Josh Turner

MCA Nashville recording artist Josh Turner, while a multi-platinum-selling star himself, is a country music fan first and foremost. He’s even concocted his own version of Mount Rushmore conceived solely of country music legends. Turner’s “Mount Rushmore of Country Music” boasts five faces rather than four (it’s his mountain, after all)—Randy Travis, John Anderson, Johnny Cash, Vern Gosdin, and Hank Williams. The giants carved into the granite of Turner’s musical soul form the core of his aptly titled new album, Country State of Mind. “I’ve always said that any song you hear coming from my voice, you’re going to hear bits and pieces of those five guys,” he says. “They taught me how to be Josh Turner.”The dozen songs on Country State of Mind, including songs from those five legends among others, span more than half a century of classic country music, encompassing both well-known standards and deep-catalog cuts. The album shows a singer in dialogue with the songs and the artists that shaped his vision. It’s a conversation—relayed in the distinctive, resonant baritone that brought Turner #1 hits and five gold and platinum albums—between the past and present of country music. And on half the tracks, Turner invites other voices—some heroes, some contemporaries—to join him in the conversation.