Deep in both voice and subject matter, Josh Turner is back with the new album This Country Music Thing. He talks to C&I about what inspired the new tunes.
On the verge of releasing his 10th studio LP, Josh Turner gave Cowboys & Indians a chance to ask enough questions to give readers a feel for the new set, This Country Music Thing (out Aug. 16). From everything it has in common with his two-decade-old debut album, Long Black Train, to everything it doesn’t.
Cowboys & Indians: Can we start this conversation with the track at the end of This Country Music Thing? What can you tell us about “Unsung Hero,” a ballad you penned by yourself?
Josh Turner: Years and years ago, my grandma made a casual comment that made me want to really dig into my family history. My daddy’s daddy never talked about his time in World War II. He mentioned a train ride, but I didn’t know what that had to do with the war. But then I found out that he did his medical training, he followed this tank battalion around in some of those most heated places, he got shot, he got a Purple Heart, and I can’t even imagine what he saw. But then he came back home, he worked his job, he went to church, he kept his house and land in order, and kept his family together. And it struck me one day that I’m the grandson of an American hero. That was so inspiring to me that I sat down to write, and the words started pouring out. He never talked about it, and nobody was singing his praises. I thought it was due time that somebody did.
Do you put that much time and thought into every song you record?
I take my music very seriously. But I also know that music for most people is a form of entertainment where they can escape the heaviness of their life. I have to be mindful of that. I want them to leave my shows feeling better than when they got there.
You’ve been at this more than 20 years now. So how do you approach a new album with that much history under your belt, and stay true to your early roots?
I honestly think this album really showcases my voice in a better way than any of my other records. This album shows the life I’ve lived, the tough times I’ve been through, and the good times I’ve been through all wrapped up in one. The texture and the range of my voice on it is unlike any other album I’ve made. That’s how these songs came to life. There’s variety in the songs, but my voice is the common thread that ties them all together.
Speaking of your voice, how do you describe your distinctive sound?
I’d be considered a bass or a baritone. But because of the things my voice has been through – a vocal injury in 1996, plus singing on the road consistently for 20 years – my range is bigger than most people’s. But at the same time, my voice has weaknesses. I have to baby my voice to get through the shows and the record-making process. It’s volatile and it’s vulnerable. It sounds the way it does because I take care of it.
How have you grown as an artist?
When I was younger, it was all about the right then and there. But now I can see the big picture. I’d always wanted longevity, but I didn’t know what that looked like. Now, after being married for 20 years and having four children (from 17 on down), the challenges that life throws at all of us and how to be a successful artist in the midst of all that means I can bring a lot of life to the songs I record. I’m not going to go after songs that are childish or raunchy. You have to grow and mature, and so does your music. That’s reflected in these songs.
OK, but that said, you debuted in 2003 with “Long Black Train,” a song about avoiding sin. Which you wrote by yourself when you were in your early 20s. Were you this mature way back then?
That was the song that put me on the map, but I never intended for that to happen. It was inspired by me spending hours listening to old, archival Hank Williams music. When I finished writing it, a college friend of mine took it to Jody Williams and he offered me a publishing deal. A short time later, he took me to MCA Nashville, and they signed me to a record label. A month later, I was singing it on the Opry. When the label made the decision to release it as my debut single, I thought it was career suicide. It didn’t sound like anything on the radio. It’s an old-fashioned, old-timey gospel song. I’d always believed in the song, but not really as a country hit.
While you wrote that one alone, so many of your songs since then have come from just about every prolific writer in Nashville. How’d you make that happen?
I owe a lot of that to my producer Kenny Greenberg. I’ve always had connections in the publishing world, but up until this album, I’ve struggled to get the hit writers to throw their songs my way. Yes, I’ve had hits. But I’ve never been a darling of the charts or the awards shows. This time was different with all the great writers on this one album.
Turner’s brand new video for “Two Steppin’ on The Moon” features his friends and collaborators, like Randy Travis, John Anderson, Marty Raybon, Mark Narmore and more. It premieres Friday, August 16.
Order Josh Turner's new album This Country Music Thing here.
(Photography by David McClister/Courtesy UMG Nashville)
