This band has a huge bland country hit right now, but the name just sounds weird to me. Isn't the antebellum period the time in the south before the civil war?

I know not everyone who is into the confederacy is automatically a racist, and I know the south is still into the south but I can't quite get past it. It's like wearing a swastika and explaining it by saying the Nazis were good for Germany's economy.

Does it sound weird to anyone else?

Yes, weird to me as well. Their music isn't so bad - sorta like a knockoff version of Sugarland (who I do like) - but the name has always struck me odd.

NDRU said:

I was thinking the same thing. But I like their music.

well they give a nod to, of all people, Kurtis Blow in one of the songs.




from Wikipedia:

Much of Lady Antebellum’s music incorporates past stories and events from childhood in the American South, especially Augusta, Georgia. Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott have always enjoyed incorporating their roots into their songs in order to give their music that southern hospitality feel, full of instrumental melodies and rhythms. During the process of selecting a name for the band, all three band members desired a name that not only indicated their love of the American South but also demonstrated the meaning behind their music. The Antebellum South was a pre-Civil War time period in which the South prospered and the woman, better known as the “lady”, was highly emphasized and valued. Antebellum architecture represented elegance, class, and prestige which became an historical part of the American South. While establishing their Myspace page, the band members fell in love with images of these homes and the concept of the ideal women. The members fell in love with the name “Antebellum” and since Hillary Scott was the only lady in the group, they all chose to put “Lady” in front of Antebellum to demonstrate the importance of the woman which the American South so highly valued during that time period. As mentioned earlier, much of Lady Antebellum’s music has significant meaning lying within the lyrics of their songs. The southern hospitality that can be understood through the lyrics in their songs can be witnessed in the actions of charity the band is involved in outside of the main stage. Lady Antebellum is actively involved in the charity Mocha Club and has established a fund to support the “Learn to Earn” project in South Africa. Much of the funds raised and donated by Lady Antebellum are used to teach South Africans in need the skills of carpentry, sewing, and other business/trade skills necessary to work and provide for their families. The band members of Lady Antebellum take pride and passion in their roots and work hard to constantly implement these roots into their songs in order to give the fans a better understanding of the meaning and true message associated with their music.

Yeah I don't suspect that their intentions are bad at all, I think it's more about "simpler times" or old fashioned values, etc.

I just can't help but associate the word antebellum with slavery