- published: 09 Nov 2013
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Brett James Cornelius (born June 5, 1968 in Columbia, Missouri) 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 1985. After leaving medical school in 1992, 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.
Christopher Adam "Chris" Daughtry (born December 26, 1979) is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Daughtry and as the fourth-place contestant on the fifth season of American Idol, the competition that he was eliminated from on May 10, 2006. After his elimination from Idol, he was given a record deal by RCA Records and formed a band called Daughtry. Their self-titled debut album became the fastest selling debut rock album in history, selling more than one million copies after just five weeks of release. The album was recorded before the band was officially formed, making Chris Daughtry the only official member present on the album. This led some to believe mistakenly that the band Daughtry is Chris Daughtry's solo project.
In its ninth week of release, Daughtry reached number one on the Billboard charts. Chris Daughtry is now the third most successful American Idol contestant in terms of record sales, behind only Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood, who both won their respective seasons. At the 50th Grammy Awards, the band was nominated for Best Rock Song for the single "It's Not Over".