Josh Turner
January 2004
By Ken Wiegman

Ken - The album just went gold and you have a lot of high profile magazines throwing out comparisons with Johnny Cash and other country legends. Does that put any kind of pressure on you?

Josh - Not really. I see it as a compliment. I've always looked up to guys like Waylon Jennings, Cash, and Randy Travis. Travis and Johnny Cash were my two biggest heroes. There are so many artist that I looked up to and I'm always going to be compared to somebody. As long as it's somebody I like I'll take it as a compliment.

Ken - On this album you wrote "Long Black Train" and "Backwoods Boy" by yourself. Are you going to be developing your writing in the future? Is there more out there from Josh that we haven't heard yet?

Josh - I didn't start writing until I was about 17 so I still consider myself a beginner. I have a lifetime of writing ahead of me. I have to keep reminding myself of that. I try to write about stuff that is relative - dear - to me and close to my heart. I'm always trying to write when I get the free time or the inspiration.

Ken - Were you in on the process of picking the other songs for the album?

Josh - I was very much so. I had a huge part in that. They gave me quite a bit of creative control and they let me pick most of the songs, choose the art work for the record, and how the record was going to sound when we got into the studio. I didn't do much of the production of it but I approved of whether or not I liked it. I've been blessed enough to have a lot of creative control and choose songs that I felt like I could have written.

Ken - Other than "Long Black Train" most of the album is traditional country. In the future do you see yourself doing more of the gospel music?

Josh - Not as a main thing. I've always been a huge country music fan but I was brought up on gospel music, and I grew up singing hymns in church. My faith plays a huge part in how I live my life and how I make my decisions, but I've never really been called into doing strictly gospel music. I'm a country artist that is a Christian and I feel like this is the place that God has called me to. I feel like this is my mission field. When the time and opportunity presents itself I really would love to do a gospel album.

Ken - Is the idea of country artist doing gospel more common or accepted than christian rock crossing over to mainstream?

Josh - I think it's more accepted because country musics tradition and heritage goes back to gospel roots. If you look back at the Carter family, Hank Williams, and Earnest Tubbs as honkeytonk as he was he still cut gospel albums. [Many] at the Oprey had that faith incorporated in what they were doing. I don't think it's anything new for me to be singing gospel songs. I know Johnny Cash, as turbulent as his life was, he still found time to sing those gospel songs because that's what he was brought up on.

Ken - What do you see as challenges for your faith as you head out into this adventure of success and tours?

Josh - I think "Long Black Train" is the ideal single for me right now. There are things out on the road tempt me. It's hard when you're tired and away from home and you're trying to come across to people in the right way. To get people to know who you really are. It's really hard to keep your nose clean, but you have to. You have to, I think that goes a lot further with the public than when you fall. The media a lot of times in general loves to see people fall. They feed off of that and I don't want to give them anything to talk about.

Ken - You're getting ready to go out on tour with Brooks & Dunn?

Josh - Yes, that's going to be a lot of fun.

Ken - When you head out on the road how are you going to feed your spiritual growth?

Josh - I try to take my Bible with me everywhere I go. I always try to keep that word in my heart and I'm a big prayer person. I'm always praying throughout the day because that's what sustains me. It's my personal relationship with God and Jesus Christ. I can't live without it and I don't want to live without it. The great thing about prayer is that you don't have to be in a specific place, it doesn't matter what's going on, you can always pray and know He will always be there for you.

Ken - How much touring have you done prior to the album coming out?

Josh - I've just been doing radio tour stuff and not a lot of shows on my own. The past couple months I started doing some shows on my own. I've really enjoyed it.

Ken - When you were doing shows at the Grand Ol' Oprey was that before you were signed on to MCA?

Josh - I stared playing the Oprey like a month after I signed my record deal. I've played there about 37 times and it's always a pleasure to play there.

Ken - Do you think you will see a rebirth of traditional country because of your success?

Josh - I hope so! I like to think so because I'm a big traditional country music fan. I think out culture needs it. They need that genre to be prevalent on radio and TV in households. I feel like traditional country music is one of the true forms of music that has a big history to it. It has a way of getting into peoples hearts and minds and affecting people for the better. Because country music to me is music that sings about real people and real things in real life. That's something that is hard to find sometimes in other genres. I'd like to think that the success that I'm having will have an impact that last for years.