Personal Life

Joshua Otis Turner was born on November 20, 1977, in Hannah, South Carolina. Turner grew up in church, singing gospel music with his quartet Thankful Hearts. He had a lesion on his right vocal cord in 1996. The lesion caused him to lose his voice for nearly a year. During this time, he began to write songs as a way to express himself.

After graduating from high school, Turner attended Francis Marion University in South Carolina. In order to pursue a music career, Turner moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he enrolled at Belmont University. In 2001, Turner made his Grand Ole Opry debut with the song “Long Black Train.” This song helped Turner gain popularity in the bluegrass and country music genres.

Musical Career

Turner’s debut album, Long Black Train, was released in October 2003. The album’s title track became a hit single, reaching number 29 on the Billboard 200 country charts. “Long Black Train” helped Turner gain popularity in the bluegrass and country music genres. In 2006, Turner released his second album, Your Man. The album’s title track, “Your Man”, was a number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. “Your Man” was also certified 2× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Turner’s third album, Everything Is Fine, was released in 2007. The album’s first single, “Everything Is Fine”, peaked at number 20 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. “Firecracker” was the second single from the album and hit number two on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. “All Over Me” was the third single from Everything Is Fine. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA. In 2010, Turner released his fourth album, Haywire. The album’s first single, “Why Don’t We Just Dance”, was his third number one hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The second single from Haywire, “I Wouldn’t Be a Man”, peaked at number 43. The third single, “All Over Me”, became Turner’s fourth number one hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA.

In 2012, Turner released his fifth album, Punching Bag. The album debuted at number one on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, and reached number four on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart. The album includes the singles “Time Is Love,” which was a number one hit on US Country Songs (Billboard), as well as “Pallbearer”, which peaked at number four. Turner’s sixth album, Deep South, was released in 2016 and reached number one on Top Country Albums. The album’s second single, “Hometown Girl”, became a No. 2 hit on the Billboard Country Airplay chart in May 2017.

In 2018, Turner released his first gospel album and seventh studio album, I Serve a Savior. The album debuted at No. 2 on the Top Country Albums chart and No. 2 on the Christian Albums, selling 14,000 copies in its first week. I Serve a Savior includes Turner’s renditions of such hymns as “Amazing Grace”, “Great Is Your Faithfulness”, and “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot”. On 2020, Turner released a new album, “Country State of Mind”, via MCA Nashville. King Size Manger, was the ninth album released in 2020.