David Wesley Haywood (born July 5, 1982) is an American
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
musician and songwriter. He is one-third of the American
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
band
Lady A
Lady A (formerly known as Lady Antebellum) is an American country music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006. The group is composed of Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals), Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals, guitar), ...
, in which he plays guitar, piano and mandolin, and sings backing vocals.
Early life
Haywood's father, Van, is a dental instructor/
dentist
A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry (the diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the mouth, oral cavity and other aspects of the craniofaci ...
who invented a tooth-whitening method (originally discovered by Bill Klusmeier) and his mother, Angie, is a teacher. Both are involved in music in their church.
Haywood's mother taught him to play piano and his father taught him to play guitar. Their family sang and played instruments together as he was growing up. He also sang in Trinity-on-the-Hill United Methodist Church's youth choir called Love Unlimited where he served as the president during his senior year of high school.
Dave and his family lived in
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange, Durham and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 census, making Chapel Hill the 17th-largest municipality in the state. Chapel Hill, Durham, and the state ca ...
, for about a decade when his father taught at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
's School of Dentistry. In 1993, the Haywoods moved back to Augusta. Haywood first met
Charles Kelley
Charles Burgess Kelley (born September 11, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter and lead singer and founding member of the country music trio Lady A, which was formed in 2006 and are signed to Big Machine Records.
Early life and career
Kelle ...
at Riverside Middle School in
Evans, Georgia
Evans is a census-designated place (CDP) in Columbia County, Georgia, United States. It is a suburb of Augusta and is part of the Augusta metropolitan area. The population was 29,011 at the 2010 census, up from 17,727 at the 2000 census.
Evans ...
. He was in a jazz band with Charles's brother
Josh Kelley
Joshua Bishop Kelley Sr. (born January 30, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter. Kelley has recorded for Hollywood Records, Threshold Records and DNK Records as a pop rock artist. His songs "Amazing" and "Only You" reached the top ten on the ...
when he attended Lakeside High School and graduated in 2000. He attended college at the
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
where he graduated in 2004. Haywood formed the country music group as Lady Antebellum in 2006, in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
along with
Charles Kelley
Charles Burgess Kelley (born September 11, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter and lead singer and founding member of the country music trio Lady A, which was formed in 2006 and are signed to Big Machine Records.
Early life and career
Kelle ...
and
Hillary Scott
Hillary Dawn Scott-Tyrrell (born April 1, 1986) is an American singer and songwriter. She is the co-lead singer of Lady A, previously known as Lady Antebellum, a country music group that was formed in 2006, and is signed to Big Machine Records. ...
.
Besides writing for Lady Antebellum, Haywood co-wrote
Luke Bryan
Thomas Luther "Luke" Bryan (born July 17, 1976) is an American country music, country singer, songwriter, and television personality. He began his music career writing songs for Travis Tritt and Billy Currington before signing with Capitol Reco ...
's 2009 single "
Do I
"Do I" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Luke Bryan. It was released in May 2009 as the lead-off single from his album '' Doin' My Thing''. Bryan co-wrote the song with Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley of the group ...
" and the track "Love Song" on
Miranda Lambert
Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country singer and guitarist. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place o ...
's album ''
Revolution
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
''. In 2004, he engineered and produced, co-wrote and sang harmony vocals on a CD for Mary Bragg titled Certain Simple Things.
Lady A
In 2005, Haywood would meet up with Kelley, his old middle school classmate, every other weekend in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
to write songs together. Kelley convinced Haywood to move to
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
in 2006 to write songs together and to help Kelley to become a successful solo country artist. Haywood quit his job with Protiviti, Inc. in Atlanta and moved to Nashville to focus on music full-time. Shortly after, Hillary Scott recognized Kelley at a bar in Nashville from Kelley's MySpace page that Haywood had created. Kelley invited Scott to join him and Haywood to write songs together which led to them creating the new group, in which they named Lady Antebellum. Fans have since nicknamed the group Lady A. Haywood acted as the band's booking agent as they performed in bars and everywhere they could to get noticed. Haywood also created the band's first website.
