With the application process now open for the Keith Urban Rising Star Scholarship in Australia, Keith Urban continuously shows his support for new and emerging artists. He had a few of his own supporters when he was starting out and forging his music career. He had performed at the Tamworth Music Festival who partnered with Keith on the scholarship and who were instrumental in getting Keith in front of large audiences, as well as a music exec in Nashville named Mary Martin, who encouraged and inspired the young musician.
”When I first came to town in 1989 and shopped a demo around, looking back no wonder nobody made it through the first two verses. I was just so out of place, but I didn’t feel like I was, but I got some good support. And a girl named Mary Martin who worked at RCA at the time, out of all of the people that I meant, she was the only one that sent me a letter. It might have been a stock industry letter, I don’t know, but I love the fact that she sent me one in Australia. I’m paraphrasing it a bit, but she talked about the fact that — this is in 1989 — she said, ‘I listened to your demo, and I really appreciated your music.’ She said, ‘Country music is in a particularly traditional swing right now,’ I think was basically she talked about it being a traditional period in country, which it was. Clint Black was No. 1. And she said, ‘So, your music’s a little out of step,’ she said, ‘but I hope you find a home here.’ That was all I needed to hear was just like, ‘Good. It’s the right place and it’ll take a while.’ That’s kind of what I took from the letter, so it was totally inspirational for me.”
