Brett James, Grammy-Winning Country Songwriter, Dies At 57

Grammy-winning songwriter Brett James died in a small-engine airplane crash on Thursday, September 18th, as confirmed in a statement by the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. He was 57. The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the cause of the crash.

James was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020, and won a Grammy award for his work on Carrie Underwood’s 2006 number one hit, “Jesus, Take The Wheel.” According to the Nashville Songwriters Association International, James has had more than 500 of his songs recorded, appearing on albums with combined sales of over 110 million copies.

In addition to his work with Underwood, James has written for artists including Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi, Billy Currington, and Dierks Bentley. The latter shared an Instagram post mourning his friend and collaborator, writing that James was “one of the best singer-songwriters in our town… total legend.” The two worked together on Bentley’s song “I Hold On,” on which Bentley reflected: “our friendship and that song changed my life.”

James was born on June 5, 1968, in Columbia, Mo, and had a unique path to songwriting. He initially dropped out of medical school to pursue a music career as a singer-songwriter, but after time spent struggling in the business, he re-enrolled. Around the same time, music producer Mark Bright signed James to his publishing company as a songwriter, where James found new success with the songs he composed in between classes. He dropped out of medical school for the final time, and went on to have his prolific career.

“He was a kind, giving, delightful soul,” Mark Ford, executive director of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, shared in a statement. “We join Brett’s family and our entire industry in mourning not only his untimely passing but also the songs that he had left to write – the songs that would have made us smile, laugh, and cry in the years and decades to come.”