The Recording Academy announced that Keith Urban will be honored at the 2017 GRAMMYs on the Hill Awards on April 5 in Washington, D.C. Urban will receive the Recording Artists' Coalition Award in recognition of his staunch support of music education programs. To highlight the occasion, we've rounded up seven GRAMMY-related facts about the New Zealand-born country singer/songwriter.
He made his GRAMMY stage debut in 2004 as a presenter.
A 36-year-old Urban, decked out in a black velvet jacket, debuted at the GRAMMYs alongside violinist Joshua Bell to present the award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance at the 46th GRAMMY Awards. And the GRAMMY went to June Carter Cash for "Keep On The Sunny Side."
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His first career GRAMMY nomination was for an instrumental track.
Known for his guitar prowess, it's fitting Urban's first GRAMMY nod was for Best Country Instrumental Performance for "Rollercoaster." The song, featured on his 1999 eponymous studio album, is a veritable country guitar feast, with wah-wah pedal flourishes, tasty chicken pickin' and pedal steel embellishments.
He won his first GRAMMY for "You'll Think Of Me."
Urban's soulful breakup ballad netted him his first career GRAMMY for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for 2005. It was his fourth career nomination. The track was featured on his third studio album, Golden Road, which proved to be a charm for Urban. Not only did the track win a GRAMMY, but it and "Somebody Like You" (also from Golden Road) became Urban's first gold-certified singles.
He's won all four of his GRAMMYs to date for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.
Following "You'll Think Of Me," Urban has won Best Male Country Vocal Performance three additional times: "Stupid Boy" (2007), "Sweet Thing" (2009) and "'Til Summer Comes Around" (2010).
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He's scored three nominations for Best Country Album.
Three of Urban's 18 career GRAMMY nominations have come for Best Country Album. His first two nods in the category were for Be Here (2004) and Defying Gravity (2009). Most recently, he was nominated for Ripcord at the 59th GRAMMYs, with the award ultimately going to Sturgill Simpson.
He's performed on Music's Biggest Night 7 times.
Urban made his GRAMMY performance debut with Elvin Bishop in 2005 for a rendition of Bishop's "Fooled Around And Fell In Love." The following year, Urban performed his hit "You'll Think Of Me" at the 48th GRAMMY Awards. Along with Al Green, Justin Timberlake and Boyz II Men, Urban took part in a performance of Green's "Let's Stay Together" in 2009. That same year, he joined B.B. King, Buddy Guy and John Mayer for "Bo Diddley" in tribute to Diddley. In 2011 Urban teamed with Norah Jones and Mayer to perform "Jolene," Dolly Parton's GRAMMY Hall Of Fame-inducted classic. Alongside Gary Clark Jr., Urban turned in a spirited version of his "Cop Car" on the 56th GRAMMYs in 2014. This year, Urban joined with Carrie Underwood to perform their duet "The Fighter" on the 59th GRAMMYs.
He's jammed with GRAMMY Campers onstage.
Urban has supported a variety of Recording Academy initiatives, including the MusiCares Person of the Year gala, GRAMMY Charity Online Auctions and music education programs such as GRAMMY U SoundChecks and GRAMMY Camp. In 2010 he headlined Starry Night, an Academy charitable event benefitting GRAMMY in the Schools music education programs. Proving he's a true champion for aspiring young musicians, Urban brought several GRAMMY Camp musicians onstage to perform his hit "Better Life."
Want more Keith Urban? Watch him talk about the importance of music teachers and music education
