Dan Rather to sit down with Keith Urban on 'The Big Interview'

With over 66 years experience under his belt, Dan Rather continues to plow ahead in his journalism career.

The iconic reporter goes after the big story as host of AXS TV's The Big Interview, where he talks to the cream of the crop of the entertainment world with guests such as Carol Burnett, John Fogerty, Alan Alda, and Loretta Lynn. Next Tuesday (Dec. 13), Rather will shine the spotlight on one of the biggest country stars of the past two decades: Keith Urban.

The Capitol Nashville recording artist sat down with Rather to discuss a wide variety of topics pertaining to his career. Rather delves into Urban's early childhood in Australia and his arrival in Nashville, his turbulent personal journey to sobriety and, of course, his award-winning career as one of the industry's most respected musicians, songwriters, producers and live performers.

Photo: Getty

Urban -- who recently topped the Top Country Songs chart with "Blue Ain't Your Color" -- credits music with helping him adapt during a childhood that found him frequently moving, saying, "I went to maybe six different schools in about, you know, six years... And I was really grateful that music always helped me with that, 'cause I was always the new kid in school. But, I could play songs, which was helpful on one side and then challenging on the other -- a bit threatening to some people, as well, you know? But, all in all, I found it to be a great way to make friends. I think of it more as being able to adapt to my surroundings than anything else, which was very helpful coming into Nashville in the early days."

In this exclusive clip from The Big Interview, Urban talks about his formative years musically, and admits that the first person to influence his writing – though he didn't know it at the time -- was Jimmy Webb. "I sang a lot of Glen Campbell songs early on. 'Wichita Lineman,' 'Where's The Playground, Susie?' 'Honey, Come Back.' I thought Glen wrote them all. I didn't know," he says candidly. "Then I saw his name -- Jimmy Webb -- on every one of his songs."

Urban also talks about one of the most unusual things he ever autographed, and the night that the lights went out during a performance – on purpose. "Sitting with the legendary Dan Rather, talking about life and music, was quite surreal in all the best ways," Urban said. "What an honor it was to have him out on the road with us," Urban said.

To see the full episode, tune in to The Big Interview on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. on AXS TV.