From playing the Grand Ole Opry to Christian television's "Hour of Power," Josh Turner [ tickets ] has exposed as many folks as possible to his debut album, "Long Black Train," without overexposing himself.

Turner, who has lived in Nashville since 1998, is modest about his schedule in an "aw shucks" sort of way.

"I've been out on the road," Turner said. "I've been busy. I've been doing a lot of stuff here in the past year, even. It's all been fun though. It's been very productive and it's been paying off."

But his affectation changes a bit when he discusses the success of "Long Black Train," an album clearly influenced by Johnny Cash. Earlier this year, the set topped out at No. 3 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart.

"I'm definitely shocked by the success of 'Long Black Train,' but I had the confidence that it would do really well," he said. "I had no idea that it would take off this fast, but I knew it would do well. It's been very fulfilling and a lot of fun."

Turner talked with liveDaily about "Long Black Train," being out on the road and playing Nashville's legendary Grand Ole Opry.

liveDaily: For a new artist, you've really run the gamut on promotional techniques. Was it inspiring to play the Grand Ole Opry?

Josh Turner: Well, the Opry is always great to play at. The people there are just genuine, and ... big country music fans. Everybody has treated me real well there at the Opry, so that's always a joy.

How's the tour been so far?

Just being out on the road, not every show is your favorite show. But there's times when you'll have a show when everything comes together and is really perfect. We've had several shows like that. Those always feel really good. I've done some acoustic things out on the West Coast; played some clubs out there--just me and my guitar player. That's really fun. We strip everything down and get real intimate with the crowd. I start telling stories and different things. It's really a close-knit kind of thing.

Sounds like it's been a real satisfying run.

Yeah, it has. I've been going through growing pains as a new artist. I think every new artist has those growing pains. It's that phase of my career where I'm just having to put everything together. I'm constantly evaluating and analyzing where things are and who I have surrounding me. I'm just trying to improve upon what I do every day.

What kind of growing pains are you having?

Just being able to put your show together. You may want to play a song that's one of your favorite songs, but the crowd doesn't really respond to it. Or, there may be songs that the crowd wants to hear, but you don't really feel good playing. You just have to find a happy medium there and play songs that you love, and play it from the heart, and just kind of let the crowd react the way they need to or want to. Usually, if they see you're playing from the heart, they appreciate that and they love that. I'm just trying to develop different relationships within the business and the image that I'm trying to portray is coming across in the proper way in the media, in the radio and different things. I'm constantly making decisions based on my career and that can be grueling at times. We don't take a break from it. It's a constant thing.

What is the image that you're trying to portray?

I'm just trying to portray who I am, and that is a constantly evolving thing. I grew up way out in the country in a small-town atmosphere (Hannah, SC). I'm a devout Christian and that comes into play in my music and my life and the way I handle my business. I love music and I love the songs that I sing. I try to sing them from my heart, and I try to make them relate to what's going on in the world today and how the general public feels. I guess I'm just trying to portray honesty and sincerity. I'm a genuine country artist who loves what he does.

In listening to your album, it's clear that you were influenced by more traditional country music and story telling. Would you agree with that?

I think so. I think there's a story behind every song, or at least there should be--whether it's a story song or not. Storytelling has been a big part of country music for many, many years. I agree. I think my album is very reminiscent of those core values and core traditions of heritages of country music, and I try to stay true to that. At the same time, I'm trying to stay fresh and putting a new spin on those old aspects.