Surfacing

Each week, the spotlight will be on musicians who are making a commercial breakthrough.

Josh Turner

“Your Man”

MCA Nashville

Artist info: Here’s a guy whose 2003 debut, “Long Black Train,” sold nearly a million copies, who was nominated for two Country Music Assn. awards and who got a top new artist nomination from the Academy of Country Music. The title track and first single from his new disc, “Your Man,” cracked the Top 10 for both rock and country this week. His new album appears to ramp up the stakes: It’s headed for a Top 10 debut next week on the pop album chart and should easily top the country listing.

Back story: First exposed to music at the Union Baptist Church in his hometown of Hannah, S.C., Turner grew up listening to Southern gospel quartets.

Influences: Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, the Stanley Brothers’ old-school bluegrass, honky-tonk singer-guitarist John Anderson.

Trivia: Turner publicly sang his first country tune -- Randy Travis’ “Diggin’ Up Bones” -- at 14 after his mother entered him in a church fundraiser called April Fools for Christ. Each contestant either paid $25 or publicly humiliated himself (and Turner didn’t have $25).