Hit Country Songwriter Brett James Dies in Plane Crash

It is a tragic end, and a major loss for a towering member of country music’s songwriting community. Hit songwriter Brett James had songwriting credits on an incredible 26 No. 1 tracks, including on Carrie Underwood’s signature song “Jesus Take The Wheel” that won two Grammy Awards including Best Country Song in 2007. He was also an inductee to the Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame. But his own song concludes way too soon as it’s been revealed that Brett James was one of three people who perished in a plane crash on Thursday, September 18th.

At around 3:00 PM Eastern, a Cirrus SR22T registered to Brett James Cornelius (his legal last name) crashed near a school in Franklin, North Carolina in Macon County, not far from the county airport. The two other passengers also on board died in the accident according to local authorities. The flight had originated in Nashville. No cause for the crash has been revealed at this time.

Brett James was responsible for writing some of the best, most meaningful, and most uplifting songs in country music over the last 25 years while still maintain his integrity, and the integrity of country music through a transitional period. Though he was mostly known in the industry as a songwriter, that’s not how his country music career started.

Born in Columbia, Missouri on June 5th, 1968, Brett James graduated from high school in 1968, and later graduated from Baylor University in Waco, TX with a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1991. He was originally supposed to be a doctor, and would be in and out of medical school as he also pursued country music. But for a while, neither of them worked out fully.

James signed to the short-lived Career Records, which was a division of Arista Nashville in 1995. After releasing a series of singles that stalled out of the Top 60 and a self-titled album, his performing career stalled. So he went back to medical school, but in 1998, dropped out again to move back to Nashville, trying to pursue his country music dreams once more. While waiting tables and performing at open mics, James was convinced to try and become a dedicated songwriter. While once again pursuing a medical degree, he’d write country songs every three days.

Jessica Andrews was one of the first to have success with a Brett James song, taking “Who I Am” to #1 in 2000, finally opening the door for James in the industry. Martina McBride then found success with “Blessed,” which rose to #1 in 2001. Off the success of these songs, James once again signed with Arista Nashville as a performer, and released a couple of new singles. But after they stalled in the #30s, plans for a second album were scrapped.

Brett James kept writing though, landing subsequent big #1 hits with Kenny Chesney’s “When The Sun Goes Down,” and in 2006, Underwood’s “Jesus Take The Wheel.” At that point, James became one of the most sought after co-writers in Nashville, penning hits for Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, a young Jason Aldean, Sara Evans, and others of the era. James had a knack for writing landmark songs for an artist’s debut to help ignite their career. He did this once again with Scotty McCreery’s debut hit “I Love You This Big” in 2011.

James penned the big #1 with Dierks Bentley in 2013, “I Hold On.” Like so many Brett James songs, it came with an uplifting feeling that defied the conventional wisdom of what a hit in mainstream country song could be. But as the gloss wore off of the glossy decade of the oughts in country music and gave way to the Bro-Country era, the opportunities for Brett James and his songs began to be featured became more fleeting.

Yet by helping to define a decade as a songwriter, Brett James remain revered, and had finally found a way to live out his country music dream, even if it was others doing the singing for him. Brett James eventually accrued nearly 500 songs recorded by country stars from his catalog.

As news spread about the death of Brett James, artists and fellow songwriters shared their condolences. He was 57 years old.

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