| Keith Lionel Urban is a country singer who was born in Whangeri, North Island, New Zealand on October 26, 1967. He is immensely popular in New Zealand and Australia, and has also seen a steadily rising fan following in North America. Keith lived in New Zealand as a child before he went to Australia. He then shifted to Nashville, Tennessee. He began learning the guitar at age 6; and by age 12 he began playing gigs at the local clubs. At the age of 15, he quit studying and hit the road. He signed his first recording deal with EMI in Australia in 1990. His first solo album was massively popular in Australia and included four #1 country hits. He was the front man of a three piece group called ‘The Ranch’; they released one album in 1997. Keith left the group in search of a more successful solo career. Urban released his self-titled album in 2000; this had three top 5 hits. With this he won the award for Top New Male Vocalist at the 2001 Academy of Country Music Awards. In 2002, he released ‘Golden Road’ and ‘Be Here’ in 2004. ‘Be Here’ was nominated for best country album at the Grammy Awards and the Academy of Country Music. Keith Urban’s popularity has been growing steadily ever since his successful Alive in ’05 tour. He also performed live in the Live 8 Philadelphia concert on July 2d, 2005. Recently, he also received the Entertainer of the Year at the CMA’s. Keith Urban performed “You’ll Think of Me” and the “Luck One” alongside Faith Hill at the 2006 Grammys. |
