Keith Urban is one hell of a guitarist. He's up there with Brad Paisley as one of the dual singer and instrumentalists that earned their stripes doing both. Consequently, Urban holds quite the extensive collection, one in particular belonging to Waylon Jennings.
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Recently, Keith spoke with Foo Fighters guitar player Chris Shiflett for an interview. There, they talk about their love for guitars and Urban's extensive collection. Moreover, he confirms how he owns one of the two special guitars from Waylon Jennings. "I do. It's at my house. One of two, I think his son Shooter Jennings has the other one. I loan it out to people. Certain really good guitar players that I trust want to take it out, use it for different things or use it in a video or something," Urban explains.
So what's Waylon's connection with Keith for him to own such a rare guitar? That's a little more complicated.
Keith Urban Explains The Roundabout Way He Ends Up With Waylon Jennings' Guitar
Basically, Keith gets this guitar from Reggie Young, a session player who earns his stripes touring with The Highwaymen in the 90s. Eventually, Waylon simply gave it to him. Why? "He said it was 'too f**king heavy.' That's what he said. That's what he told Reggie. And it does. It weighs a ton, Urban says. "So Reggie had it for the next 20-plus years and then decided it was time for him to sell it. He auctioned it, and I wish I would have known about this guitar because I would have saved him the hassle of him auctioning it."
For a while, Keith lays around despondent that he couldn't get his hands on such an important piece of music history. However, his wife Nicole Kidman gave him the gift of a lifetime and ensured the guitar didn't go to rot in someone's basement. "I was heartbroken because I had just imagined this amazing guitar is now gone, probably overseas somewhere. It's probably in somebody's vault or under someone's bed and we'll never see it again. And then my wife walks in and goes, 'I just got you Waylon Jennings' guitar.' I was just... it was insane," Keith recalls. "It's just a beautiful sounding, beautiful playing guitar. But it is really heavy."
