Song writer Brett James performs in a USO show for military members and their families at Ramstien Air Base, Germany, Dec. 9, 2015. The USO entertainers traveled to various locations to visit service members who are deployed from home during the holidays. (DoD photo by D. Myles Cullen/Released)
Pop Culture

Brett James, ‘Jesus Take The Wheel’ Songwriter And Taylor Swift Collaborator, Died In A Plane Crash

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Brett James, perhaps best known for writing the Grammy-winning song “Jesus Take The Wheel”, died at 57 during a plane crash in North Carolina.

The private jet had three people—James, the pilot, and a guest—on board during the time of the crash, none of whom survived. The plane departed from Nashville on Thursday and only made it about 270 miles before it crashed near Iotla Elementary School, according to CNN. Officials are still unsure of the cause.

While James is best known for the Carrie Underwood song, he has songwriting credits on 26 Number One hits and worked with legendary musicians such as Rascal Flats, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Kelly Clarkson, and Bon Jovi. He also worked as a producer, notably working with Taylor Swift for the rerelease of her self-titled debut album.

Thanks to his illustrious 20+-year-long career, James was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020. Not only did he make his mark on the music we love, but he created meaningful connections within the industry as well.

Country singer Dierks Bentley reminisced about working on the song “I Hold On” with James, writing on Instagram, “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.”