Josh Turner – Interview

Dreams came true that night for the Hannah, South Carolina, native who always hoped that one day he’d be on a stage. And with a deep, rich voice that’s commanding beyond his 25 years, it was only a matter of time. We talk to Josh Turner.

Life has got to be crazy.

It’s busy.

Is it weird so many people know you now?

Yeah, but in a good way.

Do you remember the first time you heard yourself on radio?

I remember hearing it on the radio in my home town, on my home town station, that was really cool. I’ve never experienced anything quite like that. It’s great to know my music is out there and available to the public.

Is there anyone out there that you listened to who you dreamed of being?

Growing up Randy Travis was my idol. I idolized him and tried to be him and mimic his voice. I tried to walk the way he walked, talked the way he talked, but I kind of got out of that because the more I grew as a person and an artist I realized there has always been a Randy Travis. I think ever artist goes through that phase where they want to be like somebody else. And then you get to a point where you realize you have to be yourself. That’s where the journey starts – when you try to learn who you are and what is your sound. I think a lot of that came through my songwriting, it’s when I realized what my style was. I had my own style of writing, which was really cool to see.

When did you realize you could writing songs and sing?

The singing came before the writing. I’ve been singing my whole life since I was young, like four or five. I realized I really had a talent around fourteen. I felt it was something I could do all my life. I didn’t think of it as a career but a way to share my talent with people. At seventeen I realized I could write songs and that is when I started playing guitar.

After singing your whole life, it must be a shock that you are doing it now and getting paid for it.

Every now and then it hits me: I caught my dream and I’m living it. Sometimes it’s not the most glamorous. Everyone thinks it’s wonderful and glamorous and it’s not always that way, especially at this stage in my career. Every once in a while I have to take a step back and realize I’ve come a long way. I’m thankful for that.

How important is it for you to get your point across in a song?

Very important, without it you are useless pretty much; you aren’t making an impact at all. I don’t really get a lot out of singers that just sing. I listen to artists that sing with conviction and sing from their heart and something they relate to. That is the way I was when I chose songs for my record. I chose songs that meant something to me and I felt listeners could relate to.

Do your family and friends even realize how much work you have to do and that it’s not just standing on stage?

I don’t think they quite understand; no offense to them. I don’t think they quite understand what I have to go through and what the lifestyle is like. Even my friends think because I made a record I’m just out having a good ol’ time, which I am, but there is a lot more that goes into this than stepping on stage and singing. My family knows that I do interviews and that I have to get a band together and the business side because they’ve been through a lot with me, but being with me day to day and the impact it has on me emotionally they can’t quite grasp that. I don’t think anyone can unless you’ve been through it. I think that is why artists have heroes because they know they can relate. But I’m not downplaying family because they are a great, and I have a great family and a great wife and they know when I need a rest and I need a break from the public. It can become overwhelming at times.

Did you know how much work this was going to be going into it?

No. (We both laugh) I surely didn’t expect having to do so many interviews and radio shows. I thought you got a record deal, cut a record and radio plays it. It’s not how it works unfortunately.

How did you get discovered?

It happened in a roundabout way. I was in a class at Belmont University and there was a girl in my class who had heard my demo and she was interning for a small publisher in town and she took it to the publisher who was impressed and wanted to meet me. So he and I started meeting together for about a year and he signed me to a production deal and tried to get me a record deal. The first label he took me to was Mark Wright at MCA and he was impressed and wanted to sign me and wanted me to come back the next day to play for Tony Brown the next day. Tony told my publisher not to take me anywhere else until they decided what to do. I went home for Christmas and when I came back they signed me to a demo deal. Soon after Tony left MCA and Mark Wright upped it to a full-blown record deal. I want to thank Mark Wright for believing in me.

What seemed longer, that year with your publisher to get a record deal or after being signed and waiting for the record to come out?

I had always heard it takes a long time to get a record deal and a lot of artists have taken years to get a record deal, but it didn’t take me long, but that is where the long haul started. I released the record in October (2003) and signed the deal in 2001, but we actually negotiated the contract for a year before that. Even after that there was still some time before I released the record. It took a year and a half after I signed the deal to release it. But it’s paying off.

When did it hit you that certain songs were right?

Some of the songs I just knew, like “Backwoods Boy,” was going to be a part of the record. “She’ll Go On You” was another song that was a no brainer. It was the third demo I sang when I got to Nashville.

When you heard “Long Black Train” did you just know it was that good?

It actually snuck up on me. I didn’t even consider it to be on my record, but people thought it was a great song and it ended up being on the record. I didn’t think it was a single and it just keeps surprising me. I didn’t expect it to be so successful. I think God has a plan for me.

In country music you can last your life not for only a few years, must be great.

You don’t have to last at radio for a long time to be around, but you can do what Alan Jackson has and stick around on radio. But you don’t have to last in radio just to be a country artist – because people will love you for as long as you are out there making good country music.

+ Charlie Craine