AUSTIN – The Texas Inaugural Committee has announced entertainment for the 2015 “Future of Texas” Inaugural Ball celebrating Governor-elect Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Governor-elect Dan Patrick.
Grammy award-winning country trio Lady Antebellum and Texas country music star Pat Green will both perform for those in attendance of the “Future of Texas” Ball on Jan 20.
Formed in 2006 by Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood, Lady Antebellum produces country-pop hits relying on bold vocal harmonies and exceptional instrumental skills. Since their formation, Lady Antebellum has gone from performing in local bars to the Grand Ole Opry and beyond and is considered one of the hottest acts in country music. The trio has been nominated for nearly every major award in its format including The Grammys, the Academy of Country Music Awards, the People’s Choice Awards, the CMT Awards, the American Music Awards and the Billboard Music Awards. After spending years at the top of the Country charts, Lady Antebellum is ready to pull up the wheels and climb even higher.
To say that Lady A is in “high demand” is an understatement as they will be appearing on the upcoming People’s Choice Awards in Los Angeles on Jan. 7 and will perform the Star-Spangled Banner at the College Football Championship Playoff Game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Jan. 14. These appearances provide an exciting build-up to the Inaugural Ball festivities on January 20th.
A Texas native, Pat Green found his place in country music while attending college at Texas Tech in the 1990s and convinced his parents to loan him money to record his first album. Growing up, Pat Green took inspiration from Texas artists like Robert Earl Keen, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Jeff Walker and Willie Nelson. His independently released Dancehall Dreamer album came out in 1998 right as Green was becoming a well-known performer at local bars.
A year later, Green performed in front of an audience of 2,000 at Willie Nelson’s July 4th picnic, a performance later captured for his second album, Live at Billy Bob’s Texas. Songs We Wish We’d Written was released in 2001 and within five years, Green had sold over 200,000 copies without even being signed to a major label. Impressing Republic with this approach, Green was offered a record deal.
Three Days marked his first proper release and two years later, Green joined producer Don Gehman (of Hootie & the Blowfish, R.E.M. and Nanci Griffith) for Wave on Wave before the issuance of Lucky Ones in 2004. In 2006, Cannonball was issued followed by What I’m For in 2009, which led to Green’s work with producer Dann Huff. He revisited some of his favorite songs and songwriters for 2012’s Songs We Wish We’d Written II, a sequel to his 2001 album.