Casey James

S9 · Eliminated 3rd

As of April 24, 2026

Casey James is an independent artist based in Nashville. From 2020 to 2024 he was a member of the trio Texas Hill with Craig Wayne Boyd and Adam Wakefield. His first acoustic album, Me & My Guitar, Vol. 1, was released on April 24, 2026.⁠[1][2][3][4]

Career

Before the show

  1. 2008Before American Idol, James fronted the Casey James Band from 2008.⁠[8]

After the show

  1. August 17, 2010On August 17, 2010, it was announced that James had signed with Sony Music Nashville and 19 Recordings/BNA Records. His debut album was then expected in 2011.⁠[8]
  2. August 15, 2011His first single, "Let's Don't Call It a Night", which he co-wrote with Brice Long and Terry McBride, was released on August 15, 2011.⁠[5][12]
  3. March 20, 2012His debut album, Casey James, was released by BNA Records on March 20, 2012. James co-wrote nine of its eleven tracks and co-produced it with Chris Lindsey.⁠[5]
  4. June 4, 2012Sony Music Nashville announced on June 4, 2012 that it would retire BNA Records and move its artists, James included, to Columbia Nashville.⁠[5][13]
  5. September 30, 2014"Fall Apart" was released as a single on September 30, 2014, and went to SiriusXM's The Highway. It was one of the first songs recorded for a second album planned for Columbia Nashville.⁠[3][10]
  6. October 2016Sony did not release the second album, and James left the label. In October 2016, as an independent artist, he ran a Kickstarter campaign with a $30,000 goal to fund his next album.⁠[5][14]
  7. June 9, 2017James released the independent blues album Strip It Down on June 9, 2017. Tom Hambridge produced it, and Delbert McClinton is featured on "Bulletproof".⁠[1][3][5][15][16]
  8. 2020–2024From 2020 to 2024, Texas Hill was James's main project. The trio toured widely and released four albums and two live performance videos. In 2024 he left Texas Hill to return to his solo career.Texas Hill⁠[1]
  9. June 2020In June 2020, James, Craig Wayne Boyd and Adam Wakefield announced the trio Texas Hill and released its debut single, "Darkest Sky". The three had tested the idea with co-headlining shows in late 2019.⁠[2]
  10. September 18, 2020His blues-rock album If You Don't Know By Now was released on September 18, 2020.⁠[1][3][17]
  11. April 24, 2026His first acoustic album, Me & My Guitar, Vol. 1, was released on April 24, 2026.⁠[3][4][18]

Date not documented

  1. "Let's Don't Call It a Night" peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts and at No. 11 on Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles.⁠[5]
  2. His second single, "Crying on a Suitcase", released on June 18, 2012, peaked at No. 14 on Country Airplay, No. 24 on Hot Country Songs and No. 88 on the Billboard Hot 100.⁠[5][10]
  3. The album Casey James debuted at No. 23 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 14,000 copies and peaked at No. 2 on Top Country Albums.⁠[5][9]

Discography

TitleTypeYearLabelRIAA certificationU.S. sales
Casey James⁠[5][9][12]Album2012BNA Records/19 Recordings77,000⁠[9][19]April 21, 2013
Strip It Down⁠[3][5][12]Album2017
If You Don't Know by Now⁠[3][17][18]Album2020
Heaven Down Here⁠[11][18][20]Texas HillAlbum2022
Soldiers⁠[1][11][18]Texas HillAlbum2024
Me & My Guitar, Vol. 1⁠[3][18]Album2026

Awards

Checked October 7, 2026; none found.

