Josh Turner

Josh Turner positioned himself early as a defender of country music's foundational sounds. His rich, commanding bass timbre echoed the fluid phrasing of Johnny Cash, while his initial breakthrough, the measured and reflective 2003 single "Long Black Train," served as an homage to Hank Williams. Although Turner later folded in understated modern-country touches—such as the adult-contemporary sheen of 2012's major hit "Time Is Love" and the contemporary setting of "Why Don't We Just Dance"—he avoided chasing prevailing fashions, earning a reputation as a steadfast traditionalist amid the rise of arena and bro-country. Never country's dominant figure, Turner nonetheless remained a reliable chart presence for nearly twenty years by upholding the genre's core principles, securing his first number-one single with 2005's "Your Man" and still climbing to the upper reaches as late as 2016, when "Hometown Girl" reached number two on Billboard's Country Airplay chart. After that success he turned toward his foundational influences, issuing a gospel project, a set of country covers, and a holiday collection between 2018 and 2021. In 2024 he resumed original album work with his tenth release, This Country Music Thing.

Growing up in Hannah, South Carolina, Josh Turner began performing in church as the bass singer for the Thankful Hearts quartet. After finishing Hannah-Pamplico High School he attended Francis Marion University in nearby Florence. A brief period at FMU ended when he moved to Nashville, enrolling at Belmont University and gaining traction in country circles after encountering Hank Williams' catalog in the campus library.

Turner's profile rose quickly following graduation. He reached the Grand Ole Opry stage on December 21, 2001, performing the Hank-inspired original "Long Black Train." Shortly afterward he joined MCA Nashville, which issued "She'll Go on You" in 2002. That release failed to enter the Country Top 40, yet "Long Black Train" broke through, climbing to number 13 and later receiving Platinum certification. His self-titled debut album arrived in October 2003, peaking at number three on Billboard's country chart and number 39 on the Top 200 while spawning the modest follow-up single "What It Ain't."

The second album, Your Man, delivered Turner's first two chart-toppers: the title track hit number one in 2005, and "Would You Go with Me" repeated the feat in 2006. Upon its January 2006 release the project debuted at number one on the Country chart and number three on the Top 200, earning Platinum status within six months. It also featured "Me and God," a duet with Ralph Stanley that openly expressed Turner's Christian convictions; the track reached number 16 on Country charts and crossed to Christian radio. Your Man earned Grammy nominations for Best Country Album and Best Male Country Vocal Performance, and its momentum led to Turner's 2007 induction into the Grand Ole Opry.

He followed with Everything Is Fine in 2007. Lead single "Firecracker" peaked at number two, yet the Trisha Yearwood duet "Another Try" stalled at number 15 and the title track reached only number 20. Momentum returned with "Why Don't We Just Dance," the first single from the 2010 album Haywire, which climbed to number one; "All Over Me" matched that position, while "I Wouldn't Be a Man" peaked at number 18.

A mainstream lift arrived in 2011 when American Idol winner Scotty McCreery cited Turner as an influence. That exposure preceded the 2012 album Punching Bag, whose lead single "Time Is Love" reached number two. In 2014 Turner published his debut book, Man Stuff: Thoughts on Faith, Family and Fatherhood.

"Lay Low," the initial single from his sixth album, surfaced in 2014 but peaked at number 25 on Country Airplay and was set aside. Turner resurfaced in summer 2016 with "Hometown Girl," which rose to number two on Country Airplay and paved the way for Deep South, released in March 2017. Fulfilling a long-held ambition, he issued the gospel album I Serve a Savior in October 2018; it debuted at number two on both the Country and Christian charts. In 2020 he released Country State of Mind, a covers collection that included appearances by Kris Kristofferson, John Anderson, Allison Moorer, and Chris Janson. The holiday album King Size Manger, produced by Kenny Greenberg, followed in October 2021. After a two-and-a-half-year hiatus, Turner issued the single "Heatin' Things Up" in April 2024 and continued with tracks such as the Southern anthem "Down in Georgia" ahead of his tenth album, This Country Music Thing.