In this article: Josh Turner's and Martina McBride's favorite story-telling songs

Why America loves country music

Our Country Music Television partners wrangled this exclusive interview with Josh Turner and Martina McBride, two of Nashville's hottest stars.

By Katie Cook and Lance Smith
Hosts of shows on Country Music Television

Turner and McBride are riding high, both with major nominations for Country Music Association awards. McBride is going for a record fifth win as Female Vocalist of the Year.

If Wednesday night's Country Music Association Awards is any indication, Nashville's music is about star-studded lineups, glitzy production numbers and YouTube-worthy moments. But a USA WEEKEND Magazine conversation with stars Martina McBride and Josh Turner shows that the genre's real appeal comes from the heart. The music is rich with storytelling and sentiment, delivered with a refreshing sense of homespun sincerity. And, judging from the cover shoot, it never hurts that many of country's performers -- no matter how big they get -- keep their feet firmly grounded.

"Are we just waiting on the microphone?" asks an ever-helpful McBride, referring to a prop needed before the photo shoot can begin. "That's no problem. My husband is supposed to bring it. I'll give him a call now." She does, and because her own Nashville studio is just a short walk from the photo shoot, her husband drops by only a few minutes later with the microphone.

Shortly after the shoot, McBride and Turner discuss how honest emotion in music always will prevail over big hair and showy theatrics. "I look for songs that sound like the truth," McBride says. "That's what country audiences want to hear. You can always look at a fresh way of doing a song, but it always has to resonate with the truth."

Both stars will be well-represented during Wednesday night's awards. Both are nominated in the prestigious Male and Female Vocalist of the Year categories, with McBride going for a record fifth win in that category. McBride also is nominated in the song, single and video categories for Anyway. A two-time Horizon nominee as an up-and-coming performer, Turner's Male Vocalist of the Year nomination demonstrates how far he has come in a short time, competing in the category with an all-star lineup of George Strait, Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley and Keith Urban. Turner's maple-syrup-smooth bass voice first gained attention with what's now his signature song, "Long Black Train," a hit that recalls Nashville's rich traditions in emotionally stirring songwriting. His new album, "Everything Is Fine," is out in stores. Here's what McBride and Turner had to say about the CMAs, timeless lyrics and Turner's brush with the industry's biggest icon:

We know that the CMAs are essentially country music's Oscar night. What's it like on that day?
McBride: You'll go out and do a rehearsal in the afternoon. Then I usually stay there in the dressing room because you get to share it with a lot of the other performers. Many of them are women I haven't seen in a while, so you sit there and gossip and chitchat while you're getting your hair and makeup done. Once, I got to share a dressing room with Loretta Lynn. She's just a treat to be around. She shared stories about growing up and being in the business. That was a real special moment for me.
Turner: I wish I could say I've had that moment. I was disappointed my first couple of times at the CMAs because all the heroes that I've listened to have either passed away, or the radio won't play them anymore, and they can't get a spot on the show.

Why do you think country music's heart has remained the primary draw for fans through the decades?
Turner: Country music began as soul music. It was about rural life and how people were living and working and having everyday relationships and broken hearts. It always came from the people.
McBride: And it was always about drawing people out and having a real conversation. That's what's always brought me to country -- songs that sound like an actual conversation. Our artists don't sit from up above and try to tell someone something. They sit right down with you and just talk to you. One of my favorite songs of all time is "Help Me Make It Through the Night" by Kris Kristofferson. Some of the lines are just brilliant. "Take the ribbon from your hair/Shake it loose and let it fall ... All I'm takin' is your time.'' Those words feel very real.
Turner: Yeah, it has to feel real, even if the song isn't literally true. Take "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers. You realize it probably didn't happen. But it's told so well that it comes across as something that did.
McBride: It's like a great novel.

