It's early November and snow is falling in Nashville. It's not real snow, of course-snow is a rarity in Nashville, especially in November when temperatures can still reach the 70s-and the snow is falling inside, not out. But white stuff is indeed coming down at the Sommet Center.

Lady Antebellum-the rising trio of Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood-is onstage at the Country Music Assn. Awards (CMAs) performing its current hit, the vulnerable "Need You Now," for an appreciative audience of music industry insiders and fans. While Scott and Kelley trade emotion-laden lead vocals with the faux snow as a backdrop, Haywood adds harmony from behind a grand piano.

It was a triumphant night for the soulful threesome, who won two awards: single of the year for last summer's hit "I Run to You" and vocal group of the year. The latter win was especially surprising given Rascal Flatts' dominance in the category for much of the decade. "That was a complete shock," Kelley said backstage. "Rascal Flatts, [those are] some big shoes to fill. We don't quite feel worthy."

Capitol Records Nashville president/CEO Mike Dungan says Lady Antebellum's performance in the spotlight reaffirmed his faith in the band he signed two-and-a-half years ago. "All you had to do was see their performance on the CMAs to say, 'This is what we truly call an A-level act,' " Dungan says. "They have really gelled and really pulled it together. I would stand them against anyone in country and maybe all of music."

The act's new album, also titled "Need You Now," is due Jan. 26, and a combination of touring, media appearances and good old fashioned word-of-mouth has been building buzz on the set for months.
In addition to the CMAs, Lady Antebellum has scored two No. 1 singles on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart: "I Run to You," from its debut album, peaked in July, and "Need You Now," the first single from its sophomore release, spent five weeks atop the chart in November and December. The group sold more than 1 million copies of its self-titled debut, according to Nielsen SoundScan; toured with Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban; and picked up nominations for two Grammys Awards for 2009 and two more for 2010: best country performance by a duo or group with vocals and best country song for "I Run to You."

MEET-AND-GREET

It's been a rapid ascent for Lady Antebellum, which didn't even exist four years ago. The group formed after Kelley, the younger brother of pop-turned-country artist Josh Kelley, and longtime friend and fellow Augusta, Ga., native Haywood met Scott, the daughter of Grammy winner Linda Davis, at a downtown Nashville music spot in 2006.

A chemistry emerged, and once the three started writing together, they were inseparable for months. A performance at a local club sealed the deal and Lady Antebellum was born.

Gary Borman, who manages Urban and has worked with James Taylor and the Rolling Stones, doesn't usually work with baby acts. But he signed Lady A-as the trio is known to its fans-even before it had a record deal. "We kicked some tires-we kicked a lot of tires-to find the right project," Borman says. "I'm glad we waited."

Among other qualities, including "their vitality, their commitment to songwriting and the quality of the songs they were coming with," Borman cites Lady Antebellum's "beautiful, unique sound" as one of the reasons he signed the act. "It was different than anything I'd heard."

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