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Keith Urban Scored His First Number One Song 20 Years Ago Today

Today is the 20th anniversary of Keith Urban’s first Billboard Country Singles chart topper “But For The Grace Of God.” I’ve worked in country music for a long time, and…

Keith Urban Scored His First Number One Song 20 Years Ago Today
Adele Starr/Getty Images

Today is the 20th anniversary of Keith Urban's first Billboard Country Singles chart topper "But For The Grace Of God." I've worked in country music for a long time, and I remember attending a party at Nashville's ASCAP headquarters on Music Row celebrating his first chart-topper.

At the time, obviously Keith was not yet a superstar, but everyone could see that the potential was there. Number One parties -- a frequent occurrence in Nashville -- are always fun. And, as a bonus, a lot of us were excited to meet one of the song's co-writers, who was in attendance: Jane Wiedlin of the rock band the G0-Go's.

I can't remember if Keith made a speech, but I do remember how excited he was to make an impact as a solo artist after his work with his former band the Ranch and his guitar playing for The Dixie Chicks.

He was cute in 2001 (and of course, he still is) as he opened on Brooks and Dunn's "Neon Circus Tour," so I gathered some fun pictures from the time period that catapulted Urban to country superstardom.

Keith Urban In 2001 - A Breakout Year

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.