Country star Brett James was known for hits like ‘Jesus, Take the Wheel.’ Read about his legacy, family and the details of his untimely death
Brett James was an established country singer-songwriter ahead of his tragic death in a September 2025 plane crash.
“I turned 50 last year, and I had one of those birthday epiphanies. I thought, ‘I’d been writing songs for other artists for a long time, and I wanted to re-evaluate things,’” James told Songwriter Universe in a 2020 interview. “I hadn’t put out any music of my own in around 25 years. … I got inspired to do that without thinking about genre or trying to write radio hits. I know what my most natural voice is, and that was my only preconceived take on things.”
James described his EP, I Am Now, as a “Nashville soul record.”
“I’m kind of a natural soul singer,” he told the outlet. “I started writing it and let creativity lead the way. I took time off from my day job as a working songwriter, and I wrote about 11 songs in two weeks. I had as much fun in those two weeks than I’ve ever had writing songs.
