KEITH URBAN's vocal problems are more serious than at first reported. Cancelled concerts include his Feb. Canadian tour with CAROLYN DAWN JOHNSON. A very understanding Carolyn sent him a pad of paper & a pen to keep him quiet and following doctor's orders
KEITH NOMINATED FOR ACM AWARD
The final nominations for the 38th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards have been announced.
Keith has been nominated for Single Of The Year for "Somebody Like You."
The awards will be handed out during a live broadcast May 21st on CBS-TV at 8pm ET.
KEITH PAINTS BIRDHOUSE FOR CHARITY
CMT Auctions is sponsoring a birdhouse auction to benefit the W.O. Smith Art School in Nashville. You can bid on a decorated and signed birdhouse by Keith Urban. The birdhouse is decorated with an Australian theme, such as Australian stamps, coins (50 cent & 1 dollar), cut-out Keith Urban pictures and 26 guitar picks lace both sides of the roof. Back and front of Birdhouse signed by Keith Urban.
KEITH URBAN AND CAROLYN DAWN JOHNSON TOUR RESCHEDULED FOR CANADA
A February co-headlining tour of Canada by two of country music's brightest new stars was derailed because of a medical condition suffered by Keith Urban. Urban was placed on full vocal rest by his doctors, which forced the cancellation of the nine-city tour that was set to begin in Hamilton on February 4th. It was announced that Keith Urban was forced to forego his obligations for what doctor's diagnosed as a persistent and serious vocal chord ailment.
After taking recommended six-week rest time, Keith Urban will be resuming his touring schedule in the latter part of March with the Canadian tour being rescheduled for September of this year. The new dates for eastern Canada are John Labatt Centre in London 9/18, Copps Coliseum in Hamilton 9/19, Civic Centre in Ottawa 9/22, Bayshore Community Centre in Owen Sound 9/23 with the possibility of added dates.
Carolyn Dawn Johnson is still enjoying the success from her win as Favorite New Country Artist at the American Music Awards and is in the midst of working on her second CD, scheduled for release later this year.
Be sure to attend the performance featuring two artists with great camaraderie, Keith Urban & Carolyn Dawn Johnson with very special guest Jimmy Rankin.
Tickets from pervious shows will be honored on rescheduled dates.
Eastern Canada Box Office information:
Thursday, September 18, 2003 @ John Labatt Centre, London
Tickets available at JLC Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets; charge by phone 519.488.1012, online www.ticketmaster.ca.
Friday, September 19, 2003 @ Copps Coliseum, Hamilton
Tickets available at Copps Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets; charge by phone 905.527.76666, on line www.ticketmaster.ca.
Monday, September 22, 2003 @ Civic Centre, Ottawa
Tickets available at Civic Centre Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets; charge by phone 613.735.1111, on line www.ticketmaster.ca.
Tuesday, September 23, 2003 @ Bayshore Community Centre, Owen Sound
Tickets available at Jack Reid Leisure and Thrifty's Car Rental in Owen Sound, Colour Your World in Kincardine, Heather's Pet Centre in Hanover, Ernie King Music in Wingham, The Old Roxy Theatre in Mount Forest, and all Ticketmaster outlets; charge by phone 416.870.8000, on line www.ticketmaster.ca.
Keith Urban took a moment off his doctor-ordered voice rest to react
to his ACM nomination the other day. He states: "Unbelievable! It is
so gratifying to receive a nomination, especially for a song you have
had a hand in writing and producing. The response from radio and fans
has been amazing, and I'm so grateful that the members of the Academy
of Country Music were kind enough to acknowledge it as well."
Keith Urban Performs Musical Tribute To Troops During Shows
(3/31/03, 3 p.m. ET) -- Keith Urban has incorporated a salute to the U.S. and Australian troops fighting in Iraq in the way of a cover song. During his most recent shows, Urban has performed the Glen Campbell hit "Galveston," a song whose lyrics provoked an emotional reaction from the singer when he sat down to write them out for a friend. Urban said the song makes him cry.
