Charles Kelley has long been known as one of the voices of Lady A. The trio became global superstars with their cross-genre hit, “Need You Now,” which started a chain reaction of hits, including “American Honey,” “Downtown,” “What If I Never Get Over You” and others.
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In addition to his smooth, silky voice, Kelley is also an experienced songwriter who’s penned hits for several of his peers. Check out four songs you didn’t know he wrote for other artists.
[RELATED: Charles Kelley Officially Releases His Goodbye Letter to Alcohol, “As Far As You Could”]
1. “Do I” by Luke Bryan
Written by Luke Bryan, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood
Charles Kelley teamed up with his Lady A bandmate Dave Haywood and Luke Bryan to pen what would become one of Bryan’s signature hits. As both acts were starting to take the country world by storm, Kelley, Bryan, and Haywood proved they had magic in the room when writing together, as “Do I” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts and gave Bryan his first top 40 hit on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.
“We’re great friends, and that was the first opportunity for us to write together,” Bryan recalled to The Boot in 2009 about writing with Kelley and Haywood. “It was a blast to be a part of something special with those guys. They’re great guys and a great act.” Coincidentally, “Do I” was blocked from the top spot on both charts by Lady A’s smash hit, “Need You Now.”
2. “Homegrown Honey” by Darius Rucker
Written by Darius Rucker, Charles Kelley, and Nathan Chapman
Charles Kelley had another hit as a songwriter with Darius Rucker’s “Homegrown Honey.” Released as the lead single off Rucker’s 2015 album, The Southern Style, this breezy bop reached No. 2 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. Kelley and Rucker have been longtime friends. Rucker opened for Lady A on their 2012 Own the Night Tour, and the two acts co-headlined the Summer Plays on Tour in 2018. The trio also sings background vocals on Rucker’s diamond-certified hit, “Wagon Wheel.”
3. “Here Tonight” by Brett Young
Written by Brett Young, Charles Kelley, Justin Ebach, and Ben Caver
Brett Young introduced his 2018 album, Ticket to L.A., with this lighthearted tune. The song was written during a weekend golfing trip, with Young crediting Kelley for coming up with the melody. “A couple of weeks before, we’d gone golfing,” Young recalled to The Boot about how the collaboration came about, calling Kelley a “great writer and singer.”
“I had two writers, Justin Ebach, and Ben Caver, out for the weekend, and we were in the catering tent at lunchtime. Anyone who knows Charles’ personality, he walked right up and was like, ‘Y’all out here writing this weekend?’ And they said, ‘Yeah.’ And he goes, ‘I wanna write, too,'” he continues. “It was a blast.” “Here Tonight” became Young’s fourth consecutive No. 1 hit on country radio.
4. “Better in the Long Run” by Miranda Lambert
Written by Charles Kelley, Ashley Monroe, and Gordie Sampson
This deep cut off Miranda Lambert’s critically acclaimed 2011 album, Four the Record, strikes the perfect blend of heartfelt lyrics with Lambert’s soft voice. Charles Kelley and Lambert’s Pistol Annies cohort. Ashley Monroe, joined forces with Gordie Sampson to write this track about a couple on the verge of a breakup, depicted through such lyrics as It’s no surprise we’ve come undone / But I can’t unlove you just because/You say it’s better in the long run.
Though Kelley is a writer behind-the-scenes on “Better in the Long Run,” he and Lambert stood in the spotlight together on the duet, “I Wish You Were Here,” that’s featured on his 2016 debut solo album, The Driver.
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for ACM
