Brett James, the Grammy-winning Nashville singer-songwriter who wrote the Carrie Underwood chart-topper “Jesus, Take the Wheel” and many other hits, died Thursday in a North Carolina plane crash. He was 57.
His death was announced by the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, where James was a 2020 inductee.
According to local news reports, James was one of three people onboard the small-engine plane that went down west of North Carolina’s Iotla Valley Elementary School on September 18. The Federal Aviation Administration said there were no survivors. The Macon County Sheriff’s Office reported on Facebook that no students or staff of the school were injured.
According to the FAA, the plane, a Cirrus SR22T, crashed in a field in Franklin around 3 p.m. local time on Thursday. Flight records indicate that the plane owned by Brett Cornelius — James’ legal name — departed from John C. Tune Airport in Nashville before the crash.
Country superstar Dierks Bentley, who co-wrote his hit “I Hold On” with James, posted a tribute on Instagram. “Rest in peace pal. Total stud. Fellow aviator. One of the best singer-songwriters in our town….total legend.”
James co-wrote “Jesus, Take the Wheel” with Hillary Lindsay and Gordie Sampson, and in early 2006 it became the first of Underwood’s 15 No. 1s on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, spending six weeks on top. It also made the pop Top 20 and won two Grammys including Best Country Song, which James shared with his co-writers, and was nominated for Song of the Year.
Among the many other songs written or co-written by James are “Blessed” by Martina McBride, “When the Sun Goes Down” by Kenny Chesney and Uncle Kracker, Jason Aldean’s “The Truth and Scotty McCreery’s debut single “I Love You This Big.”
“Brett was a trusted collaborator to country’s greatest names, and a true advocate for his fellow songwriters,” the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) said in a statement. “Brett, your ASCAP family misses you dearly. Thank you for your unforgettable music.”
Taylor Swift recorded the song “A Perfectly Good Heart,” which she co-wrote with James and Troy Verges, for her debut 2006 album Taylor Swift.
James, born June 5, 1968, in Columbia, MO, is survived by his wife Sandra Cornelius and their four children.
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