Josh Turner Had to Pull Off the Road When He First Heard Himself on the Radio
Country star Josh Turner's breakthrough debut single, "Long Black Train," came out in 2003; it was also the title track of his first major-label studio album. Read on to learn the story of the first time that Turner heard the song on the radio, and why it still means so much to him every time he hears one of his songs on a radio station.
I wanna say it was 2003; it was in the summer. I guess my wife and I were newly married -- we were married that same summer -- but we were headed to my hometown in South Carolina. We had the radio set to my hometown station that I grew up listening to, and all of a sudden, "Long Black Train" came on.
It was one of those moments where I literally had to pull off on the side of the road. It was pretty emotional. A lot of tears were shed during that moment, because that was something I had just been dreaming of my whole life. The fact that I heard it for the first time on my hometown station was pretty special.
And it's funny, too: Even today, when I hear any of my songs on the radio, it's not something I take for granted. It's still something I cherish and something that's very special. Honestly, I just sit there and revel in the moment, because it's still surreal to me that I'm living my dream, because there were so many years growing up that I didn't know if it would happen or not.
I had the confidence to work hard and do everything it required to get a record deal and all that, but you can't necessarily make people play your music. If they're playing it, it means somebody out there loves it and respects it, so I just kinda take it and realize how blessed I am.