 | Thisbiography of a living personneeds additionalcitations forverification. Please help by addingreliable sources.Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced orpoorly sourcedmust be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentiallylibelous. Find sources: "Josh Turner" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(February 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Josh Turner | |
|---|---|
 Turner performing in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Joshua Otis Turner[1] (1977-11-20)November 20, 1977 (age 48)[1] Hannah, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Origin | Hannah, South Carolina |
| Genres | |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Labels | MCA Nashville |
Spouse | Jennifer Ford (m. 2003) |
| Website | joshturner |
| Children | Four |
Joshua Otis Turner (born November 20, 1977) is an Americancountry singer and songwriter. In 2003, he signed toMCA Nashville Records. That same year, hisdebut album's title track, "Long Black Train", was his breakthrough single release. His second album,Your Man (2006) accounted for his first two No. 1 hits, "Your Man" and "Would You Go with Me", while 2007'sEverything Is Fine included a No. 2 hit, "Firecracker".Haywire, released in 2010, produced his biggest hit, the four-week No. 1 hit "Why Don't We Just Dance" and another No. 1 song, "All Over Me". It was followed byPunching Bag (2012), whose lead-off single, "Time Is Love", was the biggest country hit of 2012 according toBillboard Year-End.
Turner was born inHannah, South Carolina. Growing up in the church, he founded a gospel quartet called Thankful Hearts, where he sangbass,[1] in addition to singing the bass part in choirs.[2]
In 1996, Turner developed a lesion on his right vocal cord. Turner was examined by theVanderbilt voice clinic, where doctors advised him to let it heal on its own. Surgery was not needed, but he did have to rest his voice for a year. While Turner rested his voice back at home, he learned classical vocal technique and how to take care of his voice to avoid developing further problems. Turner states that he "learned how to whistle really well during that year".[3]
After Hannah-Pamplico High School, he spent some time atFrancis Marion University before moving toNashville, Tennessee, to enroll inBelmont University and pursue a career in music. After college, his fledgling career got a boost on December 21, 2001, during his debut on theGrand Ole Opry, when he performed a song he wrote titled "Long Black Train", which was inspired byHank Williams.[1] He received a standing ovation in the middle of the song, then sang it again as an encore.
On December 21, 2001, Turner debuted on theGrand Ole Opry with the song "Long Black Train".
In 2003, Turner released his debut album, also entitledLong Black Train. Prior to its release, Turner had released 7" vinyl singles of "She'll Go on You" and "Long Black Train". Both singles featuredLong Black Train album track "Backwoods Boy" as a B-side. While neither "Backwoods Boy" nor "She'll Go on You" were successful (the latter peaking at No. 46 on the country charts), "Long Black Train" spent more than forty weeks on theBillboard country charts, reaching a peak of No. 13 and receiving a gold certification. The third single, "What It Ain't", was less successful, reaching No. 31.
In early 2006, Turner released his second album,Your Man. The album's first single and title track, "Your Man", was written byJace Everett,Chris DuBois andChris Stapleton and released in late 2005. "Your Man" also climbed the charts slowly, eventually reaching No. 1 in early 2006.Your Man was certifiedGold by theRIAA four weeks after its release, and wentPlatinum six months later.[4]
"Would You Go with Me" was the second single released fromYour Man. Like the album's title track, "Would You Go with Me" also reached the top of the country singles charts, holding that position for two weeks; it also reached No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100. Turner also performed it on theCMA Awards in November 2006.
Shortly after the album's release, a song called "Me and God" was released as a single toChristian radio. A duet with bluegrass musicianRalph Stanley, the song also featured members of the bandDiamond Rio on background vocals. "Me and God" reached a peak of No. 16 on the country charts.
In December 2006, the 49th AnnualGrammy Award nominations were announced. Turner received nods forBest Male Country Vocal Performance and forBest Country Album. That same month, a featurette onCMT Insider showed Turner in the studio working on the album. He mentioned that he wanted it to sound like music in the 18th and 19th centuries. Turner performed at the Ryman Auditorium where a live album was recorded, singing a song called, "Church in the Holler". Turner's albumJosh Turner: Live At The Ryman was recorded in April and is available exclusively throughCracker Barrel restaurants.
Turner, along with veteran songwritersBrett James andDon Schlitz, wrote a song entitled "Say Yes"; recorded and released by singerDusty Drake in 2007, the song was a minor Top 40 country hit for Drake, peaking at No. 36.[5]
On September 29, 2007, while giving an award toRoy Clark on Clark's 20th anniversary on the Grand Ole Opry, Turner was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He was inducted byVince Gill on October 27, 2007.[6] At the time, he andCarrie Underwood were the youngest members of the Opry.
Turner's third studio album for MCA Nashville, titledEverything Is Fine, was released on October 30, 2007. Its lead-off single, "Firecracker", became Turner's third Top Ten hit on the country music charts, peaking at No. 2. The second single fromEverything Is Fine, a duet withTrisha Yearwood entitled "Another Try", was released in late January 2008, peaking at No. 15. Thetitle track was released as the third single and peaked at No. 20.Everything Is Fine has been certified gold.
