Cancer inspires local man to become country artist

After dealing with cancer at the base of his tongue, one local man found the courage to pursue his dream of becoming a country music artist.

"I have been given a second chances so I don't want to waste the opportunity," said Nathan Turner.

He was born and raised in North Carolina and moved to Arkansas in 1997. He and his family has been in Saline County since 2014.

Turner and his wife, Cindy, moved to Arkansas due to her father's ill health.

All three of his children —Barry Haston, Jamie Turner and Jeni Turner — are grown. He has five grandchildren with one on the way.

He is primarily a country singer but also does Southern rock. He does some Gospel.

He retired after 23 years in the Arkansas Army National Guard.

Turner was diagnosed with cancer in 2015.

He had seven weeks of chemotherapy and seven weeks of radiation.

In February of 2015, he was dealing with slurred speech, drooling and difficulty swallowing. That led to the diagnosis of cancer.

His doctor was Dr.

Scott Stern at CARTI. A year after the end of treatment, he was considered in remission.

After treatment, he had to learn to speak again and strengthen his tongue.

Through speech therapy, he became more confident in his singing. His vocal range has changed, but he can still reach some high notes.

He started singing along with the radio. His wife encouraged him and told him he had a good voice.

He believed he could write songs. He already wrote poems and just needed to set them to music.

Over time, he built up his confidence.

Before the cancer, he had not performed. He played guitar some, starting in 1995. He grew up singing in church. He said over the past few years he has buckled down to hone his craft. He had a lot of down time and so he took out his old guitar to try to get better.

COVID forcing him to work from home gave him even more time to work on his music.

His first open mike night was in April of

2021. His first show was opening for Bud Jones at Valhalla later that year.

"I grew up influenced by Alan Jackson, George Straight, George Jones, Dwight Yokum," Turner.

His uncles and cousins influence him with Leonard Skinard, Steppenwolf and Southern rock.

He now has regular shows across Arkansas. He will be in Conway,

Hot Springs, Russelville, North Little Rock and El Dorado.

He is humbled by this second chance he has been given. He is happy he is able to do something he loves to do.

He thinks people enjoy his music and have fun. He said he is not the type to sit on a stool or just stand behind the mic. He tries to always give the audience a show.

His music is a mix of originals and covers. His first single, "You Are Gone," is set to hit Spotify and streaming services July 23. He wrote it.

He can be found on Facebook at Nate Turner Music, on Instagram at N8TurnerMusic and YouTube at Nate Turner Music.

"I am a down to Earth country boy who loves what he does," Turner said.

He added he appreciates anyone who comes to his shows.