Keith Is Grateful To His Fans

On February 8th, 2009, Keith appeared in two performances on the Grammys; one alongside B.B. King, Buddy Guy and John Mayer for a Tribute to Bo Diddley and the other, a last-minute performance of “Lets Stay Together,” with Justin Timberlake, Al Green and Boyz II Men. It would prove to be an auspicious start to a 2009 filled with career accomplishments, which says Keith, “he will never forget.”



March 31st, Defying Gravity is released just after the CD’s first single “Sweet Thing” becomes Keith’s 10th #1. The CD would hit the top spot, on April 8th, on both Billboard’s Country and Top 200 All-Genre Album Charts, marking a career first for him. The second single released, “Kiss A Girl” would become his 20th Top 5 and later in the year, just this past November, “Only You Could Love Me This Way,” would become his 11th #1.



On May 7th, Keith’s Escape Together World Tour launches with two sold-out performances in Uncasville, Connecticut. It would go on to play more than 60 shows before packed houses including sell-outs at Los Angeles’ Staples Center, Nashville’s Sommet Center, throughout Canada and in Australia. The tour becomes a unanimous choice as one of the years best. It closes in Buffalo on October 9th following another sell-out at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.



“My one goal for this tour was to achieve maximum connection with the audience,” said Keith. “By lowering the stage, removing all security barriers and creating alternate stages within the area, I wanted to create an atmosphere of total unity, but the level of energy from the crowd night after night was beyond anything I could have hoped for.”



On April 5th he performed during and won his fifth Academy of Country Music Award and on May 20th he appeared on the American Idol finale, performing his Top 5 hit “Kiss A Girl,” with the eventual American Idol winner, Kris Allen. He was named a Top 10 Mobile Artist by Billboard Magazine, and had “Stupid Boy,” “Tonight I Wanna Cry” and “Sweet Thing” certified Digital Gold.



October 13th will certainly be a hard one to top (even though he will try again in 2010). At Nashville’s Sommet Center, Keith, along with Vince Gill, hosted “We’re All For The Hall Benefit Concert,” which starred Urban and Gill and special guests Taylor Swift, Brad Paisley, Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Little Big Town. The benefit would raise nearly $600,000 for The Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum and earn Keith a nomination for “Tennessean of the Year.”



Museum Director Kyle Young would say of the concert, “It set a new standard for fundraising and brought together an entire community. It helped us to see just what can be done by individuals with a collective passion for a cause.”



Keith’s year was topped off in November with another CMA trophy, his sixth, his first American Music Award for Best Male Country Artist, four Grammy Award nominations, two People’s Choice Award nominations, a rousing performance to open the Aria Awards in Australia, as well as four nominations for the 2010 Australian Country Music Awards.



In fact, just this past week his 2002 #1 hit, “Somebody Like You," was ranked as the #1 Country Song of the Decade by Nielsen BDS (based on radio airplay and audience impressions). In addition, Keith was named the most played country artist (at radio) for 2009.