Josh, your biggest "story song" so far is "Long Black Train." How did you come up with it?
Turner: It's probably the most spiritual experience I've ever had writing a song. [The sound of a train near the photo studio can be heard.] Ha! How about that? Seriously, I've always been a fan of Hank Williams. I've been mystified by his life. Then a box set of his came out. I couldn't afford to buy it at the time, so I'd just go over to the library. Late at night, I'd be in a cubbyhole there, just listening to his songs. I loved how his guitar would be a little out of tune, and sometimes he'd mess up on a song, and he'd just start over instead of recording over it. I'd walk out of the library with my mind racing with images of a train running in the middle of nowhere, with all of these people just standing, watching it go by and trying to contemplate whether to get on or not. I went to my bedroom, shut the door and just started strumming that rhythm and writing the verses. It never occurred to me that it would be a hit. I didn't even have a record contract at the time.

We've heard that when you sing, you have to present the song like you're telling its story for the first time. Is that difficult?
Turner: It can be. We have to be like actors sometimes. We need to get into the shoes of the character within the song and tell that story like we were that person. Sometimes, you don't want to get up there and be this person again. But that's when you have to be a professional and express the words of the craft. Sometimes, you try little things to make it different. I'll get to the end of the third verse on "Backwoods Boy" and try a little vocal trick, like Martina would do.
McBride: Hah!
Turner: [Laughs.] Of course, my vocal tricks are much lower than Martina's.
McBride: It also helps when you really have compassion for the character in the song. I'll be singing "Independence Day" at concerts for the rest of my life, and thank God for that. I love the story. I love how it's told from the point of view of a child who's now grown up. The song is like an old friend. I get closer to it every time I sing it.

When it comes to singing, Martina, you've had some advice for the American Idol contestants: Less is more. Keep it simple.
McBride: Less is definitely more. You don't have to show off how many licks you can do. You have to do what's best for the song. Now, I'm not criticizing here. Everyone has their own style. It can be cool to hear those licks. But when you hear them all over a song, you lose track of what the lyrics are all about.
Turner: Right. Don Williams made a career of being soft and tender. He never pushed. It was easy to listen to. Now, everything's in your face. That's sad.

Which artists convey the heart of country music best for you?
McBride: There are so many. For me, growing up, Tammy Wynette comes to mind. She was so classy, even if her voice was full of heartache. She conveyed a sense of being very, very strong, but very vulnerable at the same time.
Turner: For me, Johnny Cash was the best storyteller to come to this town. He had the charisma. He had the intellect. He had the upbringing. He knew poverty, heartbreak, addictions and demons. I always call him a modern-day Bible character. He struggled with temptation. He stood at the top of the heap, and then he was at the bottom, too. Then he came back.

You apparently have an, ahem, unique Johnny Cash story. Tell us about it.
Turner: I got to reading about his neurological disorder, and I thought, if he dies before I get a chance to meet him, I'm going to be so disappointed. So one of my friends had a book that tells you where stars live, with addresses. Sure enough, Johnny Cash's address is in there. So I head off to Hendersonville, where he lived in Tennessee. I was just praying that I'd come across as a genuine person that cared and not ...
McBride: A stalker?
Turner: Yeah, a stalker. I found the place, and the gate was open, so I drove right in. I knocked, and eventually the door swung wide open, and there's Johnny Cash! He had reading glasses and bedroom shoes on, in a long-sleeved denim shirt and gold chain. I said, "Mr. Cash, my name is Josh Turner, and I was wondering if you had time to sit down and talk." He said, "Well, I've been ill lately, and I can't sit down and talk for very long." I told him I understood, and I was reading about him and praying for him. He reached out with that big old hand of his and shook mine and said, "Your prayers are appreciated." We spoke some more, and then he had to go back inside and rest. He shut the door, and I walked away with tears just flooding out of my eyes.

Country Music Television's Katie Cook is host of CMT Insider, and Lance Smith is host of CMT's "Top 20 Countdown."

Cover and cover story photographs by Russ Harrington for USA WEEKEND
Wardrobe styling: Claudia Fowler; McBride's hair: Earl Cox, makeup: Marybeth Felts; Turner's grooming: Paula Turner

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