Keith Urban Biography

Keith Lionel Urban is an  Australian-American country singer. Before his 1991 solo breakthrough, he was a session guitarist for his band The Ranch. In 1999 he rose to fame in the US with his second eponymous album. Urban released nine studio albums and numerous successful singles. Additionally, he won multiple Academy of Country, Country Music Association and Grammy awards. He is married to Nicole Kidman.

Early Life & Breakthrough

Keith Urban was born in 1967, in Whangarei, New Zealand. At the age of 17 he moved to Caboolture, Queensland, Australia with his family and began taking guitar lessons. He grew up taking inspiration from Dire Straits and Fleetwood Mac. In 1983 he entered a televised talent show and then, continued to make TV appearances. In 1990 he signed with EMI and made an appearance on a compilation album, Breaking Ground – New Directions in Country. For a few years he only sang backing vocals or played guitar for others, until forming his own band. The Ranch released one, self-titled successful album, in 1997, peaking at number 34 on the Billboard 200.

Continuous Success

In 1999 Urban released his eponymous solo debut album. It reached platinum in the US and number 17 on the Country Albums charts. It spawned 4 singles, notably the chart-topper But for the Grace of God. Since then, his success and fame only grew. His next seven albums all peaked at number 1 or 2 on the Country charts and at top 10 on the Billboard 200. In 2004, Be Here earned a 4x Platinum certification. After many gold-certified singles, in 2013, he released his first platinum one, a collaboration with Miranda Lambert, We Were Us. Furthermore, he collaborated with Carrie Underwood, on The Fighter, a single which came out in 2017, from his latest album, Ripcord. 

Photo source: MontrealGazette