Biography
Keith Lionel Urban (born October 26, 1967) is a country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist originally from New Zealand who grew up in Australia, achieving commercial success primarily in the United States and Australia. Urban began his career in Australia and released his self-titled debut album in 1991, producing four charting singles before relocating to the U.S. in 1992. He initially worked as a session guitarist and later formed the band The Ranch, which released one studio album on Capitol Records and had two singles chart on the Billboard country charts.
Remaining with Capitol, Urban made his American solo debut in 1999 with the album Keith Urban, which was certified platinum in the U.S. and featured his first American Number One hit, "But for the Grace of God." His major breakthrough came with the Number One hit "Somebody Like You" from his second Capitol album, Golden Road (2002). This album also garnered him his first Grammy Award for the song "You'll Think of Me," its fourth single and his fourth Billboard Number One. His third American album, Be Here (2004), produced three additional Number One hits and became his best-selling album, achieving 4× Multi-Platinum status. Released in 2006, Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing included the record-breaking debut of "Once in a Lifetime" at number 17 on the country charts and earned Urban his second Grammy for "Stupid Boy." A Greatest Hits collection titled Greatest Hits: 18 Kids followed in late 2007, later reissued in 2008 as Greatest Hits: 19 Kids with the addition of the Number One track "You Look Good in My Shirt," originally from Golden Road. Subsequent albums Defying Gravity and Get Closer were released on March 31, 2009, and November 16, 2010, respectively.
Urban has released nine studio albums, including one exclusive to the United Kingdom, alongside one album with The Ranch. He has charted over fifteen singles on the U.S. country charts, with ten reaching Number One. In addition to vocals, Urban plays acoustic and electric guitar, ganjo, bass guitar, mandolin, piano, sitar, bouzouki, and drums.
7 wins and 17 nominations
