When Josh Turner broke through in 2003 with his Platinum-certified hit “Long Black Train,” his rumbling baritone and haunting story of temptation and moral complexity drew immediate comparisons to two of Turner’s longtime heroes, Randy Travis and Johnny Cash. A few years before, in December 2001, he had performed the song onstage at the Ryman Auditorium, earning two standing ovations and a call for an encore—a moment that harkened back to Hank Williams, Sr.’s own Ryman debut in 1949, when Williams earned an electrifying six standing ovations from the crowd. The moment seems fitting, given that Turner was inspired to write “Long Black Train” while poring over a collection of rare Hank Williams, Sr. recordings one night at Belmont University’s music library.

In the years that have followed, in addition to earning radio hits such as the multi-Platinum, No. 1 singles “Your Man,” “Why Don’t We Just Dance,” and “Would You Go With Me,” Turner has consistently pointed listeners to the artists who have inspired him—he welcomed Ralph Stanley and John Anderson on his 2x Platinum sophomore album Your Man, and followed in country music’s lengthy lineage of Gospel albums, such as Alan Jackson’s Precious Memories or Travis’ series of Gospel projects, when Turner released 2018’s I Serve A Savior (which started with a rendition of the Hank Sr. classic “I Saw The Light”).

On Turner’s eighth full-length project, Country State of Mind, out today via MCA Nashville, he’s carrying on another old country tradition, that of passing down songs that influenced him to a new generation of listeners, similar to albums such as Jackson’s Under The Influence, Travis’ two Influence albums, or even Cash’s American IV: The Man Comes Around. Here, Turner welcomes his heroes and friends, to help him pay tribute to an array of influences, including those he considers part of his “Mount Rushmore” of country music: Cash, Travis, John Anderson, Vern Gosdin and Hank Williams, Sr..

The first song Turner knew he had to include on the project was Gosdin’s “I Can Tell By The Way You Dance.”

“I’ve always loved that song and I’ve played it live in years past and it always felt like the song had a timeless quality to it,” he says, “but that it was bogged down in the ‘80s production so that was the first song we went after.”

Though the album features several of Turner’s musical friends and idols, including Kris Kristofferson joining on his 1973 signature “Why Me,” (Turner counts Kristofferson’s The Austin Sessions among his favorite albums) or Anderson to reprise his 1993 hit “I’ve Got It Made,” Turner didn’t intend for the album to be a duets record.

“This record did not start out as being a collaboration project. It was going to strictly just be me doing the classics, but it quickly turned into me bringing in these guests and it just made sense, so it’s a covers record and duet record.”

He welcomed Chris Janson for a cover of Hank Williams, Jr.’s “Country State of Mind” after he and Janson performed an impromptu collaboration on the song during a radio show in Augusta, Georgia a few years ago.

“Chris and I were sitting right beside each other onstage and he starts singing a song and he stops it halfway through and started singing that, and I was like, ‘Really?!’” Turner recalls.

“And in those settings, it’s not very professional for an artist to start chiming in or playing while somebody else is playing, and I’ve always been very respectful about that, unless somebody asks me to. But I couldn’t help myself when he started singing that one, I just started singing that high harmony part and he looked over at me and was like, ‘Keep going!’ The fans just loved seeing us sing it together so when this record came about I thought, ‘We need to do this for real on record.’ And it turned out great.”

When it was recently revealed that Hank Williams, Jr. will soon be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Josh Turner was among the country music fans cheering at the news.

“I was like, ‘It’s about dang time.’ I think it’s well-deserved. He’s an incredible writer and artist. He’s an icon and he’s inspired a lot of young artists. I think every young guy artist goes through a Hank Williams, Jr. phase. Even after all these years, I think I’m still going through mine,” Turner says.

Elsewhere on the album, he covers Keith Whitley’s “I’m No Stranger To The Rain,” and “Good Ol’ Boys,” the Dukes of Hazzard theme song made popular by Waylon Jennings, as well as Alan Jackson’s ode to Hank Williams, Sr., “Midnight In Montgomery,” from Jackson’s 1991 sophomore album Don’t Rock The Jukebox.

“That whole record is just incredible to me, but that song was such a piece of art to me as a young boy, just the story it told, the details and of course, me being a big Hank Williams fan.”

He also includes more obscure cuts, a cover of Cash’s “The Caretaker,” and the Hank Sr.-penned plea of desperation, “Alone and Forsaken” (with Allison Moorer on guest vocals).

One of the highlights one the project is his rendition of Travis’ signature “Forever and Ever, Amen,” featuring Travis himself singing the final, solemn “Amen.” Turner joined Travis in the studio for the session, but at first he didn’t realize just how momentous that session would be.

“He’s always been my hero and the reason I wanted to sing country music,” Turner says. “I had seen him go onstage over the past few years, and sing the last word on that song when an artist or writer was performing it, and I thought it would be cool to have a recorded version of it,” Turner says. “When he got in the vocal booth, I was standing beside his wife Mary and I look over, and she has tears streaming down her cheeks.

