Remember When Keith Urban Released His Debut Album?

Keith Urban is one of the biggest stars in contemporary country music, but he was just a young relative newcomer when he released his self-titled stateside debut album on Oct. 19, 1999.

Keith Urban was actually Urban’s second self-titled solo album, since he had released an entirely different album titled Keith Urban in 1991. That album was only available in Australia, and after Urban moved to America in 1992, he scored a recording deal with Capitol Records as a member of the Ranch, a rock-influenced country group in which he was the lead singer, lead guitarist and principal songwriter.

The Ranch released one album for Capitol Records in 1997 and scored two minor chart singles with “Walkin’ the Country” and “Just Some Love,” but Urban would later remember that as a terrible time in his life.

“The Ranch was a mess, period, because we were in a s–t van going all over the country playing to three people. It was soul sucking to the ultimate degree,” he recalls.

Capitol signed Urban to a solo deal after the Ranch came to an end and released Keith Urban on Oct. 19, 1999. The album scored four hits with “It’s a Love Thing,” “Your Everything,” “Where the Blacktop Ends” and “But for the Grace of God,” which Urban co-wrote with Charlotte Caffey and Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go’s.

The latter song gave Urban his first No. 1 hit, and he would go on to win Top New Male Vocalist honors at the 2001 Academy of Country Music Awards. He also took home the 2001 CMA Horizon Award, launching him into a huge career that has seen him become one of the most awarded and best-selling artists in country music history.

Keith Urban was certified Platinum in 2003 for sales of a million copies.

PICTURES: See Inside Keith Urban + Nicole Kidman’s Stunning NYC Condo

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman paid $3.5 million for an approximately 1600-square-foot, two-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom condo in the upper-crust Tribeca area of Manhattan in New York City in 2020. The luxury unit is located inside of the famous clock tower building in Tribeca, which developers acquired for $160 million in 2013. The building previously housed the New York Life Insurance Company, and the developers converted the 400,000-square-foot building into luxury condos in 2018.

Photos at the building’s website show a spectacular array of amenities available to residents, including rooftop gardens, an indoor pool, a fully-equipped fitness center, dining areas and more. According to reports, one of the features that attracted Urban and Kidman to the building is a “sky garage” that allows residents’ cars to be hydraulically lifted to their units, which lets the high-profile couple avoid the prying eyes of paparazzi.

Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker

PICTURES: See Inside Keith Urban + Nicole Kidman’s Luxurious Tennessee Farmhouse

Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman were living it up in their 5,086-square-foot, 4-bedroom farmhouse in Franklin, Tenn., a rural community 30 minutes outside of Nashville. The house is beautifully well-appointed. The master bedroom features a very large walk-in closet, and the gated, 35-acre property also includes a gym, recreation rooms, an office and a three-car garage, as well as a utility barn. The couple sold their rural farmhouse in 2018 for $2.7 million.

Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker

Sterling Whitaker is a Senior Writer and Senior Editor for Taste of Country. He focuses on celebrity real estate, as well as coverage of Yellowstone and related shows like 1883 and 1923. He’s interviewed cast members including Cole Hauser, Kelly Reilly, Sam Elliott and Harrison Ford, and Whitaker is also known for his in-depth interviews with country legends including Don Henley, Rodney Crowell, Trace Adkins, Ronnie Milsap, Ricky Skaggs and more.