Easy on the ears Country crooner Josh Turner, known for his smooth baritone and respect for his elders, to play in Bangor with Gary Allen

Hybrids are gaining in popularity today.

Maybe this helps to explain Josh Turner’s growing success. He’s a product of new Nashville with a healthy respect for those classic country singers who have paved the way.

The college-educated singer will play in concert with New Brunswick native Gary Allen at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 31, at the Bangor Auditorium. Turner, a South Carolina native, has seen his career take off over the past few years.

His debut “Long Black Train” sold a million copies and earned him a pair of Country Music Association nominations and a Top New Artist nomination from the Academy of Country Music.

His second album, “Your Man,” released in late January, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Album sales chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart, propelled by the hit title single. In May, he’ll be heading out with Brad Paisley and Sara Evans on the Time Well Wasted Tour.

Turner’s full-bodied voice has earned praise from critics. USA Today said, “Turner’s not-so-secret weapon is a baritone as deep, rich and delicious as a slab of chocolate layer cake. It’s a gift that has earned the rising Nashville star comparisons ranging from Johnny Cash to Randy Travis.”

Turner, 28, always has been a country music fan, but he never set out to be a singer. Credit his mother for seeing his hidden gift.

She entered her children into a church fundraiser called April Fools for Christ. Under the rules, each contestant was required to look foolish in a public manner or pay $25. The then 14-year-old Turner’s act was to sing Randy Travis’ “Diggin’ Up Bones.”

He recalled, “I was just petrified. This was the first time I ever sang a country song in front of a crowd. Of course, I was singing to a track, and a lot of people that night thought I was lip-synching to Randy’s version of the song. There was a huge applause when I got through, and that was when the light went off for me. ‘If that’s the way this feels, this is what I want to do.'”

On the advice of a choir director, Turner attended Belmont University in Nashville as a vocal-performance major. Through a classmate, he met music publisher Jody Williams, who signed him to a songwriting deal with MCA Music and eventually helped him get a recording contract.

While at Belmont, he also met his future wife, Jennifer Ford, who is now a backing vocalist and piano player in his road band.

After the success of his debut album, Turner felt empowered to take his time and find the right songs for “Your Man.”

“I’m really patient,” he has said. “I just want to make sure that when my album comes out, it’s the best that it can possibly be.”

On the album, Turner pays tribute to those who inspired him. John Anderson and Ralph Stanley make guest appearances. He covers the Don Williams song “Lord Have Mercy on a Country Boy” and he references one of the first ladies of country in “Loretta Lynn’s Lincoln.”

He also got advice from an older hit maker, Eddy Arnold, who once strung together 67 consecutive Top 10 singles and who took an interest in Turner.

“The one thing that stuck out in my mind when it came to making this record was when he told me, ‘You go and record some love songs, because that’s [what] people relate to. The relationship between a woman and a man relates to people better than anything else.’ I wanted to capture that on this record, and we have a handful of those kinds of songs.”

As he enjoys his success, Turner hopes that he’s reaching his fans.

“I’m out there trying to make a positive impact on people in any kind of way I can, and I like music that makes you think,” he said.

Tickets are available by calling the auditorium box office at 990-4444 or Ticketmaster at 775-3331. Dale McGarrigle can be reached at dmc

garrigle@bangordailynews.net.