“I put my arm around her and I said, ‘Is this the first time Randy has been in the studio since the stroke?’ She just nodded yes, so I just gave her this big hug. That’s when I realized how bittersweet of a moment it was, but also that we were making history at the same time.”

Turner welcomed both legends and newcomers, inviting duo Maddie & Tae for a cover of George Strait‘s “Desperately,” and Runaway June to sing on the ‘90s Patty Loveless and George Jones classic, “You Don’t Seem To Miss Me,” with Turner taking on Loveless’ line and the trio offering harmonies.

“I had been scouring the landscape for a female song that would make sense for me to do. I went through Reba songs, Loretta Lynn songs, Dolly songs—you name it. I couldn’t seem to find what I was looking for. I started thinking about Patty Loveless and I came across this song. The fact that it was written by Jim Lauderdale was a plus, and a male or a female could sing it. I thought, ‘If I’m singing the lead then it would be great to have a female sing George’s part.’ And what’s better than one female voice on a song? Three female voices. I’m friends with Runaway June and I texted them to ask about it and within like 30 seconds, I got a response from Jennifer Wayne saying that is one of her favorite songs of all time. I thought, ‘Well, I’ve picked the right song and the right people!’”

He most hopes the album will introduce some of his most-revered country classics to a new generation of fans.

“These songs are just timeless and they made me who I am,” he says. “I want other people to love them the way I do.”

After announcing that he will executive produce a new country music talent competition series alongside Reese Witherspoon’s media company Hello Sunshine, called My Kind of Country, Sandbox Entertainment President/CEO Jason Owen has revealed another TV series he will be a part of.

DEADLINE reported that Fox Entertainment is opening a writers room for an untitled country music dynasty project described as “an epic, multi-generational musical drama about America’s first family of country music” from a New York-based screenwriter and executive producer Melissa London Hilfers for the 2021-22 season. The script-to-series project will be executive produced by Owen, Hilfers, Gail Berman (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel), and Hend Baghdady (Tidying Up with Marie Kondo).

DEADLINE reports, “Should the project go to series, some of Owen’s clients are expected to appear on the series.”

Leadership Music has announced its new Board of Directors. City National Bank’s Sr. VP, Entertainment Diane Pearson will continue to lead the Leadership Music board for a second year. Pearson is a member of Leadership Music’s Class of 2007.

Officers joining Pearson are President-Elect David Kells, Bridgestone Arena/Nashville Predators; Past President Jimmy Wheeler; Secretary Neal Spielberg, Spielberg Entertainment; and FBMM’s David Boyer, Treasurer. Leadership Music has also appointed three new board members: Emily Evans, CMA, Mason Hunter, BMI, and Lane Wilson, WME.

“The president for each fiscal year creates a unique bond with that class, so we felt it important that Diane remain in the role,” LM Executive Director Debbie Linn said. “The Class of 2020 will complete their program year in 2021 with Diane at the helm. Leadership Music is so fortunate to have Diane continue in this leadership role, together with a truly exemplary board of directors, as we navigate through this challenging time in our 32-year history.”

In addition, the organization has added Franklin native, Guy Evans, to fill the position of Finance Clerk. Evans received both his Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Business Administration and Master of Taxation from the University of Alabama. Previously he was Tax Senior Associate at Ingram Industries.
The complete board list is below:

Linda Bloss-Baum, Senior Director, Artist & Industry Relations, SoundExchange
David Boyer, Vice President, FBMM
Debbie Carroll, Vice President, Health & Human Services, MusicCares
Emily Evans, Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, CMA
Marghie Evans, Managing Partner, Do Write Music
Joe Galante, Chairman, Galante Entertainment Organization
Mitch Glazier, CEO, RIAA
Jeff Gregg, Live Music Executive
Kelli Haywood, Artist Manager, KCH Entertainment
BJ Hill, Vice President, A&R, Warner Chappell Music
Mason Hunter, Assistant Vice President, Creative, BMI
David Kells, Senior VP, Booking, Bridgestone Arena/Nashville Predators
Jerry Kimbrough, Musician
Chandra LaPlume, Film/TV/Music Executive
Erick Long, Senior VP, Events, Academy of Country Music
Heather McBee, VP, Operations, Nashville Entrepreneur Center
Diane Pearson, Senior VP, Entertainment, City National Bank
Dave Pomeroy, President, AFM Local 257
Lisa Purcell, Vice President, Development, Education & Community Outreach, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Matt Signore, COO, Warner Music Group
Neal Spielberg, President, Spielberg Entertainment
John Strohm, President, Rounder Records
Jimmy Wheeler, Music Industry Executive
Rachel Whitney, Head of Editorial, Nashville, Spotify
Stacy Widelitz, Songwriter, Stacy Widelitz Music
Lane Wilson, Senior Vice President/Agent, WME
Bret Wolcott, Freelance TV Producer
Will Cheek of Waller Law and Lynn Morrow of Adams & Reese serve as legal counsel.