Brett James Cornelius, known professionally as Brett James, died on Sept. 18 after a small-engine plane crashed in a field in Franklin, North Carolina.
He was 57.
In 2020, the Columbia, Missouri, native was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The Grammy Award-winning Nashville songwriter co-wrote Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” which became the first of Underwood’s 15 number-one singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, the Tennessean reported.
The song, which made the Opry’s list of the 100 Greatest Country Music Songs, became Underwood’s first single on her debut album after winning American Idol in 2005. Here’s how the country classic came together.
What Brett James said about writing Carrie Underwood’s ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel’
Brett James sings on stage during a live broadcast at Analog in Nashville, Tenn., March 8, 2025.
On a gray, “nasty” January day, James along with songwriters Hillary Lindsey and Gordie Sampson gathered for a writing session that would unexpectedly produce one of country music’s most iconic hits.
According to a 2020 “Story Behind the Song” video interview, the song, which tells the story of a young mother skidding on black ice and recommitting her life to Christ after coming to a safe stop, barely made the cut when deciding which five songs to record as demos.
But fate intervened.
Brett James performs during a rehearsal for an upcoming tribute to the troops performance with the Boston Pops at Soundcheck Nashville on May 21, 2013 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Though they didn’t write “Jesus, Take the Wheel” with Carrie Underwood in mind — she was still just a contestant in the second season of “American Idol” at the time — the song found its “perfect voice” a few months later when Underwood won the competition in May 2005.
“We were blessed enough to end up being the country song,” James said, recalling how Underwood debuted the track at the 2005 CMA Awards as her first country single. Though not written as a Christian song, it resonated deeply with faith-based audiences and became a spiritual anthem for many, he said.
“It turned into something special for all of us, and I think it’s still special to Carrie,” James said. “I’ve been so blessed by her over the years.” James went on to co-write several songs for Underwood, including “Love Wins”, “Cowboy Casanova” and “Game On.”
James said people have approached him over the years to share how the song changed their lives, often recounting moments of driving while overwhelmed, feeling as if they’re “being pulled out by an angel.”
“The right song meets the perfect voice, which is Carrie’s,” he said. “Put it together with this megaphone [radio], and all of a sudden you really have something that changes the world a little bit.”
Diana Leyva covers trending news and service journalism for the Tennessean. Contact her at [email protected] or follow her on X at @_leyvadiana
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What songwriter Brett James said about ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel’
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