Songwriter Brett James’s Top Billboard Hot Country Songs Hits: ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel,’ ‘The Truth’ & More

Nashville’s euphony assemblage is mourning the shocking nonaccomplishment of Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame subordinate Brett James, known for penning hits including Dierks Bentley‘s “I Hold On,” Carrie Underwood‘s Grammy-winning songs “Jesus, Take The Wheel” and “Something successful the Water,” and Kenny Chesney’s “When The Sun Goes Down.”

According to WLOS, James, 57, was among those who died tragically connected Thursday, Sept. 18 successful a small-engine level clang adjacent Franklin, North Carolina astir 3 p.m. ET. The FAA reported that the craft was registered to Brett Cornelius of Brentwood, Tennessee (James’s afloat sanction is Brett James Cornelius).

Brett James had 79 vocation entries connected Billboard’s Hot Country Songs illustration arsenic a songwriter, with 25 songs cracking the chart’s apical 10, and 13 of those songs making it each the mode to the chart’s pinnacle. James besides had 43 entries connected the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, including a apical 10 with Kelly Clarkson’s “Mr. Know It All.”

The Missouri autochthonal traded his pursuit of a vocation successful medicine for a vocation successful music. As an artist, helium inked a statement woody and issued his debut, self-titled solo medium successful 1995. In 2001, helium earned his archetypal No. 1 connected the Hot Country Songs illustration arsenic a songwriter connected the Jessica Andrews deed “Who I Am.” In 2002-2003, helium had his ain apical 40 Hot Country Songs illustration singles with “Chasin’ Amy” and “After All,” earlier going connected to find greater occurrence arsenic 1 of state music’s premier songcrafters.

James was doubly named ASCAP’s state songwriter of the twelvemonth (in 2006 and 2010), and was a subordinate of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame’s class of 2020 (the ceremonial took spot successful 2021, aft being postponed owed to the COVID-19 pandemic). James was besides a aggregate Country Music Association triple play grant winner, and beyond his songwriting talent, helium besides served connected the CMA’s committee for 17 years. James besides launched the boutique euphony publishing institution Cornman Music successful 2007, championing and mentoring different songwriters. In 2020, James returned to his creator roots, releasing the solo medium I Am Now, spearheaded by the opus “True Believer.”

Several of James’s originative colleagues took to societal media to wage tribute to James arsenic a person and songwriter.

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