Brett James
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| Brett James | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Brett James Cornelius[1] |
| Born | June 5, 1968 [2] |
| Origin | Columbia, Missouri, USA |
| Genre(s) | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, record producer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1995, 2002-present |
| Label(s) | Career/Arista, Arista Nashville |
| Associated acts | Carrie Underwood |
Brett James Cornelius (born June 5, 1968 in Columbia, Missouri) is an American country music singer, songwriter and record producer. Originally signed to Career Records (a division of Arista) as a solo artist in 1995, James charted three singles on the country music charts and released a self-titled debut album that year. After taking time off to raise a family, he returned to Arista as a recording artist in 2002, with two additional singles being released.
Since the early 2000s, James has become known as a songwriter for other country music artists. Among his compositions is Carrie Underwood's 2006 Number One hit "Jesus, Take the Wheel", which received Grammy Awards for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song.
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[edit] Musical career
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This section requires expansion with: More info on material that he's written. |
Brett James began his musical career as a recording artist on Career Records, a subsidiary of Arista Nashville, in 1995. That year, he charted three minor singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, in addition to releasing a self-titled debut album. Included on this album was "Wake Up and Smell the Whiskey", which was co-written and later released as a single by Dean Miller in 1997.
In addition, he appeared on two compilation albums issued by the label. The first of these was 1996's Star of Wonder: A Country Christmas, on which he sang "White Christmas".[3] The other was a country-gospel album entitled Peace in the Valley, to which he contributed a recording of "What a Friend We Have in Jesus". The album was also promoted via a special on TNN (now Spike TV).[4] He was dropped from the label in 1998 when Arista Nashville eliminated its Career Records branch.[5]
After taking time off to raise his family and attending University of Oklahoma until 2000,[6] James returned to country music in 2002, writing singles for other artists, including the Number One hits "Who I Am" by Jessica Andrews and "Blessed" by Martina McBride.[6] Later that year, he signed again to Arista Nashville, releasing two singles of his own, entitled "Chasin' Amy" and "After All". Although both songs reached Top 40 on the country charts, neither was included on an album, and he soon exited his deal with Arista.
He continued to write for other artists, with two more of his co-writes topping the charts: "When the Sun Goes Down" by Kenny Chesney and Uncle Kracker, and "Jesus, Take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood. "Jesus, Take the Wheel" also won a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song, the latter of which was awarded to James and the song's other two songwriters.[7] Chesney has also charted three more James co-writes: "Keg in the Closet", "You Save Me" and "Out Last Night". He has also written two singles for Josh Gracin ("I Want to Live" and "Stay with Me (Brass Bed)"), as well as Rodney Atkins' Number One hit "It's America", as well as "Love You Out Loud" and "Summer Nights" for Rascal Flatts.
In 2008, James also began co-producing albums, including Gracin's We Weren't Crazy, Kristy Lee Cook's Why Wait,[8] a re-release of Taylor Swift's self-titled debut album, and Jessica Simpson's Do You Know.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Brett James (1995)
| Brett James | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Studio album by Brett James | ||
| Released | September 12, 1995 | |
| Genre | Country | |
| Length | 37:59 | |
| Label | Career/Arista | |
| Producer | Steve Bogard Mike Clute |
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| Professional reviews | ||
[edit] Track listing
All songs composed by Brett James except where noted.
- "Wake Up and Smell the Whiskey" (Brett James, Dean Miller) – 2:52
- "Many Tears Ago" (James, Hunter Armistead) – 3:53
- "Worth the Fall" - 3:00
- "She's Killin' Me" (James, Jennifer Kimball) – 4:04
- "If I Could See Love" (James, Steve Bogard) – 3:02
- "Female Bonding" – 3:18
- "Dark Side of the Moon" – 4:12
- "Just Like We Never Happened" – 3:28
- "Thrill of the Chase" – 2:43
- "The Way That You Love" – 3:50
- "Enjoy the Ride" – 3:37
[edit] Personnel
- Bruce Bouton – steel guitar
- Paul Franklin – steel guitar
- Rob Hajacos – fiddle
- Dann Huff – electric guitar
- Jeff King – electric guitar
- Chris Leuzinger – electric guitar
- Chris Rodriguez – background vocals
- Matt Rollings – piano
- John Wesley Ryles – background vocals
- Judson Spence – background vocals
- Biff Watson – acoustic guitar
- Dennis Wilson – background vocals
- Lonnie Wilson – drums
- Glenn Worf – bass guitar
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | |||
| 1995 | "Female Bonding" | 60 | 89 | Brett James |
| "If I Could See Love" | 68 | — | ||
| "Worth the Fall" | 73 | — | ||
| 2002 | "Chasin' Amy" | 34 | Singles only | |
| 2003 | "After All" | 39 | ||
[edit] Songs written by Brett James
[edit] References
- ^ Full name per ASCAP database
- ^ Bush, John. "Brett James biography". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:avfixqrgldfe~T1. Retrieved on 2008-01-01.
- ^ Morris, Edward (1996-07-04). "Young at Heart". Nashville Scene. http://www.nashvillescene.com/1996-07-04/stories/young-at-heart/. Retrieved on 2009-05-26.
- ^ Phillips, Carroll (1997-03-26). "TNN's "Peace in Valley" blends top acts, gospel". The Cincinnati Post. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-67905249.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-26.
- ^ "Arista Nashville Trims Roster". Yahoo! Music. 1998-03-13. http://new.music.yahoo.com/brett-james/news/arista-nashville-trims-roster--12042566. Retrieved on 2009-05-26.
- ^ a b "2006 ASCAP Country Music Awards". ASCAP. http://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/awards/ascapcma/2006/song.html. Retrieved on 2009-05-26.
- ^ "Brett James — Grammy Awards". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:avfixqrgldfe~T52. Retrieved on 2009-05-26.
- ^ "“Idol” Kristy Lee Cook Signs With Arista Nashville, Again". Rolling Stone. 2008-07-01. http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/07/01/idol-kristy-lee-cook-signs-with-arista-nashville-again/. Retrieved on 2009-05-26.
