Brett Beavers (born in
Waco, Texas
Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the s ...
), is an American
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
songwriter
A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...
and
producer and the co-author of the book ''Something Worth Leaving Behind''.
Education and early career
Beavers attended
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of th ...
, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in secondary education
in 1985.
He spent the next four years playing
bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
with a small country band throughout
Central Texas
Central Texas is a region in the U.S. state of Texas surrounding Austin and roughly bordered by San Saba to Bryan and San Marcos to Hillsboro. Central Texas overlaps with and includes part of the Texas Hill Country and corresponds to a ...
, honing his skill as a songwriter.
After a year away from the music business, when he married and taught high school science in
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the largest city and county seat of Smith County. It is also the largest city in Northeast Texas. With a 2020 census population of 105,995, Tyler was the 33rd most populous city in Texas and 2 ...
,
he moved to
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
to join a band with
Deryl Dodd
Deryl Dwaine Dodd (born April 12, 1964) is an American Texas country music artist. Originally a regular on the Texas club circuit, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, soon finding work as a lead guitar player, background vocalist and songwriter. ...
.
Shortly after arriving in Nashville, Beavers began touring with
Martina McBride
Martina Mariea McBride (née Schiff, born July 29, 1966) is an American country music singer-songwriter and record producer. She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material.
McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas, and rel ...
as bass player and bandleader, from 1992–1996, and then with
Lee Ann Womack from 1997–2005 in the same capacity.
During this time period he started a
publishing company
Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, news ...
and began getting his songs recorded by such artists as
Tim McGraw
Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has released 16 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, four for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those alb ...
and
Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus (born August 25, 1961) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, and is known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and ...
.
In 2005, he stopped performing and touring to pursue songwriting and producing on a full-time basis.
His brother,
Jim
Jim or JIM may refer to:
* Jim (given name), a given name
* Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James
* Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy
* OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism
* ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring
* ''Jim ...
, is also a Nashville songwriter.
With Dierks Bentley
Much of Beavers' success has been with
Dierks Bentley
Frederick Dierks Bentley (; born November 20, 1975) is an American country music singer and songwriter. In 2003, he signed to Capitol Nashville and released his eponymous debut album. Both it and its follow-up, 2005's '' Modern Day Drifter'', a ...
, for whom he produces and co-writes several of his songs, a collaboration that began in 2001. The partnership has produced several number one
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sa ...
, including "
Sideways
''Sideways'' is a 2004 American comedy-drama road film directed by Alexander Payne and written by Jim Taylor and Payne. A film adaptation of Rex Pickett's 2004 novel of the same name, ''Sideways'' follows two men in their forties, Miles Raymo ...
",
"
Come a Little Closer",
"
Feel That Fire",
and "
Every Mile a Memory
"Every Mile a Memory" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Dierks Bentley. It was released in July 2006 as the first single from his 2006 album ''Long Trip Alone''. It became Bentley's fourth number one hit on the US ' ...
".
In addition to chart-topping success, the pairing has led to a
SOCAN and
NSAI Achievement Award for "
What Was I Thinkin'
"What Was I Thinkin'" is the debut single by American country music artist Dierks Bentley, released in April 2003 from his self-titled debut album. The song became his first number one hit on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart in Se ...
",
a BMI Award Most Performed Song for "
Trying to Stop Your Leaving", and
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
nominations for Best Country Song, "
Long Trip Alone
''Long Trip Alone'' is the third studio album by American country music artist Dierks Bentley. It was released October 17, 2006 by Capitol Records Nashville. The album produced four singles on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts: " E ...
"
and Country Song of the Year, "
Every Mile a Memory
"Every Mile a Memory" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Dierks Bentley. It was released in July 2006 as the first single from his 2006 album ''Long Trip Alone''. It became Bentley's fourth number one hit on the US ' ...
". The songs that he has written and produced for Bentley have also led to Beavers being honored at the
BMI Country Awards every year from 2006–2009.
Author
Along with
Tom Douglas, Beavers wrote the
inspirational book ''Something Worth Leaving Behind'', based on the song of the same name that they co-wrote for Lee Ann Womack.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beavers, Brett
Living people
Country musicians from Texas
American country record producers
American country songwriters
American male songwriters
American country bass guitarists
Baylor University alumni
People from Waco, Texas
Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee
Songwriters from Texas
Songwriters from Tennessee
Guitarists from Tennessee
Guitarists from Texas
American male bass guitarists
Record producers from Texas
Record producers from Tennessee
Country musicians from Tennessee
Year of birth missing (living people)