Josh Turner to Play SCERA Shell, 6/25

When country music singer and songwriter Josh Turner released his signature song "Long Black Train" a decade ago, he boarded his own train to super success. A baritone whose specialty is barn-burning bluegrass and slow and steady love ballads, Turner's devotion to traditional country music gave him an early induction into the Grand Ole Opry, a truckload full of number one songs and a devoted fan following.

The Grammy, CMA and ACM Award nominee is making a stop at the SCERA Shell Outdoor Theatre in Orem on Tuesday, June 25, and the 8 pmconcert will include such megahits as "Firecracker," "Would You Go With Me," "Time is Love," "Why Don't We Just Dance," "All Over Me" and "Your Man."

General admission tickets at $20 for adults and $15 for children (age 3-11), students (w/ID) and seniors (age 65+) are available at www.scera.org, by calling 801-225-ARTS, or in person at the SCERA Center for the Arts (745 S, State St., Orem), open 10am-6pm weekdays and Saturdays from 12Noon-6pm. Patrons should bring a blanket or may rent one of SCERA's chairs for $1.00 (limited quantities).

Much of his music reflects his Christian, family and humanitarian values that are as run as his deep as his rich baritone. As a youth he sang with the quartet, Thankful Hearts, and as an adult he wrote "Long Black Train" as a religious metaphor where he envisioned a wide open space in the plains with a train running in the middle of nowhere. People stood along the tracks, deciding whether to board it and thus succumbing to temptation. In the decade since its release, Turner has become a double-platinum-selling artist who has developed a Mark Twain-like knack for turning out songs that stays in the head and in the heart, reflecting his philosophy on life, honed in his native South Carolina.

The audience will also hear music from Josh's newest album, Punching Bag, filled with the soul and fun that keep him at the top of country radio.

"This concert will be incredible," says SCERA President & CEO Adam J. Robertson. "Josh is coming with three semi trucks to make this a first-class production, but the real star will be his voice and his warm personality."