Nashville, TN. (Top40 Charts/ MCA) - Double-platinum MCA recording artist
Josh Turner feels his music career has come full circle. Six years after making his Grand Ole Opry debut at the Ryman Auditorium, Turner returned to the historic stage for his first full-length concert at the Ryman. Performing on the same stage where his heroes received countless standing ovations, Turner selected the perfect place to record his first live CD, a place where he could honor country music legends including Hank Williams and
George Jones.
The result is Josh Turner: Live At The Ryman and the CD is available exclusively, on July 2nd, at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store locations and online at crackerbarrel.com. Josh Turner: Live At The Ryman captures the natural power of country music's most distinct baritone voice. Thinking back to that sold-out concert performance just a few months ago, Turner says he was overwhelmed by the moment.
"I will never forget the excitement of the crowd," said Turner. "Just knowing the tradition, the heritage and the history that have taken place on that stage, it's inspiring. So for me to go out there and record a live album from the Ryman stage, "It was an incredible feeling."
On this exclusive CD, Turner delivers his signature song, Long Black Train, plus a collection of his favorite country classics. In addition to performing Merle Haggard's Silver Wings and Don Williams' Lord Have Mercy On A Country Boy, Turner had the crowd cheering following his respectful renditions of George Jones' He Stopped Loving Her Today and Hank Williams' I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive. Turner first sang He Stopped Loving Her Today at the Cracker Barrel Songs Of The Year concert last November. As for the Hank Williams song, the Ryman show marked the first time Turner had performed the song in concert.
"George Jones is the real deal and I thought this was a perfect song for the Ryman show," said Turner. "Hank Williams is also a big hero of mine. This song is such a twist on reality. Here's a guy down on his luck, can't win for losing. It's interesting to me that this song became a number one hit after Hank died. It just felt like a natural fit to do this song at the Ryman, where Hank himself got six standing ovations when he performed Lovesick Blues on the Opry."
With a retail price of $11.99, the 12-song Josh Turner: Live At The Ryman CD is the latest project in an impressive collection of exclusive music available only at Cracker Barrel. Josh Turner: Live At The Ryman follows the May release of Merle Haggard's Working Man's Journey. Over the last three years, Cracker Barrel has released exclusive CDs featuring Alison Krauss & Union Station, Amy Grant, Sara Evans, Charlie Daniels and Songs Of The Year.
"From the moment we heard his voice, we believed Josh Turner would be a natural fit with Cracker Barrel," said Simon Turner, Chief Marketing Officer at Cracker Barrel. "He's been a Cracker Barrel fan for years and often stops at our stores during his cross-country tours. In addition to this CD, Cracker Barrel is sponsoring Josh's current concert tour because we're confident our guests will enjoy his music."
Josh Turner: Live At The Ryman is Turner's third CD. His 2003 debut, "Long Black Train," is certified platinum. His success continued when his sophomore release, "Your Man," debuted at No. 1 on Billboard magazine's Top Country Albums chart and has since been certified double platinum.
As the presenting sponsor of Turner's concert tour, Cracker Barrel is providing fans with the chance to meet Josh Turner. Fans can log onto www.crackerbarrel.com to register to win an all-expense paid trip for two to meet Josh and be his special guest at an upcoming show. For a complete list of upcoming concerts, visit www.joshturner.com.
