Country star Josh Turner is riding high these days with the Feb. 9, 2010, release of Haywire, his fourth CD to date, and its current hit single, Why Don’t We Just Dance.
At this writing, the song has been in the No. 1 position on the U.S. country charts for three weeks, marking the first time that the South Carolina son has had a tune hold the coveted top spot beyond the two-week mark. Moreover, from all indications, the track seems destined to hang onto the No. 1 notch a bit longer, making Turner’s current success even sweeter.
During a brief break from the activities of the annual Country Radio Seminar in Nashville on Feb. 25, 2010, the baritone-throated hit-maker--who also is a proud father of two young boys--took time to discuss his music and latest career success with Suite101.com. The following is an excerpt from this writer's interview with the down-to-earth country star.
Country Singer's Debut Album Scored with Country Fans from the Start
S101: Your first album for MCA Records, 'Long Black Train,' went platinum right out of the gate. Does that create added pressure on you in your mind to create music that will equal that sales success?
JT: "Man, the first album—you know, the sale of the first album, anyway—that caught me by surprise. I really didn’t know what to expect. I remember when I got the news of it going gold and then I remember the news of it becoming platinum, and just the news that Long, Black Train was a hit. I mean, there was a big buzz coming form that song and the video, just that whole experience and the album; I didn’t know what to expect.
"It was my first album and I had been dreaming of this my whole life. and I was learning a lot in a short amount of time, so I didn’t really think about the next album at that point. When it came time to make the next album, I did have a little bit of experience under my belt, but at the same time, I just kinda put the first album in my rear-view mirror and just decided to drive on and move to the next thing. I just kind of view each and every album as its own entity.
"You know, the times are always changing and the business is always changing, and what you’re hearing on the radio is always changing. So what I feel like I need to put on an album is always going to change, too, so I don’t think I ever really compare albums, because I don’t think they really do compare."
S101: So you don’t feel the pressure to produce an album that’s a big hit commercially?
JT: (Sighs) "No, not really. I just try to go in and do my best, and then let the chips fall where they may."
Josh Turner Strives to Produce 'Consistent" Country Music Sound
S101:: I think you’re albums are cohesive in the sense that you are really consistent in what you deliver on each one. On the new album, even though there’s only one single out right now on radio, when I was listening to it I found myself thinking that the songs did sound like music that was already familiar with in some way.
JT: "I guess that’s good and bad in some ways (laughs), but for me, that’s just what I’ve always strived to be is consistent, whether it’s personally or professionally or what have you. And it definitely comes thought in my music. It’s just one of those things where there are just certain songs that are always just gonna get me excited and then there are other songs that are never gonna get me excited—it’s just a part of who I am."
New Country Album & No. 1 Single are Favorites with Country Radio
S101: 'Why Don’t We Just Dance' is one of one those songs, I read, that got you excited and sped up the recording process for 'Haywire.'
JT: "Yeah, and apparently, other people are getting excited about it. You know, obviously this being CRS, I flew in (to attend) from California and got to talk to a lot of radio people this week. I heard from the majority of them that, that song is still the No. 1-testing song on their station and that just tells me the fans are not tired of it, and I’m glad to hear that, because that’s one thing I always try to use when I’m choosing songs for a record: Am I gonna get tired of it after a month or two or three? … And if it sticks with me, then I know that it’s a good song, and so for me to hear that the fans are not getting tired of it at this point when it’s already been on the charts for almost 30 weeks, well, that’s very encouraging."
Fatherhood & Country Stardom: Working to Make More Time for Songwriting
S101: You wrote or co-wrote five songs on this album. How does that compare with your last albums—and are you writing more these days?
JT: "Well, I’m not writing any less. I mean, the first album, I think I had about three songs on there and then the second album, I had five, and then the third I had seven, so it’s right there in the ballpark. I think if I had more time to write, I’d probably have more cuts on there.
"You know, it’s funny how people think that I have all the time in the world just to sit around and write or whatever (laughs). It’s like, ‘No, you quite don’t understand. I’m a busy man and have a lot of things to do, a lot of irons in the fire. I mean, it’s like even in the publishing world they’re like, ‘Hey, you written any songs lately?’ And I’m like, ‘I wish!’ I really have to carve out time to do that anymore.
"It’s funny. I drove by my old apartment the other day. I was on my way to a CRS function, but I had left the house about an hour early and I decided to drive the long way to get there, and on the way, I ended up driving by the apartment that I lived in the first two years after I graduated from Belmont (University). And it was so weird being there, and it was kind of a bittersweet thing, because I have such fond memories of being in that apartment—and all I did for two years was just write songs.
"I didn’t have to go out on the road; I wasn’t married; I didn’t have any children; and I really didn’t have a lot of responsibility. My main responsibility was writin’ songs. And I had my record deal at the time, but even still, I didn’t have to go out and promote anything at that time. But it was kinda cool being there in a place where all I did was sit there and write. You know, the songs I wrote in that apartment were songs like Backwoods Boy, Me and God, Way Down South and Angels Fall Sometimes, and that’s just to name few."
Country Artist Moves to Create a Songwriting Haven
S101: Perhaps sometimes the lean times in a career are the most creative.
JT: "I’m making some moves that I think are going to help me get back to that point as much as I possibly can. I’m building a log cabin on my property right now … and the purpose of it is for me to put all my music stuff in there and to do all my writing in there. You know, to invite co-writers over and write in there and just try to recreate that little apartment, I guess. You know, that kind of atmosphere, where all I’m doing is trying to get inspired and trying to write songs."
Lisa L. Rollins - Texas native Lisa L. Rollins, Ph.D., is an award-winning feature writer, interviewer and journalism educator.
Join the Conversation