Lady A: Country stars settle lawsuit with namesake blues singer

Country band Lady A - who changed their name from Lady Antebellum over links to slavery - have settled a legal case with a blues singer with the same name.

In a motion filed in Nashville on Monday, both sides asked a judge to dismiss their competing lawsuits.

The terms of their agreement, including who can continue to use the name, were not made public.

Anita White, who has performed as Lady A since the 1980s, previously accused the band of trying to "erase" her.

The row developed in 2020, after the Black Lives Matter movement prompted musicians to examine their role in perpetuating racially insensitive narratives.

Record labels and awards ceremonies stopped using the loaded term "urban" to describe music of black origin, and artists like The Dixie Chicks, the Black Madonna and DJ Joey Negro changed their names (to The Chicks, the Blessed Madonna and Dave Lee respectively).

Lady A followed suit, citing criticism that their name, which refers to the period of US history before the civil war, glorified the slavery-era South.

Their transformation hit a road-bump when Anita White laid claim to the name and criticised the band for making the switch without contacting her.

Band members Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and David Haywood later spoke to the 63-year-old, announcing they had shared "transparent, honest, and authentic conversations".

"We are excited to share we are moving forward with positive solutions and common ground. The hurt is turning into hope. More to come," they wrote on Instagram, sharing a screenshot of their video call with White.

However, they later filed a trademark case against White, claiming she had "demanded a $10m (£7.9m) payment" over the name change.

They did not demand money from White and insisted she would be allowed to continue performing under the name. Instead, the case sought to assert their rights to the Lady A trademark, which they said they had held since 2011, and used on merchandise.

White fired back with a legal case of her own, accusing the band of trademark infringement.

"The effect of the name change on Ms. White's ability to distinguish her music in the marketplace was overwhelming," her lawyers wrote. "Internet and social media searches for 'Lady A,' which had readily returned results for her music, were now dominated by references to Lady Antebellum.

"Ms. White's Lady A brand had been usurped and set on the path to erasure."

The motion filed in Nashville on Monday asked a judge to dismiss the claims without prejudice - meaning the case cannot be resurrected.

Both parties have agreed to cover their own legal costs. Neither was available to comment at the time of writing.