Country music songwriter Brett James was one of three people killed in a small-engine plane crash in North Carolina on Thursday (Sept. 18).

The 57-year-old is most closely associated with kick-starting Carrie Underwood‘s career and feeding her hit songs early and often, but he’s written dozens of hits for other artists like Kenny Chesney, Dierks Bentley, Rascal Flatts and Martina McBride.

• The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame confirmed James’ death with a post to social media on Thursday night.
• The crash took place around 3PM local team in Franklin, N.C. (per WPDE-TV).
• While it occurred near an elementary school, no children or staff at the school were harmed.

Who Was Brett James?

James co-wrote nearly a dozen songs for Underwood projects, including “Church Bells,” “Love Wins,” “Cowboy Casanova,” “The Champion” and “Somethin’ Bad,” a song she cut with Miranda Lambert. He had cuts on all but two of her albums.

The most famous however is “Jesus Take the Wheel,” Underwood’s breakthrough song after her win on American Idol in 2005. It was an important moment for him too.

Jessica Andrews’ “Who I Am” and Martina McBride’s “Blessed” were among his earliest hits as a songwriter. Like so many who move to Nashville, his pursuits as an artist came up dry so he focused on songwriting only. “When the Sun Goes Down” by Chesney was another essential song however “Jesus” earned him his first and only Grammy.

For most of two decades he was a go-to songwriter in Nashville, but his legacy grew beyond just that. The two-time ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year was also a producer, board member of the CMA and owner of Corman Music.

In 2020, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Brett James’ Best Songs

A very incomplete list of popular Brett James songs can be found below. In addition he recorded a small amount of music. The songs he chose to cut were always personal.

In 2020, upon releasing the I Am Now EP he told Taste of Country about how his fiancée Melody inspired the project.

A song called “True Believer” was inspired by his daughter, then 19 years old.

“I don’t think she shed a tear about it, that’s not my daughter,” James shared, laughing. “But I will say she loves it.”

James also leaves behind three sons.

Carrie Underwood
“Jesus Take the Wheel”
“Something In the Water”
“Cowboy Casanova”

Kenny Chesney
“Keg In the Closet”
“When the Sun Goes Down”
“You Save Me”

Brantley Gilbert, “Bottoms Up”
Martina McBride, “Blessed”
Dierks Bentley, “I Hold On”
Tim McGraw, “Drugs or Jesus”
Mark Wills, “Days of Thunder”
Gary Allan, “Get Off on the Pain”
Scotty McCreery, “I Love You This Big”