February 17, 2004
Train Rolls Faster for Josh Turner
Billboard magazine has taken note of rising country music star - and Belmont University graduate - Josh Turner, whose song Long Black Train is rising up the country charts. In the story, which notes that Turner is the only new artist who debuted in 2003 to have the debut album go "gold" so far. Gold certification is awarded to albums that sell at least 500,000 copies. Turner describes the writing of the song, which he wrote while still a student at Belmont in 1999...
"I was over at the music library one night listening to the complete Hank Williams boxed set, and it really made me feel like I was in the same room with him," he recalls.Walking home from the library on what he describes as an "unusually dark" night, Turner had a vision of "this wide-open space, way out on the plains somewhere. There was this train track running right down the middle of this place, and from out of the darkness came roaring down this track this long, beautiful, shiny train. I could see people standing out to the side of this track, watching this train go by.
"I kept asking myself, 'What in the world does this vision mean exactly? How was it relevant to me or anybody else?' " Turner explains. "It dawned on me that this train was a physical metaphor for temptation, and these people were caught up in the decision whether or not to get on this train. When I realized that, I knew I had something powerful, something really special. I got home that night, got my guitar out and sat on my bed." The song, he says, "just poured out of me."
- For more stories from the Music Archive, click here.
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About Belmont University
Named one of the top two “Schools to Watch” in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Belmont University is a fast-growing community of more than 5,400 students who come from every state and 25 countries. Committed to being a leader among teaching universities, Belmont brings together the best of liberal arts and professional education in a Christian community of learning and service. The university’s purpose is to help students explore their passions and develop their talents to meet the world’s needs. With more than 75 areas of study, 20 master’s programs and three doctoral degrees, there is no limit to the ways Belmont University can expand an individual's horizon. For more information, visit www.belmont.edu.
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