CRS 2014 - Day 1
Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images
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Today we turn our focus to an artist whose distinctive bass voice stands out from most of country music, and who went from singing gospel music in church as a kid, to studying at "Country Music University" in Nashville, to making music history with his 2012 year-end #1 hit.

Josh Turner grew up in Hannah, South Carolina, a small town in the Northeast of the state, whose only claim to fame according to it own Wikipedia page, is being the home town of Josh Turner. Turner grew up singing gospel music in church, first as a barritone, then bass as his voice matured, forming his own gospel group, Thankful Hearts, while still in high school. After high school, Turner attended Francis Marion University, a small liberal arts college in Florence, SC. But Turner decided if he wanted a career in country music, he need to be at the source, so like any good country star in making, he transferred to Nashville's Belmont University.

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But Turner's career was almost derailed before it began. In 1996, he developed vocal problems and was diagnosed with a lesion on his right vocal cord. Turner enlisted doctors at Nashville's Vanderbilt University Voice Clinic, who advised Turner to allow the lesion to heal naturally and on its own. During this time, Josh would learn several techniques that would change they way he took care of his voice, adopting a more classical technique to prevent further and more serious problems. According to Turner it was also during this time that he learned to whistle, a talent he has put on display on several of his songs.

On December 21st, 2001 Turner would make his debut on the Grand Ole Opry, and one of the songs he performed would be "Long Black Train". It wouldn't be for another year-and-a-half that the song would be released as his debut single and title track from his debut album; in the mean time, Turner distributed copies of the song on 7" vinyl. After being officially released in 2003, the single would spend 40 weeks on the country chart, peaking at #13. Two more singles were released from the album, both failed to crack the top-40.

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Turner has gone on to release 4 more albums on MCA Nashville Records, albums that included 10 top-20 hits. 4 of the singles, "Your Man" and "Would You Go With Me" from Turners 2005 album Your Man and "Why Don't We Just Dance" and "All Over Me" from his 2009 album Haywire would climb to #1. But its the lead single from Turner's 2012 album Punching Bag, that would be truly historic. The song peaked at #2 on the weekly Billboard Country singles chart, but when Billboard Magazine issued its Year End charts for 2012, "Time Is Love" would become only the second song in the charts 68 year history to finish the year in the #1 spot, despite never having hit #1 on a weekly chart. Lee Brice's "Love Like Crazy" first accomplished the feet in 2010.

Turner is back with the lead single from an as yet unnamed forthcoming album. Josh Turner and "Home Town Girl" is today's Catch of the Day, new music you haven't heard, but you'll want to hear it again.

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