Dolly Parton is the one who officially inducted country music superstar, Keith Urban, into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame last week. The Country Music Hall of Fame member praised Urban, after he invited her to induct him via a hand-written letter.
“I’m sure all of you know and feel the same way, I have never seen a person with everything,” Parton gushed (via Country Now). “Keith is so good-looking, he’s so nice, he’s so kind and an unbelievable musician, singer, performer. But tonight, we get to honor him as a songwriter and I’m so happy that I get to be part of it.”
Ahead of his induction, Urban also praised Parton, whose music had a direct and permanent impact on his own life and career.
“She was a big influence on me growing up and really has continued to be because she’s peerless,” Urban said (via American Songwriter). “There’s nobody ahead of her, and she’s still doing it. You got to have those Northern Stars and I told her in the letter, ‘You’ve just always been a Northern Star to me and you still are. Thank you for that. Thank you for not just signing off and drifting off into the fields.’ She stayed hungry and passionate and curious and all the things that inspire me.”
The father of two was so honored to be part of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and especially with Parton doing the induction.
“Thank you to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame for inviting me into the family,” Urban posted on social media following his induction. “It was the songwriting community that I was first welcomed into when I arrived in Nashville. They told me I could choose someone to induct me in and I never imagined she’d say yes. Thank you Dolly Parton for saying ‘yes!’ It means the world to me.”
Ironically, Urban was working on music when he found out he was invited to be part of this year’s Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees.
“I was in the studio,” Urban told Music Mayhem. “I always like that you should be doing that thing that you’re being honored for at the time you get told… And particularly where I was at Backstage Studios, because I was at the back door looking over towards, I could see where Shoney’s [Inn] on Demonbreun used to be. It’s called Comfort Inn or something now, but it’s still there.
“And that’s where I stayed on my very first trip to Nashville,” he remembered. “I’m looking at that while I’m on the phone hearing this news and it was just a beautiful metaphor of, it’s not that far from this place I’m looking at to here and it’s multiple lifetimes at the same time.”
Urban was inducted along with Kix Brooks, David Lee Murphy, Casey Beathard, Rafe Van Hoy and the late John Jarrard. Find all of Urban’s music and tour dates at KeithUrban.com.