Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, and Dave Haywood, who now go by the moniker Lady A, are going to be inducted into Grand Ole Opry in an upcoming television special.
- Jan 24, 2021
AceShowbiz - Lady A have become the Grand Ole Opry's latest inductees.
The "Need You Now" hitmakers were invited to become members of the Opry during a taping for an upcoming TV special celebrating the Tennessee venue's 95th anniversary.
Darius Rucker, who joined the Opry in 2012, officially asked the trio to join. The surprise invitation will air during "Grand Ole Opry: 95 Years of Country Music", which premieres on 14 February (21).
The group, then known as Lady Antebellum, made their Grand Ole Opry debut in 2007. The bandmates decided to shorten their Civil War-associated name to Lady A in response to the national conversation about racism last summer (20).
Their decision angered blues singer Anita White, who also performed as Lady A, and led to a number of angry lawsuits.
In a recent interview, the trio explained why it took them so long to change their name. Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, and Dave Haywood admitted Black Lives Matter movement was the catalyst behind their decision.
Charles said, "We came up with the name thinking about the antebellum home…I don't know. It's so naive now looking back, but I think, as we've grown up, we all have kids now."
"I mean, why now? Well, we're a lot older, we look at the world a lot different. We're trying to leave the world a little bit better, too, for our kids and the next generation. And we want to be a part of change."
Hillary concurred, "We realised, you know, over the summer I think not touring and watching just this movement happen that is so needed in this country and around the world, we started to see what our part was, what part of our first steps and making a difference could be. And so our name changing was the first step."
