Josh Turner Joins The Kicks Wake Up Krew
Josh Turner is bringing his “Greatest Hits” Tour to The Columbia County Performing Arts Center tonight. Kicks Country loves them some Josh. He’s always been a popular artist here in the CSRA, so we’re really excited to welcome him back. If you want more info on the show tonight, just click here.
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Here is our interview with Josh Turner from earlier this morning.
Dub [00:00:00] It’s your Wake Up Krew Dub and Cody with you this morning. We are so excited because tonight is our first like big show of 2024 yet. And we’re we’re so excited to welcome this guy back to Kicks Country. He’s been here for our Guitar Pull before. He’s been here for a bunch of different events. Our buddy Josh Turner. What’s up, bud?
Josh Turner [00:00:18] Good morning.
Dub [00:00:19] Hey Josh, we are so glad to have you back in Kicks Country. It’s the “Greatest Hits Tour” tonight at the Columbia County Performing Arts Center. There are, like, a few tickets left, so if you don’t have them yet, hurry up and get them and be with us for a great show tonight. So, Josh, we’re talking about your greatest hits and of course, “Your Man”, one of the biggest songs of your career. It had a huge life on country radio. But what was it like when that song kind of took on another life and became like a viral sensation?
Josh Turner [00:00:48] You know, you can’t ever predict those things. But it had so many different lives since we released it. It’s been kind of wild to watch. You know, it started out as, you know, just, my, my second or actually my third official single, but, it started up short and just, you know, it was, a big departure from “Long Black Train” that had already been hit, which was my first hit and my signature song. And, and so, you know, it was kind of a way for me to kind of show radio and fans and everybody that, you know, I couldn’t only do one kind of song. And so we put it out climbing the charts. It becomes my first number-one as an artist. And my wife and I did the video for it at the Hermitage Hotel there in downtown Nashville. And, so it was it was great. You know, it was kind of kind of helped me get past the sophomore curse, as they call it. And then, and then CMT came calling and said, hey, we do this series called Cross Country and we’d love, you know, to know if you if you would want to do it with a guy named Randy Travis. And I said. Are you kidding me?
Dub [00:01:56] Randy Travis. Who’s that? Only one of my of, you know, influences as an artist.
Josh Turner [00:02:00] The reason I moved to Nashville. So, but they didn’t have to twist my arm on that. But when we did that TV show, man, it it took off and the ratings went through the roof. Like, they kept replaying it and replaying and replaying it, and, and so at the time, the Your Man album had already gone like gold, platinum. And then, when, when the Cross Country special came out, it just like we were selling 100,000 copies a week. I mean, it was like, insane, you know? And it was, it ended up going double platinum. And then several years later, American Idol was happening. And then my phone started blowing up one night and somebody said, hey, these young guys playing in your song on American Idol and lo and behold, it was God.
Dub [00:02:41] Right?
Josh Turner [00:02:42] And this takes on a whole nother life. And, and it’s just kind of crazy to see how it become, you know, branding all social media and just all of this kind of stuff. And it wasn’t just Scotty that’s buying on these talent shows like we used to do a montage, on the road from a live show before we played the song. We show a, there’s probably 15 different young people singing that song on these different talent shows on TV. I mean, it was insane. So.
Dub [00:03:11] Wow.
Josh Turner [00:03:12] You know, now we’re looking at a, you know, a four time platinum single on a, triple platinum record. I mean, it’s it’s insane.
Dub [00:03:19] And those don’t just happen anymore. So that’s really, really cool.
Cody [00:03:22] No, they don’t. So I know you’re doing your “Greatest Hits Tour,” so you’re on the road. And I know personally, when I’m on the road, one thing I gotta have is snacks. So I gotta know what is Josh Turner’s must-have snack on the tour bus?
Josh Turner [00:03:36] So there’s these. I guess technically they’re considered meal replacement bars, but, they’re called Pro Bars. And there’s a bunch of different flavors, but the peanut butter chocolate chip Pro Bar. I’ve, I’ve joked with people, you know, throughout the years that when my autobiography comes out, the title is going to be Pro Bar Saved My Life.
Dub [00:03:57] You know.
Josh Turner [00:03:58] There’s a there’s so many mornings where I don’t have time to eat a, like a full breakfast or I’m on the go and I’m like, you know, running into a radio station or whatever. And then it’s like, let’s just grab a pro bar, go.
Dub [00:04:10] Now, Josh, I know that you are a big Clemson fan. I’m a big Georgia fan. And as you and I both know and a lot of people here in Kicks Country knows, the first game of the college football season for 2024 is going to be Georgia versus Clemson. So I would like Josh Turner’s official prediction right now.
Josh Turner [00:04:28] Oh, man. I gotta I gotta stick with my Tigers. Sure. You know, we kind of had a rough year this past year, but, hopefully we’ll we’ll kind of pick up the pieces and, and have a better, season going forward next year. But, but yeah, it’s always fun. I feel like Clemson and Georgia need to play more often anyways.
Dub [00:04:48] But I’m so glad that they’re playing this year because the last, if you remember the last time they played, it was like a 10 to 8 game. I mean, it was so close and they Clemson and Georgia always play each other tough.
Josh Turner [00:04:57] Yeah. And they that that game they played in Charlotte. Actually playing the national anthem at that game. So it was it was pretty fun. But but yeah, it’s, I mean, they’re close enough. They should be playing every year.
Dub [00:05:07] I totally agree. So. Okay, so so here we are February 2nd. Josh Turner’s already predicted Clemson win for August. That’s right. There we go.
Cody [00:05:15] It’s all right. We still love you. Yeah that’s okay. And so we always ask artists this when we get them in an interview. What was your first big purchase when you got that first big country music check?
Josh Turner [00:05:29] I bought myself a house. Nice. My my wife and I, we had our first child on the way, and and we bought a small house there, south of Nashville and on three acres. And so it was, it was. That was my first big purchase.
Dub [00:05:45] There we go. Using that money wisely.
Cody [00:05:47] I was going to say that’s a pretty good investment.
Dub [00:05:48] And some points down I love it. And Josh, another thing that we wanted to to just convey to you that we really love about you is the fact that you’ve never shied away from putting your faith in your music. You know, there’s a lot of people who kind of, you know, they may be believers and stuff like that, but they don’t show it out there to the to the, you know, to the world and stuff. And you’ve never shied away from it. You put you’ve you’ve always put it out there in your music, you’ve always put it out there in your life. And it’s just it’s so admirable. And we just want to let you know how much we appreciate that and how cool we think that is.
Josh Turner [00:06:15] I appreciate you mention and, and, you know, I tell people all the time that, you know, that, that’s a huge part of who I am, and I can’t separate that, you know, from what I do personally or professionally. So, you know, you can either love it or leave it.
Dub [00:06:29] Yeah. Abso. Well, listen, I’ll tell you all for all our friends around here in Kicks Country, they love it. And we can’t wait to see you tonight at the Columbia County Performing Arts Center. Again, there are a few tickets and we say a few tickets. We mean, like, you better get them before you going to be out in the cold. For Josh Turner’s greatest hits tour tonight, Columbia County Performing Arts Center. It’s going to be a great show. Josh, thank you so much for taking some time out and and hanging with us this morning. Man. We always appreciate talking to you.
Josh Turner [00:06:53] Oh my pleasure. Looking forward to it.
It should come as no surprise that Josh doesn’t drink, but here are some other country stars who don’t drink alcohol.
11 Country Artists Who Don't Drink Alcohol
