‘Jesus Take the Wheel’ Songwriter Brett James Dies in Plane Crash with Wife, Stepdaughter

Audio By Carbonatix

Country singer and songwriter Brett James died in a small aircraft crash in North Carolina last week, along with his wife and stepdaughter. James co-wrote the Grammy-winning song "Jesus, Take the Wheel” by Carrie Underwood.

The crash occurred around 3 p.m. on September 17, near Iotla Valley Elementary School in Franklin. The cause remains under investigation. A Cirrus SR22T aircraft registered under James’ legal name, Brett James Cornelius, crashed in a field adjacent to Macon County Airport, according to Fox 4 reported.

His wife, Melody Carole Wilson, and stepdaughter, Meryl Maxwell Wilson, who were also on board, were killed.

Born on June 5, 1968, in Columbia, Missouri, James launched his music career in the early 1990s after leaving medical school. Following success as a solo artist, James had an extensive career spanning over two decades. He wrote over 500 songs for country music including Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Kelly Clarkson, Rascal Flatts, Luke Bryan, and Kenny Chesney.

In 2007, James co-wrote “Jesus Take The Wheel” with Hillary Lindsey and Gordie Sampson, which went on to win the Grammy Award for best country song in 2007 and was named ASCAP’s Country Song of the Year in 2006, according to the Los Angeles Times.

His writing credits include Martina McBride’s “Blessed,” Kenny Chesney’s “Out Last Night,” Carrie Underwood’s “Cowboy Casanova,” Rodney Atkins’ “It’s America,” and Uncle Kracker’s duet with Chesney, “When the Sun Goes Down.” He also co-wrote “Summer Nights” and “Love You Out Loud” with Rascal Flatts.

Underwood, along with fellow country singers, paid tribute to James on social media, The Christian Post reports. In Underwood's post, she shared that the death of James was “unfathomable” but also took hope that he was a Christian.

“Brett loved the Lord. Which is the only comfort we can hold on to now. We even had the pleasure of singing together at church,” she wrote. “My favorite songs to sing of ours are the ones that he or we wrote about Jesus because the thoughts and feelings behind them are so genuine and pure. I won’t ever sing one note of them again without thinking of him.”

“Brett’s passing is leaving a hole in all of us that I fear won’t ever go away. It will forever be a reminder that this life is but a moment…we have to make the most of each day we’re given here on earth. Each day is a gift.”

Rascal Flatts also paid tribute, describing James as a “a brilliant songwriter and amazing man” as they expressed their condolences to the late singer’s family. 

“He will be greatly missed” the band’s account added.

During a performance in Lincoln, Nebraska, country music artist Jason Aldean, who collaborated with James on the song "The Truth," paid tribute to him.

“Honored to have met him and worked with him. Thoughts and prayers going out to his family,” he wrote.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Gabriel Grams / Contributor

Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.