Brett James, writer of “Jesus, Take the Wheel”, dies in a plane crash at 57
The award-winning Country Sompositor at the Grammy Award Brett James, whose best success channel includes “Jesus, Take the Wheel” by Carrie Underwood and “When The Sun Beb” by Kenny Chesney, died in a plane crash in North Carolina, the authorities announced on Friday. He was 57 years old.
The small plane with three people on board crashed Thursday afternoon “in unknown circumstances” in the woods of Franklin, said the Federal Aviation Administration in a preliminary report. There were no survivors, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said in a statement.
James was on a Cirrus SR22T, which was written to him under his legal name by Brett James Cornelius, according to the information provided by the FAA. We didn’t know if he was the pilot. The patrol confirmed his death. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board said they would investigate the accident.
The other two people on the plane were Melody Carole and Meryl Maxwell Wilson, confirmed the patrol.
The plane had taken off from John C. Tune airport in Nashville.
James was inducted into the renowned temple of the Nashville songwriters in 2020. The organization published an online declaration of mourning.
Originally from Oklahoma City, James left medical school to pursue a musical career in Nashville, according to his biography on the Hall of Fame website.
His first success No. 1 was “Who I Am” in 2001, by Jessica Andrews. “Jesus, Take the Wheel”, which he co-written for Underwood, won the 2006 Grammy for the best country song, among other honors.
James had more than 500 of his recorded songs, for albums with combined sales of more than 110 million copies, according to his biography of Grand Ole Opry online.
The other artists who sang his songs include Faith Hill, Kelly Clarkson, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Nick Jonas and Meghan Trainor.
The additional tubes include “Cowboy Casanova” by Underwood, “Out last night” by Chesney and “Summer Nights” by Rascal Flatts.
“The broken heart to hear about the loss of my friend Brett James tonight,” posted the singer Country Jason Aldean on X. “I only had love and respect for this guy and he helped change my life. Honoré to have met him and worked with him.”
James recorded his own album in 2020.
“On my stage of life, I will not write about driving in vans, to continue girls,” he said on the opry site. “You had to feel more classic, lyrical.
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The journalist of Associated Press Kristin M. Hall in Nashville contributed to this story.
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