Josh Turner to Become Grand Ole Opry Member

9/29/2007 Stephen L. Betts   Josh Turner was invited to become the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday night (9/29). He’ll be formally inducted into the Opry family by Opry superstar Vince Gill on Sat., Oct. 27. During Opry Live on GAC, Josh presented Roy Clark with a plaque commemorating his years in music, marriage and also 20 years as a Grand Ole Opry member. After accepting, Roy noticed an envelope attached to the back of the plaque. He opened it and found a formal invitation enclosed and read it aloud. “Well, actually this is for you, Josh,” he said. “It reads: How would you like to formally become a member of the Grand Ole Opry?” After taking a moment to regain his composure and give Roy a hug, Josh said, “I made my Opry debut back in 2001. I never knew this could happen so early. And if this is an invitation, I say yes!” Josh Turner’s Dec. 21, 2001, Opry debut is one of the most memorable in recent history. Though he hadn’t yet had a song released to country radio at the time, he earned a standing ovation for the song that would become his breakthrough hit, “Long Black Train,” during the performance of the song. He was given a second standing ovation after performing an encore. Josh’s forthcoming album, Everything Is Fine, will be in stores Oct. 30. He’s nominated for Male Vocalist honors at the Country Music Association Awards the following week.