Josh Turner and Chris Stapleton have different sounds, different lifestyles, and different approaches to their country music careers, but their paths have been intertwined since their respective beginnings. It was Stapleton who penned Turner’s first No. 1 single “Your Man,” along with Chris DuBois and Jace Everett, and who also sang background vocals on another song on Turner’s sophomore Your Man record.

“Chris and I, we crossed paths a lot back then,” the North Carolina native tells Taste of Country, speaking of the early days of their careers. “We even wrote together. We were doing demo sessions together and all that kind of stuff. We were in and out of the same publishing company a lot. We knew each other and just were kind of in the same circles. He co-wrote ‘Your Man.’ That was my first No. 1 as an artist. That was his first No. 1 as a writer, so it was a big song for both of us. Still is. And I’ve cut several of his songs. He actually sang background vocals on ‘Loretta Lynn’s Lincoln’ on that record.”

At the time, neither Turner nor Stapleton could have likely predicted the success that Stapleton would have as an artist, with numerous awards and chart-topping singles.

“It’s still kind of surprising to me to see how big he got as an artist, because I just never knew he wanted that,” Turner admits. “I thought he always just wanted just to be a writer and be behind the scenes.”

Turner just released his tenth album, This Country Music Thing. The 46-year-old wrote three of the 11 songs on the project, including the title track, one of two that he wrote by himself. By his own admission, it’s a bit of a departure for him, but one Turner heartily embraced.

“My producer fell in love with that song the first time he heard it, and I didn’t know how to think about it or what to think about it because it just kind of seemed a little arrogant, which I didn’t know how my fans would take that,” Turner concedes. “But he was like, ‘That’s what I love about it. It’s kind of like a rap song — he’s like, ‘Hey, look. Look at what I’ve done,’ you know? And he’s right. Young people just love it.”

Turner has had a career, spanning more than two decades, with traditional country music. It’s what he loves, and still works for him, as much as it did in the beginning of his career.

“Yes this is a traditional country record, but there’s a lot of variety that I think will keep listeners engaged,” Turner tells MusicRow. “I always hope that somebody is moved or inspired by my work, and wants to do great things after hearing it, because I remember what it felt like listening to my heroes growing up.”

Turner will headline his Greatest Hits Tour throughout the remainder of 2024. See a track list of This Country Music Thing below, and find all of Turner’s music and upcoming shows, at JoshTurner.com.

This Country Music Thing Track List:

1. Down in Georgia (Tyler Booth, Anthony Olympia, Brent Rupard)
2. If You Ain’t With Me (Marv Green, Lance Miller, Jimmy Yeary)
3. I Just Wanna Kiss You (Jeff Hyde, Jon Nite)
4. Heatin’ Things Up (Marv Green, Luke Laird, Brice Long)
5. This Country Music Thing (Josh Turner)
6. My Side (Barton Davies, William Reames, Jeremy Spillman, Ryan Tyndell)
7. Two Steppin’ On The Moon (Matt Dragstrem, Chase McGill, John Pierce)
8. Somewhere With Her (Rhett Akins, Will Bundy, Josh Miller)
9. Whirlwind (Josh Turner, Mark Narmore)
10. Pretty Please (Wyatt McCubbin, Jon Randall, Gordie Sampson)
11. Unsung Hero (Josh Turner)