Sources

20 sources

  1. Casey James: Bio — Casey James. Label or artist. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (7)
    • Bio, last paragraph: “As an independent artist based in Nashville, he continues to write, record and tour”
    • Bio: “Between the years of 2020 and 2024, in an effort to weather the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Casey joined forces with two fellow artists to form the powerhouse trio Texas Hill.”
    • Bio: “He made the blues project he’d always envisioned”
    • Bio: “Texas Hill toured extensively and released four albums along with two live performance videos”
    • Bio: “Ultimately, Casey chose to conclude the chapter in order to return to his individual artistry”
    • Bio: “With his 2020 follow-up, If You Don’t Know By Now, James dug in deeper on the genre”
    • Bio: “Texas Hill toured extensively and released four albums”
  2. Boyd, Wakefield, James form Texas Hill — Country Standard Time, published June 12, 2020. News report. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (3)
    • First paragraph: “Craig Wayne Boyd, Casey James and Adam Wakefield announced this week the formation of their new group, Texas Hill.”
    • Third paragraph: “The trio released their debut single "Darkest Sky."”
    • Last paragraph: “The group first tested the Texas Hill concept (then unnamed) with a series of co-headlining shows in late 2019.”
  3. iTunes Lookup API: Casey James (artist id 813184) albums — Apple. Release database. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (8)
    • Me & My Guitar, Vol. 1: "releaseDate":"2026-04-24T07:00:00Z"
    • Casey James (album): "copyright":"℗ 2012 19 Recordings Limited, under exclusive license to Sony Music Nashville"
    • Strip It Down: "copyright":"℗ 2017 Casey James"
    • If You Don't Know by Now: "copyright":"℗ 2020 Casey James"
    • Me & My Guitar, Vol. 1: "copyright":"℗ 2026 Casey James"
    • Fall Apart - Single: "releaseDate":"2014-09-30T07:00:00Z"
    • Strip It Down: "releaseDate":"2017-06-09T07:00:00Z"
    • If You Don't Know by Now: "releaseDate":"2020-09-18T07:00:00Z"
  4. Casey James - TKO — TKO (booking agency). Label or artist. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (2)
    • Artist page: “first-ever acoustic album, Me & My Guitar,” set to be released April 24 Th 2026”
    • Artist page: “set to be released April 24 Th 2026”
  5. Casey James (Wikipedia revision 1370828469) — Wikipedia, updated August 23, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (8)
    • Lead sentence: “born May 31, 1982”
    • Infobox, Born line (birth_date): {{Birth date and age|1982|5|31}}
    • Infobox, Labels: “BNA (2010-12)”
    • 2012: Casey James: “On June 4, 2012, James was moved to Columbia Nashville, another division of Sony Music Nashville, after the closure of BNA Records.”
    • Infobox, Labels: “Columbia (2012-2015)”
    • 2012: Casey James: “On June 4, 2012, James was moved to Columbia Nashville, another division of Sony Music Nashville”
    • Studio albums table, Strip It Down: “Independent Release”
    • 2012: Casey James: “James first single, "Let's Don't Call It a Night", was released on August 15, 2011”
  6. American Idol season 9 — Wikipedia, updated August 11, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 6, 2026.
    Cited parts (1)
    • Elimination chart row Casey James: Pl. 3, Eliminated in the Top 3 column (5/19); ratings table episode 'Top 3 Results Show', May 19, 2010
  7. List of American Idol finalists — Wikipedia, updated June 10, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 6, 2026.
    Cited parts (1)
    • Contestants table, row Casey James: season 9, place finish 3rd
  8. Casey James Signs With 19 Recordings/BNA Records — AllAccess.com, published August 17, 2010. News report. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (5)
    • Article body: “record deal with SONY MUSIC NASHVILLE and 19 RECORDINGS/BNA RECORDS”
    • Article body: “The musician, who’s been fronting the CASEY JAMES BAND since 2008”
    • Headline and dateline: “Casey James Signs With 19 Recordings/BNA Records August 17, 2010”
    • Article body: “has turned his third place AMERICAN IDOL finish into record deal with SONY MUSIC NASHVILLE and 19 RECORDINGS/BNA RECORDS”
    • Last paragraph: “will soon be at work on his debut album, expected to be released next year”
  9. Casey James (album) (Wikipedia revision 1375795058) — Wikipedia, updated September 20, 2026. Reference work (secondary). Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (4)
    • Background: “James signed with Sony Music Nashville in August 2010”
