If you want a blast from the past, just watch Alan Jackson’s 1993 music video for Mercury Blues, and you may catch a glimpse of a shaggy-haired baby Keith Urban making a cameo.
Sure, his wife Nicole Kidman may be the star actor out of the two in their relationship, but Urban apparently has had some acting chops of his own.
In a recent interview with Bobby Bones for his ACM special on Amazon Prime, he spoke to Keith Urban, who is this year’s triple crown award honoree. The two got to talking about an epic moment at the start of Urban’s career, where he was asked to be a part of Jackson’s music video for Mercury Blues.
“They needed a long-haired guitar player,” Urban recalled. “So they asked me to do it.”
Despite not actually playing on the track, he goes on to talk about how he diligently prepared for the big role, “I learned Brent Mason’s guitar solo, note for note, the night before because they were gonna be zooming in on me.”
At the time, Urban’s own music career had yet to officially launch, and his debut single, It’s a Love Thing, wouldn’t come out until 1999, five years later. So, for the 27-year-old Aussie, this was a big moment.
He gushes over how excited he was to meet Alan Jackson, who was at the height of his career at the time. “It was 1994, he’s king,” Urban said.
Despite the anticipation of meeting one of his heroes and a legend in country music, Urban tells Jones that the encounter was a tad underwhelming. He admitted, “He never said a word to me.”
Understandably, as Urban grew in the industry and got to know Jackson later on, the two looked back on the memory, and Jackson reconciled over the awkward first conversation (or rather the lack of one). “I got to know Alan years later, and he’s like, man, I’m so sorry I hated that video. You gotta understand it was the first video where they had brought in some slick LA producer.” Point blank, Jackson told Urban, “I didn’t wanna do it.”
If you watch the video now, spotting Keith Urban is a bit like playing ‘Where’s Waldo?’. He appears in a few full-body cameos and close-up shots, and you can tell he really did his homework on the guitar chords.
Tonight, Urban’s journey comes full circle as he takes center stage at the ACM Awards, live from The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Beloved country stars Chris Stapleton, Megan Moroney, and Brothers Osborne will honor him by performing some of his most iconic songs.
Watch the full TikTok here:
Watch the full music video here: