While releasing his first self-titled studio album back in 1995, Brett James took his career in an entirely different direction when he solely focused on songwriting. As a songwriter, he worked with stars like Martina McBride, Rodney Atkins, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Bon Jovi, and even Carrie Underwood. Among the several hit songs recorded by Underwood, James was the writer behind “Jesus, Take the Wheel.” Sadly, on Thursday, the famed songwriter passed away in a plane crash in North Carolina.
Videos by American Songwriter
Climbing on board a single-engine aircraft, James was accompanied by two other individuals. With the plane leaving the John C. Tune Airport in Nashville, the occupants were expected to travel around 250 miles. But when heading over Franklin, North Carolina, tragedy struck when the aircraft plummeted to the ground, crashing in a field near Iotla Valley Elementary School.
Thankfully, no students or staff of the elementary school were harmed during the crash. But sadly, all three occupants on the plane passed away. According to a statement released by 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. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate.”
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Dierks Bentley Remembers Writing “I Hold On” With Brett James
With an investigation surrounding the crash ongoing, tributes poured in for James. For Dierks Bentley, he knew what it was like to work with the songwriter, who was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020. Working together, James wrote Bentley’s hit song “I Hold On.”
Sharing a picture of them together on Instagram, Bentley wrote, “Rest in peace pal. Total stud. Fellow aviator. One of the best singer-songwriters in our town….total legend.”
Remembering what it was like to work with James, Bentley added, “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.”
With Bentley witnessing the talent of James, their friendship went far beyond the writer’s room as he concluded, “Our friendship and that song changed my life.” His passing is a heartbreaking loss for Nashville, but his words and melodies remain etched into the heart of country music.
(Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for ASCAP)
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