The group made their debut in 2007 as guest vocalists on Jim Brickman’s single “Never Alone” before signing to
Capitol Records Nashville
Capitol Records Nashville is a major United States-based record label located in Nashville, Tennessee operating as part of the Universal Music Group Nashville. From 1991 to 1995, Capitol Nashville was known as Liberty Records, before returning ...
. On October 2, 2007, they released the single, "Love Don't Live Here". It peaked at Number 3 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart in May 2008. Their self-titled debut album ''Lady Antebellum'' was released on April 15, 2008. On its first week of release, it became the first album by a new duo or group to debut at Number 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. They released their second single "
Lookin' for a Good Time
"Lookin' for a Good Time" is a song recorded by American country music trio Lady Antebellum. It was released on June 9, 2008, as the second single from their self-titled debut studio album, as well as their second top 20 hit on the ''Billboard'' ...
" in June 2008 and it peaked at Number 11 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs Chart in December 2008.
They also contributed to the AT&T Team USA Soundtrack with the song "I Was Here", which peaked at Number 24 based on downloads on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. In addition, in December 2008, "Baby, It's Cold Outside" peaked at Number 3 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. In January 2009, their third official single, "
I Run to You
"I Run to You" is a song recorded by American country music group Lady Antebellum. It was released on January 26, 2009, as the third and final single from the group's self-titled debut album. Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood, who ...
", was released. It became Lady A's first Number 1 in July 2009 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Their album ''Lady Antebellum'' was certified double platinum by RIAA.
Lady Antebellum released their fourth single "
Need You Now" in August 2009 which is the title track of their second album ''
Need You Now''. The song became their second Number 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in November 2009 and stayed on top for five weeks. It also peaked at Number 1 Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and Number 2 on Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2010. Their fifth single "
American Honey
"American Honey" is a song written by Cary Barlowe, Hillary Lindsey and Shane Stevens, and recorded by American country music group Lady Antebellum. It was released on January 11, 2010, as the second single from their second album '' Need You Now ...
" was released on January 11, 2010 and became their third Number 1 on Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in April 2010.
Their second album ''Need You Now'' was released on January 26, 2010, which debuted at Number 1 on Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and Number 1 on Billboard Top 100 Albums chart with first week sales of 480,922 copies. ''Need You Now'' has since been certified 5 times platinum by RIAA.
Their sixth single, "
Our Kind of Love
"Our Kind of Love" is a song recorded by American country music group Lady Antebellum. Written by the trio along with busbee, it was released on May 31, 2010, as the third single from their album '' Need You Now''. It debuted at number 50 on t ...
" was released in May 2010 and became their fourth Number 1 on Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in September 2010. Their seventh single "
Hello World
''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses
''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the ''Norwich C ...
" was released in October 2010 and peaked at Number 6 on Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in April 2011.
On May 2, 2011, they released their eighth single, "
Just a Kiss", which is the first single from their third album, ''
Own The Night
''Own the Night'' is the third studio album by American country music trio Lady Antebellum. It was released on September 13, 2011 through Capitol Nashville. This is the follow up album to their previous Grammy Award winning album Need You Now. Th ...
''. " It debuted at Number 7 on Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it the highest debut for a country group in the chart's history and selling over 211,000 digital copies during its first week of release. "Just A Kiss" became their fifth Number 1 on Billboard Hot Country Songs in August 2011.
On September 13, 2011, they released their third album ''Own the Night'', which debuted at Number 1 on Billboard Top Country Albums Chart and Number 1 on Billboard Top 100 Albums chart with first week sales of 347,479 copies.
On August 12, 2011, they released their ninth single "
We Owned the Night
"We Owned the Night" is a song recorded by American country music trio Lady Antebellum. It was released in August 2011 as the second single from their album '' Own the Night''. The song was co-written by Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood along wi ...