At the end of June, Turner wrapped up recording his fourth album,Haywire. The lead-off single, "Why Don't We Just Dance", which was released on August 12, 2009, debuted at No. 57 on the U.S.BillboardHot Country Songs chart for the week of September 5, 2009. The song went on to become Turner's third Number One hit, spending four consecutive weeks at the top in February 2010. The album was released on February 9, 2010, along with a deluxe version. "All Over Me" was released in April 2010 as the album's second single; it became Turner's fourth Number One. On September 27, 2010, Turner shot the video for "I Wouldn't Be a Man" in Nashville, which was the third single fromHaywire. "Haywire" is now certified gold.[7]
Turner's fifth studio album,Punching Bag, was released via MCA Nashville on June 12, 2012, and preceded by the single "Time Is Love". The song, written byTom Shapiro,Tony Martin, andMark Nesler, was released digitally on December 20, 2011, and went for radio adds on January 9.[8] The song reached No. 2 but finished the year as the No. 1 country song of 2012 according toBillboard.[9] The album's second single "Find Me a Baby", was released to country radio on October 15, 2012, but it failed to make top 40 on the country charts.
Also in 2012, Turner releasedLive Across America with twelve of his songs recorded in concert in different cities. This album was distributed throughCracker Barrel. "Those are the most magical performances of each song," Turner said.[9]
The lead single from Turner's upcoming sixth studio album, "Lay Low", was released to country radio on September 1, 2014. It reached a peak of No. 25 on Country Airplay, at which it remained stalled for several weeks. The single did not perform as expected on the charts, so Turner's label decided to delay the release of the album and its next single.[10] The second single, "Hometown Girl", was released to radio on May 31, 2016.[11][12]At Turner's show in Reading, Pennsylvania, on November 5, 2016, he announced that his new album would be released sometime in March 2017.The album,Deep South, was released on March 10, 2017, preceded by two sneak preview songs, "Deep South" and "Where the Girls Are" released on February 23, 2017.[13]Deep South scored Turner his third No. 1 album on the US Top Country Album's Chart upon its release.[14] Turner's second single, "Hometown Girl", fromDeep South peaked at No. 2 onBillboard's Country Airplay Chart[15] and at No. 1 on the Mediabase chart, which made it Turner's fifth No. 1 single.[16] Turner's third single, "All About You", written by Craig Wiseman and Justin Weaver, was released on May 15, 2017.[17]
After the release ofDeep South, Turner began work on a project ofgospel music. TitledI Serve a Savior, his seventh studio album was released on October 26, 2018. It consists of a collection of mostly gospel standards with a few original songs, including the title track that Turner co-wrote. The album also features appearances bySonya Isaacs,Bobby Osborne, and Turner's own family (who sing and play instruments on a track penned by his wife and oldest son) and new live renditions of both "Long Black Train" and "Me and God".[18][19]
Turner followed this release with two further passion projects:Country State of Mind (2020) andKing Size Manger (2021), his eighth and ninth studio albums.Country State of Mind consisted of a collection of cover songs, whileKing Size Manger served as Turner's first album of Christmas music.
In April 2024, it was announced that Turner had extended his record deal with MCA Nashville, his longtime label home of over two decades, and that "Heatin' Things Up" would be released as his new single. Turner's tenth studio album,This Country Music Thing, was released on August 16.
Turner playedGeorge Beverly Shea in the 2008 filmBilly: The Early Years, about the evangelistBilly Graham. Shea was the soloist for the Billy Graham Crusades.[20]
Turner has one brother and one sister. He married his wife, Jennifer Ford, in 2003. They met as students ofBelmont University, a private Christian university inNashville, Tennessee. Jennifer travels with Josh when he is on tour, playing keyboards and singing background vocals. They have four sons together.[21]
Turner is a devout Christian.[22] "I don't believe God wants me to be a gospel singer," Turner said regarding his religion. "He just wants me to be a Christian singer. That's who I am, a Christian."[23]
| This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately. Find sources: "Josh Turner" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Year | Category | Association | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Top New Artist | Academy of Country Music | Nominated |
| Breakthrough Video of the Year – "Long Black Train" | CMT Music Awards | Nominated | |
| Horizon Award | Country Music Association Awards | Nominated | |
| Song of the Year – "Long Black Train" | Nominated | ||
| Song of the Year – "Long Black Train" | Inspirational Country Music Awards | Won | |
| Songwriter of the Year | Won | ||
| Mainstream Country Artist | Won | ||
| 2005 | Best New Artist | Academy of Country Music | Nominated |
| 2006 | Song of the Year – "Me and God" | Inspirational Country Music Awards | Won |
| Songwriter of the Year | Won | ||
| Mainstream Country Artists | Won | ||
| Horizon Award | Country Music Association Awards | Nominated | |
| 2007 | Male Vocalist of the Year | Nominated | |
| Male Country Vocal Performance – "Would You Go With Me" | Grammy Awards | Nominated | |
| Country Album of the Year –Your Man | Nominated | ||
| Single Record of the Year – "Would You Go with Me" | Country Music Association Awards | Nominated | |
| Song of the Year – "Would You Go with Me" | Nominated | ||
| Vocal Event of the Year – "Me and God"(withRalph Stanley) | Nominated | ||
| 2024 | Inducted | South Carolina Entertainment and Music Hall of Fame | Won |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
