Casey James
Season 9 · Eliminated 3rd
Where are they now
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.
Key figures
- Career score20 points of 100Rank on Encore Index: #69 (tie) of 688
- Billboard 200 albums1 album on the Billboard 200Rank on Encore Index: #51 (tie) of 94
- Hot 100 entries1 Hot 100 entryRank on Encore Index: #50 (tie) of 80
- Studio albums4 studio albumsRank on Encore Index: #28 (tie) of 238
- Wikipedia views, 12 months9,886 pageviewsRank on Encore Index: #171 of 303
- Wikipedia views since 2015214,985 pageviewsRank on Encore Index: #152 of 303
Known for
Interest over time
Monthly views of the English Wikipedia article, July 2015 – September 2026.
Career
- 2008
Before American Idol, James fronted the Casey James Band from 2008.
- 2010
American Idol, season 9
Eliminated 3rd
- 2010
On 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.
- 2011
His 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.
- 2012
His 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.
- 2012
Sony Music Nashville announced on June 4, 2012 that it would retire BNA Records and move its artists, James included, to Columbia Nashville.
- 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.
- 2016
Sony 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.
- 2017
James released the independent blues album Strip It Down on June 9, 2017. Tom Hambridge produced it, and Delbert McClinton is featured on "Bulletproof".
- 2020
From 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.
- 2020
In 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.
- 2020
His blues-rock album If You Don't Know By Now was released on September 18, 2020.
- 2026
His first acoustic album, Me & My Guitar, Vol. 1, was released on April 24, 2026.
More milestones
- Date not documented
"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.
- Date not documented
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.
- Date not documented
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.
Discography
| Title | Type | Year | Label | RIAA certification | U.S. sales | Billboard peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crying on a Suitcase | Single | 2012 | Not documented | Not documented | Not applicable | No. 88Hot 100 |
| Casey James | Album | 2012 | BNA Records/19 Recordings | Not documented | 77,000April 21, 2013 | No. 23Billboard 200 |
| Strip It Down | Album | 2017 | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
 If You Don't Know by Now | Album | 2020 | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
 Heaven Down HereTexas Hill | Album | 2022 | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| SoldiersTexas Hill | Album | 2024 | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
| Me & My Guitar, Vol. 1 | Album | 2026 | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented |
Cover images: Cover Art Archive (MusicBrainz).
Sources
- Casey James: Bio — Casey James.
- Boyd, Wakefield, James form Texas Hill — Country Standard Time, June 12, 2020.
- iTunes Lookup API: Casey James (artist id 813184) albums — Apple.
- Casey James - TKO — TKO (booking agency).
- 'Idol' sales: Scotty's new single, more — USA Today, April 21, 2013.
- Casey James (album) (Wikipedia revision 1375795058) — Wikipedia, September 20, 2026.
- American Idol season 9 — Wikipedia, August 11, 2026.
- List of American Idol finalists — Wikipedia, June 10, 2026.
- Casey James (Wikipedia revision 1370828469) — Wikipedia, August 23, 2026.
- Casey James Signs With 19 Recordings/BNA Records — AllAccess.com, August 17, 2010.
- Hear Casey James' Heartbreaking New Single 'Fall Apart' — Rolling Stone, October 6, 2014.
- iTunes Search API: Texas Hill albums — Apple.
- MusicBrainz artist Casey James — MusicBrainz.
- Kenny Chesney Renews Deal With Sony, BNA Imprint Retired — AllAccess.com, June 4, 2012.
- Life after 'American Idol': Adam Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Casey James, Clay Aiken — The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Radio and TV Talk blog), October 21, 2016.
- Casey James - Strip It Down | Album Review — Blues Blast Magazine, November 29, 2017.
- Casey James: Strip It Down Review — Blues Rock Review, November 29, 2017.
- Casey James: If You Don't Know By Now Review — Blues Rock Review, November 16, 2020.
- Casey James (official site home page) — Casey James.
- Casey James Album & Song Chart History - Hot 100 — Billboard.
- MusicBrainz artist Texas Hill — MusicBrainz.
- Monthly pageviews of the English Wikipedia article "Casey James", July 2015 – September 2026 — Wikimedia Foundation.
- Here's what we know about the 'American Idol' farewell — Los Angeles Times, April 7, 2016.
- American Idol Series Finale Recap: Alumni Cameos and Star-Studded Performances — ABC News, April 8, 2016.
