page_title: Keith Urban
section_title: Early life
hierarchical_section_title: Keith Urban / Early life
caption_attribution_description: Keith Urban showcase - Sydney - First taste (Album)
context_page_description: Keith Lionel Urban AO is an Australian singer, songwriter and record producer. Born in New Zealand, he grew up in Australia and in 1991, he released a self-titled debut album, charting four singles in Australia before moving to the United States the following year. 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 US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
  Still signed to Capitol, Urban made his solo American debut in 1999 with a second eponymous album. Certified platinum in the US by the RIAA, it produced his first number one on the Hot Country Songs chart with "But for the Grace of God". "Somebody Like You", the first single from his second Capitol album Golden Road, was named by Billboard as the biggest country hit of the 2000s decade. The album's fourth single, "You'll Think of Me", featuring his nephew and Australian country artist Rory Gilliatte, earned him his first Grammy Award. 2004's Be Here, his third American album, produced three more number one singles and became his highest selling album, having earned a 4× Platinum certification.
context_section_description: Urban was born on 26 October 1967, in Whangarei, New Zealand. He is the youngest son of Marienne and Robert "Bob" Urbahn. He lived with his parents in Caboolture, Queensland, Australia. His father, who owned a convenience store, put an ad for a guitar teacher in his shop window. Urban took lessons from his teacher, Sue McCarthy, and began entering local competitions, in addition to acting in a local theatre company.  Urban has stated that his guitar playing was influenced by two rock players, Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) and Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac).
  In 1983, Urban was a contestant on the Australian TV talent show New Faces. A few years later, he began making 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 programmes performing duets with local Brisbane girl Jenny Wilson. They won a Golden Guitar award at the Tamworth Country Music Festival. Urban also performed regularly on stage at the Northern Suburbs Country Music Club in Bald Hills, where he was a member. He was in a band called 'Kids Country', that performed during school holidays at various venues and made appearances on the Reg Lindsey show and Conway Country. He also teamed up with Angie Marquis, Tony Black, Peter Black and Tina Rouaen in a teen rock band that performed during the summer holidays at the local water slide and theme park.
caption: Keith Urban in Sydney, Australia
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