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"Keith Urban officially became a member of the Grand Ole Opry during an appearance on its famous Nashville, Tenn. stage Saturday night.\r\nAfter performing his hits &amp;quot;Days Go By&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;Without You,&amp;quot; while wife Nicole Kidman looked on from backstage, the country superstar was inducted by General Manager Pete Fisher and fellow Opry members Trace Adkins and Josh Turner.\r\n\r\n&amp;quot;Thank you very much! Yee haw! That is awesome!&amp;quot; Urban, 44, said before thanking the Opry&amp;apos;s members, his parents (who &amp;quot;got me into country music and drove me around to all the gigs&amp;quot;), his wife, daughters&amp;#xA0;Sunday Rose, 3, and Faith Margaret, 16 months, and his fans.\r\nThe guitarist, singer and songwriter, who was born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, is the first non-North American artist to receive the honor.\r\n\r\n&amp;quot;This is a responsibility that I take deep to the heart of me,&amp;quot; he said during his emotional speech. &amp;quot;I honor the history of country music, but I absolutely fully dedicate myself to the future of country music, as well.&amp;quot;\r\nLast winter Urban underwent throat surgery to remove a polyp, leaving him without a voice for three weeks.\r\n&amp;quot;To go without his voice, and then to finally hear [it]. What if he sounded different?&amp;quot; Kidman, 44, revealed. &amp;quot;I was there for his first words, and then we cried.&amp;quot;\r\n\r\nAdded the Hemingway &amp;amp; Gellhorn star, &amp;quot;How many people experience their husband&amp;apos;s first words? All of those things make you closer...If that doesn&amp;apos;t bring you closer, you&amp;apos;re not breathing.&amp;quot;\r\n&amp;#xA0;\r\n&amp;#xA0;\r\n&amp;#xA0;\r\n&amp;#xA0;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/keith-urban-inducted-into-grand-ole-opry-2012224>