Country superstar and former “American Idol” judge Keith Urban got visibly emotional, clutching his heart, as Randy Owen, lead singer of the legendary country band Alabama, surprised him with an incredibly meaningful award on March 19, 2026.
While at the annual Country Radio Seminar in Nashville, Urban was presented with the 2026 Randy Owen Angels Among Us Award for his “outstanding commitment and service to the mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital,” per a press release, which noted that Urban has supported the pediatric patients at St. Jude and their families for more than 20 years.
Keith Urban Was the First ‘Artist Ambassador’ for St. Jude in 2015
For the first time, CRS — an annual conference for country radio programmers — hosted a session dedicated to sharing St. Jude’s mission and partnership opportunities, during which Urban was interviewed about his connection to the hospital.
It’s the very same conference where Owen asked attendees, back in 1989, to join him in his fundraising campaign for St. Jude, hoping the country music industry would get behind it. His vision turned into Country Cares for St. Jude Kids, which has since raised over $1 billion, per Country Now.
The money raised goes toward research and care for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases, and the families of patients who stay at the hospital never have to pay for treatment, housing, or food. A young patient named Faith attended Urban’s CRS session to help present him with the Angels Among Us Award.
In 2015, St. Jude named Urban the founding Artist Ambassador of the Connected Caring program, “connecting Urban and patients to share personal stories and a love for music,” per the release, which said he’s staged “countless” benefit concerts, radiothons, livestreams, St. Jude marketing campaigns, a special album release, and meet-and-greets with St. Jude patients.”
Keith Urban Calls St. Jude Award an ‘Absolute Honor’
GettyUrban was clearly touched by the recognition of his efforts to raise money and awareness for St. Jude over the years. He said in a statement, “Being recognized with the Angels Among Us Award is not something I take lightly. I’ve witnessed the courage shown by the children and families at St. Jude for more than 20 years, and it never ceases to amaze me.”
“By standing together, we’ve been able to help St. Jude continue advancing research and treatment for children around the world with cancer and other life-threatening diseases,” he added. “It is an absolute honor to stand behind a mission this meaningful.”
Other recipients of the Randy Owens Angels Among Us Award include “American Idol” winner Scotty McCreery and current “Idol” mentor Brad Paisley.
Congrats Keith that’s a very special place. God bless you