"I was on cloud nine, standing there singing a song of mine,
standing where Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Ernest Tubb, Hank Williams, Patsy
Cline and Roy Acuff had stood. All of a sudden, people started standing up
and cheering. I wasn't even through with the song yet! I had two more verses
and a chorus to go. By the end of the song, everybody was on their feet. I
was in awe, just in shock." "Bill Anderson was hosting that segment,"
Turner says. "He came out just laughing, because he couldn't believe what
was going on. He said, 'Do y'all want to hear some more? Josh, make that
train a little bit longer.' So I counted the song off again. I got really
choked up, because I realized what had just happened. I'd gotten an encore
on the Grand Ole Opry. I was numb. I started crying a little bit, and I
think I skipped a couple of verses. But I made it through and got another
standing ovation. There was a buzz in the building. I just couldn't believe
that it had happened."
One month after his Opry debut, Turner signed to MCA
Nashville. He released his debut album Long Black Train in 2003, and
it was certified gold (for shipments of 500,000 copies) by the end of the
year.