Birth Name

  Keith Lionel Urban

  Born

  October 26, 1967
  Whangarei, New Zealand [ moved to Caboolture,  

  Australia at a very early age]

  Genre

   Country

  Occupation

   Singer, songwriter

  Instruments

   Vocals, Electric guitar, Acoustic guitar, Ganjo, Piano, 

   Bass guitar, Mandolin, Bouzouki, Percussion

  Years Active

  1990-present

  Labels

  Capitol Nashville

Associated acts

  The Ranch, Ronnie Dunn, John Butler Trio, Olivia 

  Newton-John, Nelly Furtado

  Website

  www.keithurban.net

By age seven, Urban was already thinking about getting into the music business. He began learning the techniques at age six and began winning young singing contests by age eight.

Urban began his career in Tamworth, Australia participating in Tamworth Country Music Festival, having moved there at an early age. In 1990, Urban signed with EMI in Australia and recorded his first solo album in 1991, and charted four singles in Australia before moving to the United States in 1992.

In 1992, when he moved to Nashville, Tennessee,  he found work as a guitarist for Brooks & Dunn and can be seen backing Alan Jackson in his music video for "Mercury Blues".

Later, Urban formed The Ranch, a three-piece group that released one album in 1997. Originally the front man for The Ranch, Urban disbanded the group to pursue a solo career in 1998. In 1999, Urban found "Vocal Coach to the Stars" Brett Manning, and worked with him up until 2001.

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 centre in Nashville. After cleaning up, Urban released his self-titled American debut in 1999, which produced three top 5 hits and secured for him the Top New Male Vocalist Award at the 2001 Academy of Country Music Awards and the 2001 Country Music Association's Horizon Award. Widely regarded for his guitar skills, he has performed as a session musician on albums such as Charlie Daniels, Emerson Drive, Garth Brooks' Double Live, Dixie Chicks' Fly.

Urban has released a total of seven studio albums (one of which was released only in the United Kingdom), as well as one album in The Ranch. He has charted more than fifteen singles on the U.S. country charts, including eight Number Ones. Urban plays acoustic and electric guitar, as well as ganjo, bass guitar, mandolin, piano, bouzouki, and percussion.

Keith Urban is married to Australian actress Nicole Kidman and they have a daughter, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban.

*Reference Wikipedia