50 facts about Keith Urban: has own URBAN™ Guitar Collection

Since 2006, Urban has been married to actress Nicole Kidman. Learn other 50 things about Urban's personal and musical life.

1. In September 2013 Urban released his seventh studio album FUSE.

2. His fourth #1 album marked the first time that a male Country artist has debuted atop the all-genre charts in the United States, Canada and Australia.

3. The album's first single, "Little Bit of Everything" took the top spot on the Country Singles Chart, as did "We Were Us", featuring Miranda Lambert, which gave Urban a streak of five consecutive #1 songs (dating back to 2011's "Without You").

4. In 2001, the Country Music Association honored Urban with its Horizon Award, designating him a talented artist with a bright future.

5. He is the first Horizon Award winner in history to go on to win the CMA's Male Vocalist of the Year, a title he's captured three times, and the coveted Entertainer of the Year.

6. He's the first Country artist to be named an American Idol judge, a role he will reprise for the show in its 14th season, and is a four-time GRAMMY® Award winner who has also won a People's Choice, American Music Award and been nominated for a Golden Globe.

7. He's won eight Academy of Country Music Awards, was nominated for six more (in 2014), and has had 16 #1 songs and five consecutive platinum or multi-platinum albums. In 2012 he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

8. His reputation as a premier songwriter, vocalist, musician and virtuoso guitarist has afforded Urban the opportunity to collaborate with the likes of The Rolling Stones, John Mayer, Steven Tyler, John Fogerty, Alicia Keys, Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift, Vince Gill, Eric Church and countless others.

9. He was asked to perform on both nights of Eric Clapton's Crossroads Festival and earlier this year on CBS' "The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute To The Beatles."

10. Urban has long supported numerous charities. Amongst other things, he is an advisory board member at the St. Jude's Children's Hospital and a longtime supporter of The Grammy Foundation.

11. In 2013, he introduced his new URBAN^TM Guitar Collection via HSN, proceeds of which went to benefit both the Grammy Foundation and Mr. Holland's Opus Fund. The offering, resulted in the largest guitar debut ever for the entertainment/lifestyle retailer, selling out in a matter of hours.

12. In 2014 his second offering for his URBAN^TM Guitar Collection via HSN broke that record.

13. His annual "All 4 The Hall" benefit concert for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum© has raised nearly $2.5 million.

14. His full name is Keith Lionel Urban.

15. He's an Australian country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, entrepreneur and music competition judge.

16. In 1991, he released a self-titled debut album, and charted four singles in Australia before moving to the United States the following year.

17. He found work as a session guitarist before starting a band known as The Ranch, which recorded one studio album on Capitol Nashville and charted two singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

18. Still signed to Capitol, Urban made his solo American debut in 1999 with the album Keith Urban. Certified platinum in the US, it produced his first number one on Hot Country Songs with "But for the Grace of God". "

19. "Somebody Like You", the first single from his second Capitol album, Golden Road (2002), was named by Billboard as the biggest country hit of the 2000s decade.

20. The album's fourth single, "You'll Think of Me", earned him his first Grammy.

21. 2004's Be Here, his third American album, produced three more number 1 singles, and became his highest-selling album, earning 4× Platinum certification.

22. In September 2013, he released a brand new album titled Fuse, which produced four more number ones on the newly introduced Country Airplay chart. Two are those number ones are duets with Miranda Lambert and Eric Church.

23. A new single, entitled "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16", was released in June 2015 and will serve as the lead-off single to his upcoming eight American studio album.

24. Urban has released a total of nine studio albums (one of which was released only in the United Kingdom), as well as one album with The Ranch.

25. He has charted thirty-seven singles on the US country charts, of which eighteen have reached number one (counting a duet with Brad Paisley and the 2008 single "You Look Good in My Shirt", which Keith Urban himself previously recorded on Golden Road). Those number-ones also include his third Grammy Award winning single "Sweet Thing", from his album Defying Gravity.

26. Urban is also known for his roles as a coach on the Australian version of the singing competition The Voice, and as a judge on American Idol.

27. Since 2006, he has been married to actress Nicole Kidman.

28. He was born in Whangarei, New Zealand, on October 26, 1967 as the youngest son of Marienne and Robert "Bob" Urban.

29. From the age of 13, he attended Sir Edmund Hillary College in Otara, South Auckland, New Zealand and by 17, he lived with his parents in Caboolture, Queensland, Australia.

30. His father, who owned a convenience store, put an advertisement for a guitar teacher in his shop window.

31. Urban took lessons from this teacher, Sue McCarthy (now Crealey and still a family friend) and began entering local competitions, in addition to acting in a local theater company.

32. Urban has stated that his guitar playing was influenced by two rock players, Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) and Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac).

33. He also performed at country festivals from the age of 10.

34. In 1983, Urban was a contestant on the Australian TV talent show New Faces.

35. A few years later, he began to make inroads into the Australian country music scene with regular appearances on the Reg Lindsay Country Homestead TV Program, Mike McClellan's Music Program, and various other TV programs performing duets with local Brisbane girl Jenny Wilson.

36. Urban also performed regularly on stage at the Northern Suburbs Country Music Club near Caboolture.

37. While living in Nashville, Urban became a frequent user of cocaine. After reaching a personal nadir in 1998, he became determined to give up the habit and checked into Cumberland Heights, a treatment center in Nashville.

38. On 19 October 2006, Urban checked himself into the Betty Ford Center in California. On 20 October, Urban issued a statement saying: "I deeply regret the hurt this has caused Nicole and the ones who love and support me. One can never let one's guard down on recovery, and I'm afraid that I have." On 18 January 2007, Urban announced his completion of rehab and his plans to go on tour to promote his new album, Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing.

39. On 7 January 2008, Nicole Kidman confirmed she and Urban were expecting their first child together.

40. In 2010, Urban and Kidman had a second daughter, Faith Margaret Kidman Urban.

41. He also sang backing vocals on INXS's live album Live Baby Live (1992).

42. Urban moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1992.

43. The next year, he appeared in the music video for Alan Jackson's rendition of "Mercury Blues".

44. In 1997, he formed a band known as The Ranch, who included drummer Peter Clarke and bassist Jerry Flowers.

45. The Ranch released one self-titled album for Capitol Records Nashville and charted two singles on the Hot Country Songs charts that year with "Walkin' the Country" and "Just Some Love" at numbers 50 and 61.

46. Throughout the late-1990s, Urban also played guitar on several other artists' albums, such as Paul Jefferson, Tim Wilson, and Charlie Daniels.

47. Urban released his self-titled American debut album in 1999 under the production of session pianist Matt Rollings.

48. Urban released his second American album Golden Road in 2002. Out of the 13 songs included on this album, Urban produced seven himself and co-produced the other six with Dann Huff.

49. Urban performed "Lights on the Hill" for Tamworth's 2004 tribute concert following the death of Australia's Slim Dusty, an artist whom he had both written for and covered.

50. In 2005, Urban performed in front of European audiences for the first time. In May, Urban supported Bryan Adams on his UK and Ireland tour, which included dates in Earls Court, London, SECC, Glasgow and The Point, Dublin. On 6 June a UK only album, Days Go By was released, this album contained songs from both Be Here and Golden Road.

Source: keithurban.net, Wikipedia.org