Lady Antebellum photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.
June 18, 2008 — When Lady Antebellum performed at the CMA Music Festival two weeks ago, vocalists Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott took up places at opposite ends of the stage during "All We Ever Need," then moved toward the middle and ended their performance in a lyrical confrontation. It was very reminiscent of the blocking Hillary’s mom, Linda Davis, used to use when she performed "Does He Love You" while touring with Reba McEntire.
As it turns out, that was good practice for Hillary, who actually took her mom’s role for the first time last week in a performance of "Does He Love You." Lady A was opening for Reba at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington, Ill., according to Country Aircheck, and Hillary’s return to the stage that night — playing the other woman in the song, which won Reba and Linda a Grammy Award — was a huge surprise to the audience.
In addition to Reba, Lady A is connected to another major female act: the Dixie Chicks. Their debut album is co-produced by Paul Worley, who worked on the first three Chicks albums. While Natalie Maines and crew have had their disagreements with the country music community, Lady Antebellum remains fans of their music.
"I’d be lying if I said we’re not influenced by them," Hillary told The Detroit Free Press. "If you stay true to who you are, just write what you know and don’t try to be something you’re not, people are going to recognize that. They’re just looking for something real."
Lady A will be sharing stages with several fellow country acts in the next few days. Thursday night, they appear with Bucky Covington in Marion, Mich. Friday they’re in Clarence, Mo., and on Saturday, they’ll play the final show in the three-day Moondance Jammin’ Country Fest in Walker, Minn. Also on the bill that day: Trace Adkins, Sawyer Brown, Miranda Lambert, Cross Canadian Ragweed and Bomshel.