    • Chart performance and sales: “Casey James debuted at number 23 on the Billboard 200, with first week sales of 14,000 copies.”
    • Lead paragraph: “The album was released on March 20, 2012, in the United States by BNA Records.”
    • Chart performance and sales: “The album has sold 77,000 copies in the US as of April 2013.”
  10. Hear Casey James' Heartbreaking New Single 'Fall Apart' — Rolling Stone, published October 6, 2014. News report. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (4)
    • First paragraph: “his sophomore album, which will be released on Columbia Nashville”
    • First paragraph: “That’s the title of the new single he released last week to Sirius XM’s The Highway.”
    • First paragraph: “the track was one of the first the singer cut for his sophomore album, which will be released on Columbia Nashville”
    • First paragraph: “went from American Idol finalist to the Top 15 on the country charts with “Crying on a Suitcase,””
  11. iTunes Search API: Texas Hill albums — Apple. Release database. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (6)
    • Christmas Carols, Vol. 1 - EP (collectionId 1842954508); also shows: "releaseDate":"2021-12-01T08:00:00Z": "copyright":"℗ 2021 Texas Hill Company"
    • Heaven Down Here: "copyright":"℗ 2022 Texas Hill Company"
    • Soldiers: "copyright":"℗ 2024 Texas Hill Company"
    • Heaven Down Here: "releaseDate":"2022-01-21T08:00:00Z"
    • Soldiers: "releaseDate":"2024-09-13T07:00:00Z"
    • Soldiers: "trackCount":11
  12. MusicBrainz artist Casey James — MusicBrainz. Release database. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (3)
    • Release group Let's Don't Call It a Night: "first-release-date":"2011-08-15"
    • Release group Casey James: "primary-type":"Album"
    • Release group Strip It Down: "first-release-date":"2017-06-09"
  13. Kenny Chesney Renews Deal With Sony, BNA Imprint Retired — AllAccess.com, published June 4, 2012. News report. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (1)
    • Article body: “the BNA RECORDS imprint will be retired and all of its artists and employees, including the promo staff, will be welcomed to COLUMBIA NASHVILLE”
  14. Life after 'American Idol': Adam Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Casey James, Clay Aiken — The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Radio and TV Talk blog), published October 21, 2016. News report. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (2)
    • Casey James paragraph: “Casey James is trying to fund his next album with a Kickstarter campaign. He is about halfway to his $30,000 goal.”
    • Casey James paragraph: “He recently left Sony Music and is on his own.”
  15. Casey James - Strip It Down | Album Review — Blues Blast Magazine, published November 29, 2017. News report. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (1)
    • Personnel paragraph: “producer Tom Hambridge on drums, and the Muscle Shoals Horns”
  16. Casey James: Strip It Down Review — Blues Rock Review, published November 29, 2017. News report. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (1)
    • Review body: “the stunning “Bulletproof” featuring Delbert McClinton”
  17. Casey James: If You Don't Know By Now Review — Blues Rock Review, published November 16, 2020. News report. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (2)
    • Review body: “The album of soulful blues rock, complete with horn section”
    • Review body: “James’ If You Don’t Know By Now, his second album, strives for flawlessness.”
  18. Casey James (official site home page) — Casey James. Label or artist. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (6)
    • Home page: “the release of his first-ever acoustic album, "Me & My Guitar."”
    • Home page music list: “If You Don't Know By Now”
    • Home page music list: “Texas Hill - Heaven Down Here”
    • Home page music list: “Texas Hill- Soldiers”
    • Home page music list: “Me & My Guitar Vol. 1”
    • Home page: “his first-ever acoustic album, "Me & My Guitar."”
  19. 'Idol' sales: Scotty's new single, more — USA Today, published April 21, 2013. News report. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (2)
    • Idol albums list: “Casey James, Casey James (1,000, -57%, 77,000)”
    • First paragraph: “Weekly sales of Scotty McCreery's Clear as Day more than doubled after he returned to Idol, according to Nielsen SoundScan”
  20. MusicBrainz artist Texas Hill — MusicBrainz. Release database. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
    Cited parts (1)
    • Release group Heaven Down Here: "primary-type":"Album"

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