Josh Turner Takes Refuge in the Old Ways

GAC Music Beat

By Ronna Rubin

Josh Turner has known since he was 14 that he wanted to be a singer.

Jan. 1, 2007 — Josh Turner has a heart for the pioneers who paved the way before him and counts as his inspirations artists like Eddy Arnold, John Anderson and bluegrass great Ralph Stanley. The 29-year-old with the deep baritone voice, the love of traditional country music and the two platinum albums is clearly doing something right.

"I love fighting for my music," he says. "I'm out there trying to make a positive impact on people in any kind of way I can, and I like music that makes you think."

Turner sits down with Bill Cody on GAC's Master Series at 10 am ET, Sun., Jan. 21, to talk about his amazing five-year journey that has taken him an unknown singer-songwriter to one of the format's most promising new stars.

"I've 'been there, done that' in a short amount of time. There've been highs and lows, but we've been able to rise above all of that and just keep our nose to the grindstone and make it happen," Turner says.

He also is aware he's been given far more creative freedom than most newcomers. "Even on the first record ("Long Black Train") I was given creative control that a lot of new artists don't get," he says. "I got to know the people at my label and tried to express to them that I really knew where I wanted to go with my career and that I wasn't there to figure out who I was."

Turner has known since he was 14 that he wanted to be a singer. It was then that his mother signed him up for a church talent show in his hometown of Hannah, S.C. "I did not want to do it and was just petrified," Turner admits of his performance of Randy Travis' "Diggin' Up Bones." "There was huge applause and that was when the light went off for me."

While still attending Belmont University in Nashville, Turner already was making inroads into the music business, meeting publishers and executives. It was at Belmont that he also met his future wife, Jennifer, who today tours with her husband as a keyboard player and backing vocalist. They are parents to infant son Hampton Otis.

Following the success of his "Long Black Train" debut, Turner took the time to work on his sophomore follow-up, "Your Man." "We put a lot of time and effort and heart and passion into it," he says. "And I'm glad we did." The album is nearing double-platinum status, contains two No. 1 hits and earned the singer his first two Grammy nominations.

"I'm pretty blessed; we've had a great year," the singer adds. "I guess the sophomore jinx is behind us, which is a good feeling."

Current touring schedule for Josh Turner:

March 11, Strawberry Festival, Plant City, Fla.

Aug. 24, Peppermill Casino, West Wendover, Nev.

(Ronna Rubin, a 21-year veteran of the music industry, can be contacted at ronna@gacmusicbeat.com. Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)