JOHN DAY — Country singer Josh Turner’s song “Long Black Train” holds special significance for the Belozer family, who drove five hours down Highway 26 from the Portland suburb of Gladstone to see the artist perform at the Grant County Fair concert in John Day on Friday night, Aug. 11.

Jeff Belozer brought his wife, Jen; and their sons, Henry, 6, and Wyatt, 4; along with Jen’s mother, Stephanie Maben. The song was a favorite of Jeff’s father-in-law, Tony Maben, who was very close with Henry, Belozer said. The boy and Tony both loved “Long Black Train,” before Tony’s passing from COVID in 2021.

“(Tony and Henry) were best friends,” Belozer said. “He was an incredible person to have in our family and as a father figure for my wife, as well as my kids. We spent a lot of time listening to (Turner’s) music. Tony is the man who introduced us, and primarily our son Henry, to Josh Turner when he was 2 years old. The first song he really took to was ‘Long Black Train,’ and it started his love for steam locomotives.”

The family stationed themselves front and center in the area nearest the stage, where the boys held up two signs with drawings of the family and the message “I love you Josh Turner.”

Thousands of fans packed the grounds of the Iron Triangle Outdoor Arena, where Turner and opening artist Alana Springsteen entertained the crowd on Friday night. Fans were excited to see Turner perform his hit song “Long Black Train,” which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, in addition to “Why Don’t We Just Dance” and many others.

Also traveling hours to John Day for the concert was lifelong fan Greg Havely, 19, of Lakeview.

“He’s produced so many good songs, it’s hard to tell which one is my favorite,” Havely said. “I was excited. I knew I had to come. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

Alongside Havely, nearest the stage was John Day resident Heather Lippert, who said she’s been a Josh Turner fan for the past 20 years.

“I like him because of his voice,” she said. “There are very few country artists who have the very deep voice.”

Josh Turner superfan Tiffani Minkowski, of John Day, had seen Turner perform six times previously, with the John Day concert being her seventh. When the tickets went on sale, she bought some “right away.”

“Since I was 5, my mom got (his music) into my life,” she said from her spot in the front row. “His music helps a lot with my anxiety.”

Turner, who records on the MCA Nashville label and has released nine studio albums, is known for his deep baritone voice and traditional country style. Four of Turner’s singles — “Your Man,” “Would You Go With Me,” “Why Don’t We Just Dance” and “All Over Me” — have reached the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s U.S country charts. Three of his albums have also been country chart-toppers: first “Your Man” in 2006, followed by “Punching Bag” in 2012 and “Deep South” in 2017.

Turner made his debut on the “Grand Ole Opry” radio show in 2001, performing “Long Black Train.” The song would become the title track of his first album, released in 2003, and his first single to get widespread airplay.

Turner earned a pair of Grammy nominations for “Your Man” (country album of the year) and “Would You Go With Me” (male country vocal performance) in 2007. He also received three nods at that year’s Country Music Association Awards — two for “Would You Go With Me,” which was nominated in both the single of the year and song of the year categories, and one for “Me and God,” a duet with bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley nominated for vocal event of the year.

Turner was a top choice to headline the big fair concert, according to Grant County Fair Manager Mindy Winegar.

“We felt like Josh Turner would appeal to young and old and he would bring in a large demographic to Grant County,” she said.

Opening act Alana Springsteen thanked the crowd at the fair concert for coming out after her set and said she’d “never forget” the warm reception she received. At the concert, she announced her first album, “Twenty Something,” would be released by Columbia Records NY/Sony Music this Friday, Aug. 18. Her concert schedule showed dates in the Netherlands and the U.K. following the John Day concert.

Springsteen, who was named a “country artist to watch” by Pandora in 2021, has appeared at country venues like the Grand Ole Opry and has neared 100 million streams, according to her website.