebellum's first release to country radio. It was written by the group's three members, and features Kelley on lead vocals. The song peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated for the week of June 14, 2008.
Lady Antebellum is the debut studio album by American country music trio Lady Antebellum. It was released on April 15, 2008, through Capitol Nashville. The production on the album was handled by Victoria Shaw and Paul Worley. The album was supported by three singles: "Love Don't Live Here", "Lookin' for a Good Time" and "I Run to You", which became the group's first number one on the US Hot Country Songs chart.
"Lookin' for a Good Time" is a song recorded by American country music trio Lady Antebellum. It was released on June 9, 2008, as the second single from their self-titled debut studio album, as well as their second top 20 hit on the Billboard country chart. The song was co-written by the trio's three members; Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood along with Keith Follesé, and it features lead vocals from both Scott and Kelley.
"I Run to You" is a song recorded by American country music group Lady Antebellum. It was released on January 26, 2009, as the third and final single from the group's self-titled debut album. Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood, who comprise Lady Antebellum, co-wrote the song with Tom Douglas. "I Run to You" is the group's first number-one single, reaching that peak in July 2009, and it features lead vocals from both Scott and Kelley.
Hillary Dawn Scott-Tyrrell is an American singer and songwriter who rose to fame as the co-lead vocalist of the country music group Lady A. She is signed to Big Machine Records.
"Need You Now" is a song recorded by American country music trio Lady A. The band co-wrote the song with Josh Kear, and produced it with Paul Worley. It serves as the lead-off single and title track to their second studio album of the same name, and was first released in the US on August 11, 2009, and it features lead vocals from both Scott and Kelley. The song also served as their debut single in the UK and Europe, where it was released May 3, 2010. It won four Grammy Awards in 2011, including for Song of the Year and Record of the Year, the only country song to win both honors since "Not Ready to Make Nice" by the Chicks won in 2006.
Need You Now is the second studio album by American country music trio Lady Antebellum. It was released on January 26, 2010 through Capitol Nashville. It is the follow-up album to their 2008 self-titled debut album. The production on the album was handled by Paul Worley and Lady Antebellum.
David Wesley Haywood is an American country musician and songwriter. He is one-third of the American country music band Lady A, in which he plays guitar, piano and mandolin, and sings backing vocals.
"Just a Kiss" is a song recorded by American country music group Lady Antebellum. It was released on May 2, 2011, as the lead single from the band's album Own the Night (2011). Dallas Davidson collaborated with band members Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood to write the song, taking inspiration from the members' personal experiences. Produced by Paul Worley, "Just a Kiss" was among the last songs recorded for the album, and is a mid-tempo country ballad with lyrics that speak of a romantic relationship between two new couples. Professional reviews for "Just a Kiss" have been mostly positive, commending on the song's theme and musical arrangement and also praising Lady Antebellum's performance, and it features lead vocals from both Scott and Kelley.
Own the Night is the third studio album by American country music trio Lady Antebellum. It was released on September 13, 2011 through Capitol Nashville. This is the follow-up album to their previous Grammy Award winning album Need You Now. The production on the album was handled by Paul Worley and Lady Antebellum. The album was supported by four singles: "Just a Kiss", "We Owned the Night", "Dancin' Away with My Heart", and "Wanted You More".
"Wanted You More" is a song recorded by American country music trio Lady Antebellum. It was released in May 2012 as the fourth single from their album Own the Night. The song was written by group members Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood, along with Matt Billingslea, Dennis Edwards, Jonathan Long and Jason Gambill, and it features lead vocals from both Scott and Kelley.
Golden is the fifth studio album by American country music trio Lady Antebellum. It was released on May 6, 2013, through Capitol Nashville in Europe and South Africa, and on May 7, in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The production on the album was handled by Nathan Chapman, Paul Worley and Lady Antebellum. The album is the first former EMI title to be fully rebranded as a product of Universal Music. The only reference to its old parent is its UPC. On November 12, 2013, a deluxe edition was released, featuring three new songs and acoustic versions of three hits from previous albums.
"Goodbye Town" is a song recorded by American country music group Lady Antebellum. It was released on May 13, 2013, as the second single from their fifth studio album Golden. The song was written by band members Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood, along with Josh Kear, and it features lead vocals from Kelley, and a little bit from Scott.
"Bartender" is a song written and recorded by American country music trio Lady A. Written by group members Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, and Hillary Scott along with Rodney Clawson, and co-produced with Nathan Chapman, the song was released to country radio by Capitol Nashville on May 12, 2014, as the lead single from the group's sixth studio album, 747, and it features lead vocals from Scott. It was released to iTunes the following week, on May 19, 2014. In its first week at radio, "Bartender" was the second most-added song of the week, behind "Small Town Throwdown" by Brantley Gilbert featuring Justin Moore and Thomas Rhett.
"Freestyle" is a song written and recorded by American country music trio Lady Antebellum. It was written Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Shane McAnally, and co-produced by Nathan Chapman. The song served as the second single for the trio's sixth studio album, 747 and was released on October 20, 2014, and it features lead vocals from Kelley.
Long Stretch of Love is a song recorded by American country music group Lady Antebellum and serves as the third and final single from the group's sixth studio album, 747 (2014). It was released to radio in the UK on February 6, 2015 and then to American country radio on March 23, 2015, and it features lead vocals from both Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley, who wrote the song with Dave Haywood and Josh Kear.
Heart Break is the seventh studio album by American country pop trio Lady Antebellum. It was released on June 9, 2017, through Capitol Records Nashville. The album serves as the "spiritual follow-up" to 2010's Need You Now and is their first release since 2014's 747, with its three-year gap being the longest between two albums by the group to date.
"You Look Good" is a song recorded by American country music group Lady Antebellum and serves as the first single from the group's seventh studio album, Heart Break (2017), and it features lead vocals from both Scott and Kelley. It was released on January 19, 2017 through Capitol Records Nashville and impacted American country radio on January 23. The song was written by Hillary Lindsey, Ryan Hurd, and its producer, busbee.
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