Brett James
| Brett James | |
|---|---|
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James in 2015
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Brett James Cornelius |
| Born | June 5, 1968 |
| Origin | Columbia, Missouri, U.S. |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, record producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1995–1998, 2002–present |
| Labels | Career/Arista Nashville |
| Associated acts | Carrie Underwood |
Brett James Cornelius (born June 5, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Signed to Career Records (a division of Arista Nashville) as a solo artist in 1995, James charted three singles and released a self-titled debut album that year. He returned to Arista as a recording artist in 2002, releasing two more singles.
Since the early 2000s, James has become known primarily as a songwriter for other country and pop 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. His writers' credits also include Number One hits for Jessica Andrews, Martina McBride, Kenny Chesney, Rodney Atkins, and Jason Aldean.
Brett James Cornelius was born June 5, 1968 in Columbia, Missouri to the late Carolyn and Dr.Sam Cornelius, graduating from Christian Heritage Academy high-school in Del City, Oklahoma in 1986. He attended Baylor University, pledged Sigma Chi Fraternity, and graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science Degree. After attending medical school for a time in the early 90's, James began his musical career as a recording artist on Career Records, a subsidiary of Arista Nashville, in 1995. That year, he released his self-titled debut album, which included the charting singles "Female Bonding," "If I Could See Love" and "Worth the Fall." Also 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 Arista Nashville. The first of these was 1996's Star of Wonder: A Country Christmas, on which he sang "White Christmas," and 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." This latter album was also promoted via a special on The Nashville Network (TNN), now Spike. In 1998, James and Tammy Graham were both dropped from Career Records when it merged with Arista Nashville.
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