Brett James, 57, died in a plane crash on September 18.
The songwriter is credited with writing hundreds of songs.
Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw, and more stars have shared stories about him.
Songwriter Brett James died in a plane crash on September 18. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, “A Cirrus SR22T crashed in a field in Franklin, North Carolina, around 3 p.m. local time on Thursday, Sept. 18. Three people were on board.” ABC News reports that the other passengers, Melody Carole and Meryl Maxwell Wilson, both from Tennessee, were also killed in the crash, citing the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
Brett was a prolific songwriter who wrote or co-wrote hundreds of songs for artists including Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, Tim McGraw, Martina McBride, Kenny Chesney, and more. In 2020, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Country music stars have been sharing tributes to Brett. Carrie Underwood, whose Grammy-winning “Jesus Take the Wheel” was co-written by Brett, shared her heartfelt thoughts on Instagram, along with a series of photos.
Carrie wrote, “Some things are just unfathomable. The loss of Brett James to his family, friends and our music community is too great to put into words. Brett was the epitome of ‘cool.’ I see him in my mind riding up to my cabins to write on his motorcycle…his hair somehow perfectly coiffed despite being under a helmet for however long. I always loved hearing him sing ‘Cowboy Casanova’ because a sassy girl anthem should’ve sounded ridiculous coming from a macho dude like him, but somehow, he even made that cool.”
She continued, “He was a good guy. I remember writing with him on a song that he basically wrote 75% of and had ready when he walked in the room. We filled in the blanks and added a little melody and I told him after that I didn’t feel right splitting the credit evenly when he did most of the work. He wouldn’t have it. He insisted that everything be equal. He was just that kind of guy…
Carrie and Brett had a special connection that went beyond music. She said, “Brett loved the Lord. Which is the only comfort we can hold on to now. We even had the pleasure of singing together at church. My favorite songs to sing of ours are the ones that he or we wrote about Jesus because the thoughts and feelings behind them are so genuine and pure. I won’t ever sing one note of them again without thinking of him.”
She added, “Brett’s passing is leaving a hole in all of us that I fear won’t ever go away. It will forever be a reminder that this life is but a moment…we have to make the most of each day we’re given here on earth. Each day is a gift.” Carrie concludes by asking for prayers for Brett’s family and friends and wrote, “Love you, man. I’ll see you again someday.”
Tim McGraw shared his own message about Brett on Instagram, crediting him with some of his “personal favorites”: “So heartbroken to hear about the passing of Brett James. Brett was one of the most talented and most respected songwriters in Nashville and wrote some of my personal favorite songs I ever recorded, Telluride and Drugs or Jesus.”
Dierks Bentley shared a special story of writing “I Hold On” with Brett while calling him a “total legend”: “I brought a couple of roughy sketched verse ideas of I Hold On to Brett after my dad died and he just did his thing. The chorus is all him. When I sing that song live, I’m always thinking of my dad, but I also think about that day we wrote it. He just got it, just lit into it. It was one of the first times we wrote and I decided to drop the most meaningful and necessary idea of a song I had on him, because I felt like God was telling me to do so. Our friendship and that song changed my life. 💔 Prayers for his family”
We’ll join these country singers in keeping Brett and his family in our prayers.
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