It’s the first day of Josh Turner’s western portion of his tour.
And it’s been hectic.
“Time has been getting away from me,” he says apologetically during a recent phone interview. “We’re looking forward to this part of the run.”
Turner rose to fame with his homage to old-style country – and his deep voice.
Over the course of his career, he’s sold more than 12 million albums and seen more than a half-dozen of his singles reach No. 1 on the country charts.
For nearly three years, Turner hasn’t had much new music on the radio.
His 2012 album, “Punching Bag,” is his latest, though he’s about 95 percent done on his upcoming album.
He released the single, “Lay Low” in 2014, which will be featured on the upcoming album.
“If it were up to me, I would have had an album out in 2013,” he says. “There have been a lot of business issues that have popped up and I’m just pushing forward. The new music is there and I want to get it out to my fans.”
Turner began working on the album in January 2013 and he hopes to have a single out after the new year.
“The fans have been pretty anxious,” he says. “Then I have to remind them that this is a business and there are a lot of things that I can’t control.”
In addition to making music, Turner writes books and volunteers his time to various organizations. He released the book, “Man Stuff: Thoughts on Faith, Family and Fatherhood” in 2014.
Last month, he served as “Chairman of the Beard” for the annual “No Shave November,” which helped raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He also was a co-captain for the Special Olympics Unified Relay Across America.
“A lot of people may think that I’ve been idle,” he says. “These are all important to me and I try to make time for it all.”