"I actually wanted to do something in the repertoire that pertained to that, and remembered the great Jimmy Webb song, 'Galveston,'" Urban said. "I sang that song for years when I was a kid, and used to sing it with all the bravado of Glen Campbell, and then a friend of mine asked me if I could write out the lyrics to it, 'cause they wanted to learn it, and when I wrote the lyrics out, I literally cried."
The song is about a man headed off to war, leaving his lady love on the shore in Galveston, Texas, so Urban found it especially fitting as a tribute. "I didn't realize how powerful that song was and really what it was about, and to realize it's this guy going off to war and leaving his girl behind on the beaches of Galveston was just so devastating," Urban said. "Certainly, the way Jimmy wrote the song, too--the lyrics are just beautiful, and so I played that song and sort of sent it out to all the troops."
Urban's next tour dates take the singer to Texas, where he will perform in Selma on April 3 and Dallas on April 4. He will return to Nashville on April 12 to perform on the Grand Ole Opry.
-- Margy Holland, Nashville
from Launch.yahoo.com
Keith Urban Explains Career-Halting Vocal Problem
Keith Urban returned to the road this weekend after six weeks of doctor-ordered voice rest, which he says was caused by a polyp he had on one of his vocal cords for years.
The vocal break was not much of a problem for Urban until he was met with the surprisingly quick success of his chart-topping hit, "Somebody Like You." According to Urban, the song took off so fast that he found himself doing more than he had prepared for, including constant interviews and performances. That, coupled with not enough sleep, led to a vocal cord hemorrhage, which occurred before a show the singer was scheduled to play earlier this year.
"I found myself doing maybe two or three times the amount of work that we had planned on doing in a very short space of time, and I think it really took its toll on me," Urban said. "I wasn't necessarily taking the best care of myself at the time either. I wasn't sleeping very much, and just working too much, basically, so my right vocal cord hemorrhaged just before a gig in January."
Urban struggled through the show, but was faced with the inability to speak the following day. Unfortunately for the singer, he was headed to New York City that day for some important television appearances, which got canceled after Urban's visit to the renowned Vanderbilt Voice Clinic in Nashville. Urban was intent on a quick fix for the problem until doctors at the clinic told him to go home and rest his voice for several weeks.
"I got through the gig, but the next day was barely able to speak, and that week we were supposed to go to New York to do a bunch of television, and I went over to Vanderbilt thinkin' they'd give me a little shot and I'd be on my way," Urban said. "I literally was going from there to the airport--that was my plan--and they said, 'No, you're not going anywhere.' It really upset me 'cause I had these tremendous television shows in New York to do."
Urban's current single, "Raining On Sunday," continues to climb the country singles charts.
Yahoo.com news
-- Margy Holland, Nashville
Fans Turn Days Into Dollars with Calendar Concept
from countrycares.org
In connection with this year's Fan Club Challenge for St. Jude Kids, the members of the Keith Urban, Andy Griggs and Billy Ray Cyrus fan clubs have created limited edition calendars to heat up the contest. Proceeds from the calendars, which feature photographs of the entertainers, are dedicated to the Fan Club Challenge, a friendly, fund-raising competition among supporters of some of country music's biggest stars. All money raised during the contest will benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the world-premier center for research and treatment of catastrophic childhood diseases.
In addition to the Keith Urban, Andy Griggs and Billy Ray Cyrus fan clubs, numerous other country music fan clubs are stepping forward to take part in the Fan Club Challenge. Many clubs are raising funds through a variety of ways, including bake sales, car washes and auctions. The fan club that raises the most money as of May 31, will be recognized at a special reception during Fan Fair Week, June 5-8, in Nashville.
"I am so glad that Keith (Urban) stepped forward with this challenge and opened it up to all of us," said Varcy Rose of the Keith Urban Fan Club. "It has been amazing to see how the fans have answered this call for help. They are such a great group of people."
The enthusiasm, creativity and generosity of the participants in the Fan Club Challenge reflect favorably on the clubs, as well as the artists they represent. The fan clubs' efforts are greatly appreciated because each dollar raised in the contest helps St. Jude continue its life-saving mission.
