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Keith Urban Cites AC/DC, Mellencamp, Gilmour and Knopfler As Influences

07/18/2011
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(Gibson) Country star Keith Urban shared some of his influences in a new interview with Taste of Country. He said that his new single, "Long Hot Summer," has shades of Bryan Adams, John Mellencamp and even AC/DC.

"I never thought that much about John, but [Mellencamp] is a huge influence on me," he said. "I'm thinking of a song like 'Paper in Fire,' or even 'Summer of '69,' and� it's a heartland rocker in that vein. It's probably my AC/DC upbringing. I've always loved 4/4 tunes that are four-on-the-floor and just really want to rock."

He also spoke about the guitarists who had a big impact on his playing, singling out Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler and Pink Floyd's David Gilmour. "I've always been drawn to lyrical playing like Mark Knopfler and those long outros he did, like on 'Tunnel of Love,'" he said. "Or those songs that have two parts like 'Layla.' They're not complicated guitar songs but all this raw emotion is right there."
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