Add Lady Antebellum to the slew of country music acts crossing over to the so-called mainstream scene. The "Need You Now" trio—Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood—performed Thursday night at L.A.'s Wiltern Theater to a sold-out crowd of about 2,000.
I was there and lemme tell ya, they sure do know how to please a crowd. Scott's cheeks must have been hurtin' in the morning, because her big bright smile was shining throughout the show.
So who is Lady Antebellum? Here are the top five things ya gotta know right now…
Beginnings: When Kelley moved to Nashville from North Carolina to pursue a career as a solo country artist, he also convinced childhood friend Haywood to come with him so they could write music together. Lady Antebellum was born after Scott chatted Kelley up one night in a bar because she recognized him from…MySpace!
Famous Connections: Kelley's brother is fellow singer Josh Kelley, otherwise known as Katherine Heigl's husband. Scott's mom is country music singer Linda Davis. As for Haywood, his father invented the Nightguard Vital Bleaching teeth-whitening method! Scott also counts Taylor Swift as one of her best friends. And get this—Lady A cowrote a song, "Miles Away," for The Hills in 2007.
Top of the Charts: Their self-titled debut album was released two years ago. They had their first No. 1 in July 2009 with the third single, "I Run to You," followed by "Need You Now," the title track of their second album.
Awards Season: Two years ago, they were named Top New Duo or Group at the Academy of Country Music Awards. They're up for lots more at this year's show in Las Vegas, which airs live on CBS Sunday. In January, they picked up a Grammy for Best Country Performance by Duo or Group With Vocals for "I Run to You."
Idol Chatter: Not only did American Idol winner Kris Allen open for them at last night's show, but Lady Antebellum taped a performance of "Need You Now" for a future episode of AI after Wednesday's results show. Oddly enough, Scott auditioned twice for Idol, but never even made it past the first round. Suck it, Simon!
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Get more American Idol scoop at Watch With Kristin.