brett james

It was a particularly sad year at the Grand Ole Opry.

A preliminary report on the plane crash that killed Brett James last month provides some answers about what went wrong.

'I feel as if part of my creative soul went with him,' Chesney says.

"Some things are unfathomable," Underwood begins.

This story just took an even more tragic turn.

Jason Aldean learned about Brett James' death just before taking the stage in Nebraska.

To boil Brett James down to any two or three songs would be lazy, insincere and just plane rude.

The 57-year-old is most closely associated with kick-starting Carrie Underwood's career and feeding her hit songs early and often.

This year's class of inductees also includes Steve Earle, Kent Blazy, Brett James and Spooner Oldham.

It's not just about the charts any longer.