William Seaborn (Brett) Jones of Franklin, Tennessee returned to the Great Spirit on February 16, 2026. He entered this world in Annapolis, Maryland on March 13, 1956, the fifth of six children born to US Navy commander Ben Grady Jones Jr. and Mary Lucille McBride Jones. He was brought up near Manchester, Georgia, and was an avowed Georgia boy. He loved his home state, having successfully walked on to the football team at the University of Georgia his freshman year before graduating in 1978. As he once wrote in a song, the red mud of Georgia was in his blood, and he never let it go.

Much like the protagonist of his favorite movie Little Big Man, Brett was a man of many trades and phases across various fields. He worked as a farmer, county commissioner, high school teacher, commodities trader, wealth manager, bartender, and line cook before realizing his dream of earning a living doing what he truly loved, which was creating art. Against the odds, he moved to Nashville at 34 with no contacts and established himself as a mainstay songwriter in the 1990s while supporting a wife and four young children. He demonstrated remarkable staying power in the music industry. With over 300 songs recorded as a writer, 150 major label recordings, 14 Top 10s, and seven #1 hits, Jones achieved rare status in country music by having number one records over the course of three decades. He also recorded several albums as an artist himself. A consummate showman, he loved to take the stage. His live performances enabled him to share his sharp wit and philosophy of life with others through storytelling and his songs, the main themes of which were the plight of the common man, the transience of life, and the permanence of love.

Although much of his professional life was unconventional and transitory, the one role from which he never strayed was that of loving father. From Brett's previous marriage came four sons: Ben, Brett, Thaddeus, and Seth. Later, with his wife and love of his life Claire Tri Jones, he welcomed one son, Cody, and two daughters, Olivia and Riley. In the chapter of life he shared with Claire, Brett was a dedicated and committed husband. He was a warm and fuzzy dad, always requiring a squeeze so he could tell you “Ole Pappy loves you” before parting. Brett taught his children to live and love hard and with earnestness, because as he once wrote in a song, “life and love and carefree smiles are such fragile things.” His fitting last words were “I love you” to his youngest, Riley.

Brett was a modern-day explorer and man of action, unable to remain at rest for long. His varied hobbies and interests included farming, golfing, windsurfing, road cycling, mountain biking, fishing, sailing, swimming, coaching baseball, construction, and creative writing. He had a lifelong love for the ocean and spent time living on a sailboat in Key West and later at a second home in Port St. Joe. One of his greatest muses was the American West, and in 2008 he built a cabin along the Wind River in Dubois, Wyoming, his spiritual home and refuge. He lived large, but he was drawn to settings that made him feel small, on the swells of the ocean and atop the peaks of big sky country.

Brett’s early life was marked by tragedy. He lost his oldest brother, his father, and his youngest brother before he turned 21. Throughout the hard times, the guitar was a reliable friend. He took up music and writing to transmute his pain and anguish into love and art. In 2017, Brett founded Gold Star Mentors, a nonprofit dedicated to donating guitars and providing music instruction to children and young adults who have experienced the loss of a military loved one, to help them learn to cope through music. To date, Gold Star Mentors has gifted more than 800 guitars. Along with his family and his songs, Gold Star Mentors was his proudest accomplishment.

Brett once wrote a song in which he declared, “this ain’t no practice life.” If there is one lesson he would impart upon those he leaves behind, we think it would be this: if you have a dream or aspiration, pursue it fully and without hesitation. Don’t let the music in your heart go unheeded, and don’t let what is expected of you stand in the way of your self-actualization. Don’t be afraid to color outside the lines or march to the beat of your own drummer. Question the status quo and be a nonconformist, as Brett always was. Push yourself outside of your comfort zone to test your mettle and see what you are truly capable of. Brett’s favorite book to read to his kids was The Little Engine That Could, a story where the underdog prevails with determination and optimism. “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can” was Brett’s mantra.

Brett was preceded in death by his father, Ben Grady Jones Jr.; his mother, Mary Lucille McBride Jones; his brothers James Jones, Robert Jones, and Michael Jones; and his daughter-in-law, Sara Goodell Jones. He is survived and mourned by his wife, Claire Tri Jones; his seven children, Ben Grady Jones III, Brett Thayer Jones (Christina), Thaddeus Clayton Jones (Amanda), Seth Seaborn Jones (Katie), Cody Augustus Jones, Olivia McBride Jones, and Riley Cataula Jones; his six grandchildren, Clayton, Lucille, Kaylynn, Caroline, Thayer, and Grady; his sisters, Julie Kellum and Nancy Parker; and his former wife, Kimberly Clayton Jones.

A celebration of life will be held at the BMI Nashville building, located at 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 beloved nonprofit, at goldstarmentors.com.

Brett’s spirit, his songs, and the love he shared will live as long as grass grows, wind blows, and the sky is blue.

Arrangements by WILLIAMSON MEMORIAL FUNERAL HOME, 615 794-2289 williamsonmemorial.com