Josh Turner Opens up About Panic Attacks, Financial Struggles

Josh Turner might have sold millions of albums and enjoyed several Top 20 songs at radio, but life wasn't always smooth sailing for him. The singer-songwriter is opening up about a dark season in his life, when he was ready to give up on his musical dreams.

After Turner got his record deal, based off the song "Long Black Train," which Turner wrote, he hit the road, performing 300 dates a year while his new bride Jennifer was working as a teacher.

"I'd had my first panic attack because of all the stress going on," Turner told The Tennessean. "I described it as the best year and the worst year of my life."

The South Carolina native was also having a financial crisis, sometimes playing two shows a night and still not breaking even. But before Turner even moved to Nashville, he felt like God told him that he would find success in country music — a promise he held onto when times got tough.

"I had every reason to quit and pack up and move back home, but I kept going back to that moment when God spoke to me and said, 'If you want this, I'll give it to you as long as you trust me,'" Turner recalled. "Had I quit and moved back home, I would have forfeited all the blessings that came after that. I'm sitting here almost 20 years later, and I've lived my dream."

Turner will cross another item off his bucket list on Oct. 26, when his gospel I Serve a Savior album is released.

"Working on this project has definitely been a God-ordained blessing," Turner acknowledged. "I never would have thought I'd be doing this record this year, but God opened a door and I walked through it," shared Turner. "I've seen many seemingly impossible things take place during the making of this record and I've felt God's anointing over it."

The father of four released his latest country record, Deep South, in 2017, never imagining that his next set of tunes would be faith-based.

"I feel like nothing happens by accident," he said. "I don't believe in coincidences. I feel like this record is happening for a reason, and the time is just right for me to do this.

"My faith is the most important thing to me," he continued. "I want people to hear the sentiment and heart behind this record. I want them to feel the same inspiration that I felt. I want them to feel that and hopefully they'll make these songs a part of their life."

Order I Serve a Savior at JoshTurner.com.

Photo Credit: Getty images/Matt Winkelmeyer