“There’s victory in the Lord, I say/Victory in the Lord/Cling to the Father and His holy name/And don’t go ridin’ on that Long Black Train”
— from “Long Black Train”
Like most musical genres, country has been in a creative drought, unable to break successful new talent or generate many gold records with anyone other than best-sellers like Shania Twain or Alan Jackson. Then in 2003, along comes a young talent from Hannah, South Carolina, by the name of Josh Turner. In remarkably short time, this 26-year-old has become one of the most promising new stars in country music, selling more than 500,000 copies of Long Black Train since its October 2003 release.
Two interesting details make this success even more interesting. One is Turner’s classical approach to country. After a decade of pop-influenced country music from the likes of Twain, Faith Hill, and Garth Brooks, here’s an artist with a heart for more traditional sounds. Stylistically, Turner is like a modern-day Hank Williams or Johnny Cash, and his baritone vocal is oft compared to Randy Travis.
Then there’s the songwriting. Turner only wrote or co-wrote three songs on Long Black Train, including the title track, his first single and a runaway #1 smash hit. It’s been on the Radio && Records chart longer than any other country single in the history of country music. Especially reminiscent of classic Cash, the song clearly stems from Turner’s Christian faith, lyrically in step with Southern gospel. Country music has always had ties to gospel, but it’s rare when such artists are so forthright about sin and salvation.
The title refers to devil-engineered allure of temptation, “Makin’ you wonder if the ride is worth the pain/He’s just awaitin’ on your heart to say/Let me ride on that Long Black Train.” While many country artists have vaguely sung about temptation, Turner also points the way to salvation. The chorus of the song, excerpted above, clearly points to God as our hope for guarding our hearts from sin. Also, in the second verse, Turner sings, “Look to the heavens, you can look to the sky/You can find redemption starin’ back into your eyes/There is protection, and there’s peace the same/Burnin’ your ticket for that Long Black Train.”
Turner’s first public performance was reportedly Noah and the “Arky Arky” at the age of five in his home church. In an interview with Country Weekly, he discussed how he developed a passion for becoming a country artist: “I felt the Lord call me and say this is what I’m supposed to do with my life, and that he was going to pave the way for me. From then on, every step I took, whether it was joyful or hurtful, led me to where I am now.” He studied at Belmont University in Nashville, where he met his wife, and signed a recording contract shortly after graduation.
The other songs on Long Black Train cover traditional country themes, but as Turner told Entertainment Weekly, he “never wanted to be a Christian artist. The beautiful thing about country is how you can incorporate your faith, along with your career and relationships and hobbies, and those humorous songs that Johnny Cash and even Joe Diffie cut … all that is accepted.” With such a successful start to his career, including an opening slot on the recent Brooks && Dunn tour, we can only hope Josh Turner will continue to develop his songwriting and incorporate his faith in different ways, continuing to change lives with his music.
Unless specified clearly, we are not implying whether this artist is or is not a Christian. The views expressed are simply the author’s. For a more complete description of our Glimpses of God articles, click here.