" which is the second single from the ''Own the Night'' album. "We Owned the Night" peaked at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs. The third single from ''Own the Night'', "
Dancing Away with My Heart was released on December 12, 2011. It peaked at Number Two on the Billboard Hot Country Songs. Their eleventh single "
Wanted You More" was released on May 7, 2012. The band supported the album with their second headlining tour, the ''Own the Night Tour'' which was also their first arena and world tour.
On October 22, 2012, ''
On This Winter's Night
''On This Winter's Night'' is a Christmas and fourth studio album by American country music trio Lady Antebellum. It was released on October 22, 2012, by Capitol Records Nashville. The production on the album was handled by the group's longtime p ...
'', the band first Christmas album was released. One of the tracks on the album "
A Holly Jolly Christmas
"A Holly Jolly Christmas" (also called "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas") is a Christmas song written by Johnny Marks and most famously performed by Burl Ives. The song has since become one of the top 25 most-performed "holiday" songs written by ASC ...
" was released to Country radio and AC radio. A music video for the single was made.
Shortly after the release of ''On This Winter's Night'', the group started working on their fifth studio. ''
Golden
Golden means made of, or relating to gold.
Golden may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
*Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall
*Golden Cap, Dorset
*Golden Square, Soho, London
*Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...
'' was released on May 7, 2013. "
Downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...
" was the album's first single and peaked at number two on Country radio and number one on the US
Country Airplay
Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since January 20, 1990.
This chart lists the 60 most-listened-to records played on 150 mainstream country radio stations across the country as monitored ...
chart. It was certified platinum by the RIAA. The second single was "
Goodbye Town
"Goodbye Town" is a song recorded by American country music group Lady Antebellum. It was released on May 13, 2013, as the second single from their fifth studio album ''Golden''. The song was written by band members Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, ...
". In late 2013, the deluxe edition
re-issue
In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions.
Reasons for reissue
New audio formats
Reco ...
of ''Golden'' was released which included the third single "
Compass
A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...
". "Compass" was met with positive reviews and went to number one on the Country Airplay chart. Throughout 2014, the band toured the album on the
Take Me Downtown Tour
Lady A (formerly known as Lady Antebellum) is an American country music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2006. The group is composed of Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals), Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals, guitar), ...
.
In May 2014, "
Bartender
A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but a ...
" was released as the first single off their sixth studio album. "Bartender" became their third number one hit on the Country Airplay chart and is certified Platinum. ''
747'' was released on September 30, 2014. "
Freestyle
Freestyle may refer to:
Brands
* Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe
* Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile
* Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine
* ICD Freestyle, a paintball marker
* Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott La ...
" and "
Long Stretch of Love" are the second and third singles off ''747'' respectively.
In October 2015, they appeared on ''
Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...
'' to announce they would be taking some down time after their
Wheels Up Tour
The Wheels Up Tour was the fourth headlining tour by American country music trio, Lady Antebellum. The tour was in support of their sixth studio album, '' 747'' (2014) that began on February 28, 2015, in Oslo, Norway, and concluded on October 3, ...
finished.
They still continued to perform shows together throughout 2016.
In January 2017, they released "You Look Good", the lead single off their upcoming seventh studio album ''Heart Break''. The album will be released on June 9, 2017, and will support it on the ''You Look Good Tour''.
In June 2020, the band announced they were changing their name to Lady A in light of the original name's Confederate origins, as the name, "Antebellum" means before a war.
Personal life
On December 19, 2011, Haywood became engaged to Kelli Cashiola after seven months of dating. Haywood and Cashiola married on April 14, 2012, in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
On April 21, 2014, the couple announced that they were expecting a baby boy in September Their son, Cash Van Haywood, was born on September 7, 2014. Their second child, a daughter, Lillie Renee, was born on December 22, 2017.
References
External links
* https://www.ladyamusic.com/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haywood, Dave
1982 births
American country pianists
American male pianists
American country singer-songwriters
American United Methodists
Grammy Award winners
Lady A members
Living people
Musicians from Augusta, Georgia
People from Evans, Georgia
University of Georgia alumni
21st-century American male singers
21st-century American singers
Country musicians from Georgia (U.S. state)
21st-century American pianists
Singer-songwriters from Georgia (U.S. state)