Josh Turner

Country star Josh Turner is blessed with the kind of deep, rich pipes that only come around once in a generation. Ernest Tubb had them in the honky-tonk days, and Randy Travis in the neo-traditional era, but when Turner broke through in the 2000s he stood alone. Born in 1977 in Hannah, SC, Turner started out singing in a gospel group—bass, of course—but eventually felt country calling, and made his way to Nashville. Fame, in turn, found him quickly—his 2003 debut, Long Black Train, went platinum and gave him a Top 20 country hit with the title track, a song of faith and fortitude darkened up with a dash of Johnny Cash. Turner made an even bigger impact with 2006’s Your Man—his rootsy sound may have veered from the poppier style of the day but it suited his deep, velvety voice down to the ground. That baritone felt tailor-made for romance, from the cheek-reddening “Your Man,” to 2007 Trisha Yearwood duet “Firecracker,” to 2010’s “Why Don’t We Just Dance,” about leaving the world’s troubles behind for a spin around the living room. Turner’s style and successes have been remarkably consistent over the years—as should be the case for the youngest male singer ever inducted into the Grand Ole Opry—but in 2018 he made a return to his spiritual roots with I Serve a Savior. It's a testament to the power of Turner's voice, now singing of a higher love, that he turned an old-school gospel record into something that resonated loudly among his fans.