Hit Country Songwriter Brett Jones Passes

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Brett Jones

Nashville songwriter Brett Jones has died at age 69.

Jones earned 10 BMI Awards for co-writing country hits. Among his big songs are “You Won’t Ever Be Lonely” (Andy Griggs), “Crazy Town” (Jason Aldean) and “Cover You in Kisses” (John Michael Montgomery). He provided hits to such stars as Montgomery Gentry with “What Do You Think About That,” Blue County with “Good Little Girls,” Tracy Lawrence with “Better Man, Better Off,” and his co-writer Bobby Pinson with “Don’t Ask Me How I Know.”

Among his biggest chart toppers were 2009’s “That’s How Country Boys Roll,” sung by Billy Currington and 2011’s “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away,” sung by Justin Moore.

During his 25-year career on Music Row, Brett Jones was responsible for more than 300 recorded songs, 14 top-10 hits and seven No. 1 successes. He provided songs to such artists as Chris LeDoux, Darryl Worley, Ricky Van Shelton, Jeff Carson, Darius Rucker, Reba McEntire, Colt Ford, Lorrie Morgan and Tracy Byrd, among dozens of others. Trace Adkins recorded six of his works; Logan Mize recorded five. Jones’ “old school” country style was particularly favored by Canadian country stars such as Gord Bamford, George Canyon and Paul Brandt.

Brett was born William Seaborn Jones in Annapolis, Maryland as one of six children in a U.S. Navy officer’s family. He was raised near Manchester, Georgia and played football for the University of Georgia. He graduated in 1978.

As a young adult, he experienced the deaths of his father and two of his brothers. He dealt with his grief by taking up guitar and writing songs.

He did not initially view music as a vocation. Brett Jones worked variously as a bartender, line cook, farmer, high-school teacher, county commissioner, commodities trader and wealth manager before pursuing his dream. He moved to Nashville in 1991 at age 34 with no contacts or prospects. Thanks to his talent, Jones advanced quickly in the city’s songwriting scene.

His first significant chart appearance as a songwriter was with 1995’s “When and Where,” recorded by Confederate Railroad. The following year, Daryle Singletary charted with Jones’ co-written ballad “Workin’ It Out,” and Neal McCoy sang “You Gotta Love That” as the songwriter’s first top-10 hit. Then 1998’s “A Little Past Little Rock” became a key song in the repertoire of Lee Ann Womack. “Practice Life,” recorded by Andy Griggs and Martina McBride in 2002, was not a big hit, but its meaningful message was quoted in his Tennessean obituary.

Jones was an entertaining presence at the city’s songwriting showcases. As an artist, he released the CDs Life’s Road (2009) and Cowboy Sailor (2014).

Recalling his early experience of music as a healing thing, he founded Gold Star Mentors in 2017. This organization provides guitars and music instruction to children who experience the loss of a military loved one.

Brett Jones died on Feb. 16 following a 10-month struggle with brain cancer. He is survived by his wife Clair Tri Jones. He is also survived by his seven children — Ben Grady Jones III, Brett Thayer Jones, Thaddeus Clayton Jones, Seth Seaborn Jones, Cody Augustus Jones, Olivia McBride Jones and Riley Cataula Jones — as well as by six grandchildren and two sisters.

A celebration of life will be held at BMI Nashville, 10 Music Square E, Nashville, TN 37203, at 4:00 PM on March 2, 2026. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to his nonprofit, goldstarmentors.com. Arrangements are in care of Williamson Memorial Funeral Hone, 615 794-2289, williamsonmemorial.com.

Robert K Oermann
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