HEARTFELT TRIBUTE

Carrie Underwood shared her grief over Brett James, whose faith inspired their biggest songs. She revealed touching memories—from church singing to studio laughs—and said she can’t perform those songs without thinking of him. His loss is felt deeply beyond Nashville. (check in the first comment

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The country music community is mourning the loss of songwriter Brett James, who tragically died in a plane crash on Thursday, September 18, at the age of 57. A Songwriting Legend. Brett James was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020. He left behind a powerful legacy, having written many of country music’s biggest hits, including Kenny Chesney’s “When The Sun Goes Down,” Dierks Bentley’s “I Hold On,” and Jessica Andrews’ “Who I Am.” For Carrie Underwood, James was a key collaborator. Together, they created some of her most famous songs, such as “Jesus, Take the Wheel” (which won James a GRAMMY for Best Country Song), “Something in the Water,” “Cowboy Casanova,” “Love Wins,” and “Somethin’ Bad” (with Miranda Lambert). The Crash According to WSMV and FlightAware data, Brett James’ Cirrus SR22T plane took off