Born on September 11, 1981, in Augusta, Georgia, Charles Kelley grew into a skilled singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who co-established the chart-topping country-pop trio Lady Antebellum. Music occupied his attention beginning at age 11, when he joined his siblings in a band during his formative years. While still in middle school he met Dave Haywood, and the pair began writing songs together—a partnership that later produced Lady Antebellum itself. After earning his degree from the University of Georgia in Athens, Kelley moved to Nashville to collaborate on material with his brother Josh, an established artist in both pop and country circles. In 2006 he joined Haywood and vocalist Hillary Scott to form Lady Antebellum; the group quickly dominated the country charts, sending their first three albums to platinum certification and earning several Grammy Awards. Amid those accomplishments Kelley also served as co-writer and producer for songs recorded by Danny Gokey, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert, and Hunter Hayes. His own first solo single, “The Driver,” appeared in 2015 and featured guest contributions from Dierks Bentley and Eric Paslay. The track introduced his self-titled debut album The Driver, which reached stores on February 5, 2016, and entered Billboard’s Country Albums chart at number two.
