Charles Burgess Kelley (born September 11, 1981) is a vocalist, songwriter, and founding member of the country music trio Lady A, which formed in 2006 and is signed to Big Machine Records.
Lady Antebellum was formed in 2006 by Kelley, Hillary Scott, and Dave Haywood as Lady A, and their debut album was released in April 2008. Ten of the eleven songs on the album were written or co-written by the trio, with production by Paul Worley and Victoria Shaw. The album featured the trio’s debut single, “Love Don’t Live Here,” as well as singles “Lookin’ for a Good Time” and “I Run to You,” the latter of which earned their first number-one success on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs list in July 2009. The RIAA certified it platinum in October 2009.
During the band’s hiatus, Kelley worked on a solo project and stated that Lady Antebellum is his top priority, but he wanted to explore working alone. He released his debut solo single “The Driver,” which includes Dierks Bentley and Eric Paslay, on September 28, 2015. Kelley confessed on GMA that he began working on his solo effort six months before the release of his single. For the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, “The Driver” received a Grammy nomination for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. On February 5, 2016, his solo first studio album The Driver was released.