Keith Urban picked up a guitar at six years old in a small Queensland town and turned it into a career of Grammys, No. 1s and a reputation as one of the best live guitarists in country music.
From a Queensland shop window to Tamworth
Keith Lionel Urban was born in Whangarei, New Zealand, on October 26, 1967, and moved to Caboolture, Queensland, Australia, as a toddler. He started playing guitar at six after his father, who ran a convenience store, put an ad for a guitar teacher in the shop window.
In 1990 he won the Star Maker talent quest at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, Australia's answer to Nashville, which led to a deal with EMI Australia. He moved to Nashville itself in 1992 to chase a US career from scratch.
Grammys, guitar solos and a decade of No. 1s
His self-titled 1999 US debut album produced "But for the Grace of God," his first American No. 1. "Somebody Like You," from 2002, went on to be named Billboard's biggest country hit of the entire 2000s decade.
Urban has won 4 Grammy Awards, including Best Male Country Vocal Performance for "You'll Think of Me" (2005) and "Stupid Boy" (2007), across 12 studio albums and 18 Hot Country Songs No. 1s. He is as well known for his guitar playing as his singing, and his live shows are built around extended solos rather than a backing track.
The Road, with Blake Shelton and Taylor Sheridan
In 2026, Urban became a central figure on CBS's "The Road," a music competition where 12 emerging artists compete as his opening acts across real American venues. The show is co-executive produced by Blake Shelton, "Yellowstone" creator Taylor Sheridan, and Gretchen Wilson, which is why Urban, Shelton and the word "Yellowstone" keep turning up in the same articles.
Last updated