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Brett James

Updated: Wikipedia source

Brett James

Brett James Cornelius (June 5, 1968 – September 18, 2025) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer based in Nashville. James began his musical career in 1995 with a self-titled album on the former Arista Nashville's Career Records division, which charted three singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. He re-signed with Arista Nashville early in the 21st century and charted two more singles which were not included on an album. In the beginning of the 21st century, James became known primarily as a songwriter for other country and pop music artists. Among his compositions is Carrie Underwood's number-one hit "Jesus, Take the Wheel", which received the Grammy Awards for Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance. His writing credits include number-one hits for Jessica Andrews, Martina McBride, Kenny Chesney, Rodney Atkins, and Jason Aldean. James, along with his wife and daughter, died in an airplane crash in North Carolina on September 18, 2025.

Infobox

Born
Brett James Cornelius(1968-06-05)June 5, 1968Columbia, Missouri, U.S.
Died
September 18, 2025(2025-09-18) (aged 57)near Franklin, North Carolina, U.S.
Cause of death
Airplane crash
Genres
Country
Occupation
Singer-songwriterRecord producer
Instruments
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Years active
1995–2025
Labels
CareerArista Nashville

Tables

· Discography › Albums
Brett James
Brett James
Title
Brett James
Album details
Release date: September 12, 1995 Label: Career Records Format: CD, cassette
Title
Album details
Brett James
Release date: September 12, 1995 Label: Career Records Format: CD, cassette
· Discography › Singles
US Country
US Country
Year
US Country
Single
CAN Country
1995
1995
Year
1995
Single
"Female Bonding"
Peak positions
60
Peak positions
89
Album
Brett James
"If I Could See Love"
"If I Could See Love"
Year
"If I Could See Love"
Single
68
Peak positions
—
"Worth the Fall"
"Worth the Fall"
Year
"Worth the Fall"
Single
73
Peak positions
—
2002
2002
Year
2002
Single
"Chasin' Amy"
Peak positions
34
Peak positions
x
Album
—
2003
2003
Year
2003
Single
"After All"
Peak positions
39
Peak positions
x
"—" denotes releases that did not chart"x" indicates that no relevant chart existed at the time
"—" denotes releases that did not chart"x" indicates that no relevant chart existed at the time
Year
"—" denotes releases that did not chart"x" indicates that no relevant chart existed at the time
Year
Single
Peak positions
Album
US Country
CAN Country
1995
"Female Bonding"
60
89
Brett James
"If I Could See Love"
68
—
"Worth the Fall"
73
—
2002
"Chasin' Amy"
34
x
—
2003
"After All"
39
x
"—" denotes releases that did not chart"x" indicates that no relevant chart existed at the time
· Discography › Music videos
1995
1995
Year
1995
Video
"Female Bonding"
"If I Could See Love"
"If I Could See Love"
Year
"If I Could See Love"
Year
Video
1995
"Female Bonding"
"If I Could See Love"

References

  1. The Oklahoman
    https://www.newspapers.com/image/452752617/
  2. Whitburn 2017, p. 178.
  3. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
    https://www.allmusic.com/artist/brett-james-mn0000935857#biography
  4. Whitburn 2017, p. 239.
  5. Nashville Scene
    https://web.archive.org/web/20090910025213/http://www.nashvillescene.com/1996-07-04/stories/young-at-heart/
  6. The Cincinnati Post
    https://web.archive.org/web/20121025165000/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-67905249.html
  7. Yahoo! Music
    https://archive.today/20120718000545/http://new.music.yahoo.com/brett-james/news/arista-nashville-trims-roster--12042566
  8. countrymusichalloffame.org
    http://countrymusichalloffame.org/music-masters/mark-bright
  9. nekst.biz
    http://nekst.biz/brett-james-follow-music-follow-heart/
  10. ASCAP
    http://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/awards/ascapcma/2006/song.html
  11. Billboard
    https://books.google.com/books?id=-gsEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Brett+james%22+arista&pg=PA15
  12. Billboard
    https://books.google.com/books?id=shAEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22brett+james%22+%22chasin+amy%22&pg=PA18
  13. "Carrie Underwood Pays Tribute to "Jesus Take the Wheel" Songwriter Brett James: "I'll See You Again Someday""
    https://people.com/carrie-underwood-pays-tribute-to-songwriter-brett-james-see-you-again-someday-11813804
  14. Billboard
    https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/rich-james-rutherford-top-ascap-country-honors-1348689/
  15. American Songwriter
    https://americansongwriter.com/ascap-country-music-awards-honors-dierks-bentley-brett-james-alan-jackson/
  16. "Interview with Hit Country & Pop Songwriter Brett James, Two-Time ASCAP Songwriter of the Year"
    https://www.songwriteruniverse.com/brett-james-123/
  17. Rolling Stone
    https://web.archive.org/web/20080703211849/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/07/01/idol-kristy-lee-cook-signs-with-arista-nashville-again/
  18. WZTV
    https://fox17.com/news/local/grammy-winning-songwriter-brett-james-dies-in-plane-crash-near-north-carolina-school-franklin-cirrus-sr22t-thursday-plane-crash-news-tennessee-google-trends
  19. "Country Songwriter Brett James' Wife and Stepdaughter Also Killed in North Carolina Plane Crash"
    https://usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/country-songwriter-brett-james-and-family-killed-in-crash
  20. CNN
    https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/19/entertainment/brett-james-death-plane-crash-hnk
  21. Country Now
    https://countrynow.com/breaking-grammy-winning-songwriter-brett-james-dies-in-tragic-plane-crash-at-57/
  22. The New York Times
    https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/us/plane-crash-north-carolina-brett-james.html
  23. "Grammy-Winning Songwriter Brett James Dies in North Carolina Plane Crash with No Survivors"
    https://people.com/brett-james-dies-north-carolina-plane-crash-11813328
  24. RPM
    https://web.archive.org/web/20130627183231/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.2733&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=f7had58gp1lpf66c9hb1kat1g7
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