Country great Turner credits Randy Travis for
Associated Press
Country singer Josh Turner performs before the NASCAR All-Star auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. earlier this year. The country star will appear in Morgantown on Sept. 20.
Country singer Josh Turner performs before the NASCAR All-Star auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., earlier this year. The country star will appear in Morgantown on Sept. 20.
Associated Press
Details:
Josh Turner in concert
When: 8:30 p.m. Sept. 20
Where: Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre, West Virginia Univeristy, Morgantown
Admission: $37.75 to $73.67
Tickets: 304-293-7469 (SHOW) or 800-745-3000 or visit website www.events.wvu.edu.
Josh Turner sang in his church choir as a youngster, and it was then at the tender age of 13 that the country star had a life-changing experience through music.
“We were having a church fundraiser, and I got up before the congregation and sang a Randy Travis song,” said Turner, of Nashville, Tenn. “I remember wanting to sound as much like Randy as possible, so much so that some in the audience thought I was lip synching. When they discovered that I wasn’t, they began to take notice. I got such a great response that day that I got a feeling I never had before and was determined to become a country singer.”
There’s no question that his early taste of fan adoration eventually paid off. Nominated for Grammy, Country Music and American Country Music awards and holder of four number one country hits, Turner is no stranger to success in a field recognized as difficult with a grueling five concert, eight day tour on three buses and a big equipment truck that will take him to Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and North Carolina.
“Some tours can be very wearing, but we have to go where the crowds are,” Turner said. “It’s good to have work.”
The current tour will see eight musicians on stage, including Turner’s wife, Jennifer, on keyboard and background vocals. Jennifer and the couple’s three young sons, Hampton, 6, Colby, 4 and Marion, 2, will be on tour with him, the older boy getting his school’s cooperation on scheduling.
“We’ll bring along our own sets, lights and videos,” he said. “It should be a great show that will give my fans their money’s worth.”
Turner plans to include many of his well-known hits as well as some tunes off his latest CD, “Punching Bag,” which was released June 12, 2012. For his fifth studio album, he personally wrote eight of the 11 songs.
Turner moved to Nashville when he was 21 years old to pursue a career in music and attend Belmont University, where he majored in commercial vocal performance, a major he likes to translate as “country music.” At Belmont, he met Jennifer, who later became his wife. While in college, he immersed himself in the composing and publishing world until his first hit single, “Long Black Train” launched his singing career.
Turner debuted “Long Black Train” at the Grand Ole Opry on Dec. 21, 2001, and received a standing ovation half way through the performance. Seconds later, audience enthusiasm required an encore performance. When the hit came out on his debut album of the same name, “Long Black Train” spent more than 46 weeks on the country charts, peaking at number 13 and getting a gold certification.
His first number one hit, “Your Man,” came out in 2006 on his second album, also titled “Your Man.” Later that same year at the 49th Grammy Awards, Turner got the nomination for “Best Male Country Vocal Performance” and “Best Country Album.” In October of 2007, Vince Gill inducted Turner as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. At the age of 30, he became the second youngest inductee, second only to Carrie Underwood.
Other number one Turner hits include “Would You Go With Me” (2006), “Why Don’t We Just Dance” (2009) and “All Over Me” (2010).
In his latest album, “Punching Bag,” Turner said he wanted to express the idea that life is tough. Pound for pound, the album has been described in his biography as probably one of his most ambitious and confident to date, one in which he’s never sounded so focused, so committed, or, as he puts it – fearless.
“You get a lot of punches thrown at you, and a lot of times you’re not in control,” he said. “But you have to take those punches and keep moving forward.”
A devout Christian, Turner’s song, “Me and God,” was released as a single to Christian radio in 2006 off his “Your Man” album and went on to peak at number 16 on the country charts.
Now 35, Turner has also tried his hand at acting when he tackled the role of George Beverly Shea in the 2008 film “Billy: The Early Years.” The film recounts the story of world renowned evangelist, Billy Graham, from the mid-1930s to the late 1940s. In the biographical film, Turner played Shea, a featured soloist in Graham’s popular crusades.
“I look forward to seeing my fans in my Morgantown concert,” Turner said.