Charles Kelley of Lady A

Charles Kelley of Lady A

From The Working Songwriter by Joe Pug

April 17, 2026 · 38 min

About this episode

Joe Pug interviews Charles Kelley, a founding member of Lady A, discussing his musical journey and achievements.

Our guest on the Working Songwriter this week hails from Augusta, Georgia, but has made his professional bones in Music City, USA. Charles Kelley was one of the founding members of Lady Antebellum – now known as Lady A – and is one of the group’s principal songwriters. Their crossover hit, “Need You Now,” became one of the defining songs of the 2010s. Lady A have sold over 18 million albums, won 7 GRAMMY awards, and their songs have been streamed over 5 billion times. Along the way Charles has also released a pair of solo albums, including last year’s Songs for a New Moon. He’s recorded for Capitol Records Nashville and Big Machine and he’s toured with Luke Bryan, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban and many others. He’s also appeared on The Tonight Show and The Late Show with David Letterman. Rolling Stone has said that Lady A’s “vocal harmonies helped redefine country radio in the 2010s” and Billboard calls them “one of Nashville’s most successful songwriting teams.” I got a chance to catch up with Charles a few months ago to hear about his musical journey so far. Interested in sponsoring us? Contact BGS: https://bit.ly/sponsorBGSpods

People in this episode

Host: Joe Pug

Guest: Charles Kelley

Topics covered

  • music
  • songwriting
  • country music
  • interviews
  • artist journey

Keywords

  • Charles Kelley
  • Lady A
  • songwriting
  • Need You Now
  • country music
  • interview

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Lady Antebellum, Lady A, Capitol Records Nashville, Big Machine, The Tonight Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, Rolling Stone, Billboard

Products: Songs for a New Moon

Places: Augusta, Georgia, Music City, USA

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