Brett James

Brett James was in medical school when he decided he would rather write songs. He enrolled at the University of Oklahoma's medical school, left it twice to pursue music and eventually moved to Nashville for good. Over the next three decades he wrote or co-wrote dozens of country hits, including twenty-six songs that reached No. 1, among them Carrie Underwood's "Jesus, Take the Wheel," which won the Grammy for Best Country Song.

He was born on June 5, 1968, in Columbia, Missouri, in the evening, according to the time kept in astrological records. His Sun is in Gemini, with Venus and Mars also in Gemini, all in the seventh house, which rules collaborators and partners. Gemini thrives on words and quick exchange, and the seventh house describes work done with others. Few placements could better describe a professional co-writer, and almost all of James's hits were written in partnership with other songwriters in Nashville's writing rooms.

Mercury, at the very start of Cancer, also falls in the seventh house. Cancer is emotional and sentimental, and Mercury there describes a gift for putting feelings into simple words. James's songs often dealt with faith, love and family, from Martina McBride's "Blessed" to Jessica Andrews's "Who I Am."

His Moon is in Libra, sharing his tenth house with Uranus and Pluto in Virgo. A Libra Moon seeks harmony and connection, and placed in the sector of reputation it points to a career built on relationships. James was respected in Nashville as a generous collaborator and mentor, and he was named ASCAP's country songwriter of the year twice.

He began as a recording artist, releasing a self-titled album in 1995 with several charting singles and later returning to record again in the early 2000s. His greater success came behind the scenes. Jupiter in Leo, in his ninth house, describes broad success and generosity, and he also worked as a producer, including on early recordings by Taylor Swift.

Saturn in Aries, in his fifth house of creativity, describes creative success earned through persistence, and Neptune in Scorpio, in his twelfth house, adds a private, spiritual dimension. Kenny Chesney's "When the Sun Goes Down" was among his best-known hits.

On September 18, 2025, James died when the small plane carrying him crashed near Franklin, North Carolina, after departing from the Nashville area. His wife, Melody, and his stepdaughter, Meryl, were also killed. Tributes poured in from across country music, from artists who had recorded his songs and from the songwriters who had worked beside him.

The Gemini planets in his seventh house made him a born collaborator; the Libra Moon in his tenth house made him beloved in the rooms where songs are written.