Charles Kelley is ‘The Driver’

It’s not often that an artist embarks on a headlining tour behind the release of one single — especially with no full-length release date on the horizon, and no go-to numbers in the setlist to control the ebb and flow of the crowd. But for Lady Antebellum Charles Kelley, whose debut single, “The Driver,” was released in September, a six-month-to-a-year hiatus in touring with the band presented a natural opportunity. “That’s one of the most difficult things, as an artist, to go out on tour and not have the music out there,” Kelley says.

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That’s not an issue he faces on the road with Lady Antebellum, as the Nashville-based trio surpassed the baby band stage thanks to label backing and highly coveted stadium opener slots. However, Kelley’s solo tour brings him to a series of venues he hasn’t necessarily tackled before. “We kind of skipped that whole club tour thing, and I was always bummed out that we never got to really do that,” Kelley says. “When I was getting into the business, that’s what you’re kind of thinking about — playing those kinds of venues. There’s a lot to learn in those environments, and there’s a different kind of energy with everybody so close. There are some iconic venues that I’m going to get to play this year, the Tabernacle being one of them.”

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“The Driver” romanticizes the touring environment Kelley has come to know with Lady Antebellum, opening with a verse about the behind-the-scenes truck drivers and stagehands that make the shows happen, and transitioning into narratives from the audience and the artists’ perspectives. Written with Abe Stoklasa and Eric Paslay, who sing on the song along with hit-maker Dierks Bentley, Kelley says he connects with every verse. “There are a lot of different songs on this record that offer an inside view of my life over the past eight or nine years,” Kelley says.

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Despite the slow drawl of “The Driver,” Kelley’s solo sets are more energetic and unhinged than what fans may have seen from him on stage with Lady Antebellum. He cites his Georgia roots and influences ranging from James Brown to the Allman Brothers, noting that the new music will be grittier, darker, and more spontaneous in the live setting. “I loosen up a lot,” he says. “I can kind of play with the audience a lot and joke around and really kind of go after it a bit more ... The fun thing for me will be the fans getting to hear this first before anybody else.”

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As Kelley hits the road over these next couple of months, he’ll bring along up-and-coming songwriter Maren Morris as supporting act, while drawing on Lady Antebellum hits and Southern rock covers in his live sets. “I knew that if I didn’t put out this project a lot of these songs would never see the light of day,” Kelley says. “It was the motivation of wanting to show a different side of myself and just put out more music. I can’t sit still for six months to a year.”