Josh Turner is taking a look back at his lengthy career with his new Greatest Hits album, out on September 8. The 11-track record includes his multi-platinum hits “Your Man,” “Would You Go With Me,” “Why Don’t We Just Dance,” “Hometown Girl” and more, plus “Long Black Train,” with all of the songs on the record spanning Turner’s successful 20 years in country music.
“When you start out in this business, you’re never guaranteed longevity,” Turner says. “I’m humbled and thankful that I’m still around making music and that I’ve done well enough for long enough to warrant releasing a Greatest Hits album.”
Turner’s Long Black Train freshman album was released in 2003, with the title track becoming his first Top 15 hit. The South Carolina native wrote the song by himself, before he had any idea of the career that awaited him.
“I wrote this song during my senior year at Belmont University, and I remember thinking to myself, no one is going to want to hear this old timey gospel song,” Turner says. “Thankfully, God placed a few folks in my life that thought differently and here we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of ‘Long Black Train.’ I credit this song with landing me my first publishing deal, my record deal and my first Opry performance.”
Turner’s debut single was “She’ll Go on You,” which failed to crack the Top 40. It was Turner’s longtime record label, MCA Nashville, which suggested “Long Black Train” as his second single, a suggestion that Turner initially wasn’t sure was the right move for his career. Fortunately, he heeded their advice, with the song becoming one of the biggest hits of his career. Two decades later, Turner is currently on his Long Black Train 20th Anniversary Tour.
“A lot of folks think that this was my first single, but it was actually my second,” the father of four recalls. “I was hesitant when the label suggested it be the next single, nothing else on the radio sounded like it. I don’t know where I’d be today without this song and so we named the tour for this 20th anniversary and will be celebrating all year long.”
See a track list for Greatest Hits below. Pre-order of the album, and all of his upcoming shows, can be found at JoshTurner.com.
Greatest Hits Track List:
1. “Would You Go With Me” (From the album Your Man)
2. “Firecracker” (From the album Everything Is Fine)
3. “Hometown Girl” (From the album Deep South)
4. “Long Black Train” (From the album Long Black Train)
5. Why Don’t We Just Dance (From the album Haywire)
6. All Over Me (From the album Haywire)
7. “Your Man” (From the album Your Man)
8. “Time Is Love” (From the album Punching Bag)
9. “I Wouldn’t Be A Man” (From the album Haywire)
10. “Me And God” (featuring Dr. Ralph Stanley and Marty Roe, Gene Johnson and Dana Williams of Diamond Rio) (From the album Your Man)
11. “I Serve A Savior” (From the album I Serve A Savior)