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Josh Otis Turner (born November 20, 1977 in Hannah, South Carolina) is an American country music singer.
Early in his life, Josh Turner sang baritone and bass parts in his church choir. He also formed a gospel quartet called Thankful Hearts in which he sang bass and occasionally lead. After attending school at Hannah-Pamplico High School in Hannah, South Carolina (Sources Confirmed), Turner attended college in the state of South Carolina, where he took private voice lessons.
In 1996, Turner developed a lesion on his right vocal chord. Surgery was not needed, but he did have to rest his voice for a year. Turner states that he "learned how to whistle really well during that year." Turner was examined by the Vanderbilt voice clinic who advised him to let it heal on his own. While Turner rested his voice back at home, he learned classical vocal techniques and how to take care of his voice and avoid developing further problems.
Shortly afterwards, Turner moved to Nashville to pursue a career in music and attend Belmont University. At Belmont, Turner went through a classical training vocal program. While there, he also met Jennifer, whom he married in 2003, prior to the release of his album. Jennifer also plays piano and sings background vocals in Turner's road band.
The Turners had a child, Hampton Otis Turner, on October 6, 2006.
On December 21, 2001, Turner debuted on the Grand Ole Opry with a song he had written himself, "Long Black Train."
In 2003, Turner released his debut album, Long Black Train. Prior to its release, Turner had released 7" vinyl singles of "She'll Go On You" and "Long Black Train." Both singles featured Long Black Train album track "Backwoods Boy" as a B-side. While neither "Backwoods Boy" nor "She'll Go On You" were successful, "Long Black Train" slowly started to climb the charts. "Long Black Train" peaked at #13 on Billboard's US Country chart, spending more than 40 weeks on that chart. The second single, "What It Ain't", was less successful, reaching #31.
In early 2006, Turner released his second album, Your Man. The album's first single and title track, "Your Man", was released in late 2005. "Your Man" also climbed the charts slowly, eventually reaching #1 in early 2006. Your Man was certified Gold by the RIAA four weeks after its release, and later went Platinum six months later.
"Would You Go With Me" was the second single released from Your Man. The song became Turner's second consecutive number-one single, staying at the top for two weeks. "Would You Go With Me" was a download hit and is considered Turner's biggest hit to date. Weeks after the song peaked on the charts, Turner performed it on the CMA Awards in November 2006. As a result, the song shot back up the download charts and re-emerged on the top half of the Hot 100 at #48.
Shortly after the album's release, a song called "Me and God" was released as a single to Christian radio. The song was successful on the Christian country music circuit and was eventually released as Turner's third single from Your Man to country radio. It debuted on the US Country chart at #54, and made it to #16.
In December 2006, the 49th Annual Grammy Award nominations were announced. Turner received nods for Best Male Country Vocal Performance and for Best Country Album.
In late 2006, Turner wrote in an online journal about a new track titled "Low Country" and confirmed it to be on the next album; this song and another unreleased song called "Everything Is Fine" were performed at a concert in South Carolina. In December 2006, a featurette on CMT Insider showed Turner in the studio working on the album. He mentioned that he wanted it to sound like music in the 1700s and 1800s. Turner performed at the Ryman Auditorium where the Live Album was recorded. He sang a song called, "Church in the Holler," that he said was in the demo stage and a possibility to be on the next album. A new album will be released on October 30, 2007.
Turner also co-wrote "Say Yes", an early 2007 single for Big Machine Records recording artist Dusty Drake. The song was co-written with veteran songwriters Brett James and Don Schlitz.
Turner's newest album is "Josh Turner: Live At The Ryman," recorded in April and available through Cracker Barrel restaurants.
Turner has also set up The Josh Turner Fund for the Arts, a non-profit account set up to promote music in schools. Turner filmed his newest music video "Firecracker" in Kimball, Tennessee on August 12, 2007.
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