Frederick Dierks Bentley (; born November 20, 1975) 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, ...

singer and songwriter. In 2003, he signed to

Capitol Nashville Capitol Records Nashville is a major United States-based record label located in Nashville, Tennessee operating as part of the Universal Music Group Nashville. From 1991 to 1995, Capitol Nashville was known as Liberty Records, before returning ...

and released his eponymous debut album. Both it and its follow-up, 2005's '' Modern Day Drifter'', are certified Platinum in the United States, and his third album, 2006's ''

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 ...

'', is certified Gold. It was followed in mid-2008 by a greatest hits package. His fourth album, '' Feel That Fire'', was released in February 2009, and a bluegrass album, ''

Up on the Ridge ''Up on the Ridge'' is the fifth studio album by American country music artist Dierks Bentley. It was released on June 8, 2010, via Capitol Records Nashville. The album produced two singles on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart with ...

'', was released on June 8, 2010. His sixth album, ''

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. ...

'', followed in February 2012, as did a seventh one, '' Riser'', in 2014. Bentley's eighth album, titled ''

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

'', was released in May 2016, and his ninth, '' The Mountain'', was released in June 2018. His tenth studio album will release in early 2023. Bentley's studio albums have accounted for 27 singles on the

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 ...

and

Country Airplay Country Airplay is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States since January 20, 1990. This chart lists the 60 most-listened-to records played on 150 mainstream country radio stations across the country as monitored ...

charts, of which 18 have reached No. 1: his debut single, "

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 ...

," " Come a Little Closer," " Settle for a Slowdown," "

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 ' ...

," " Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)," " Feel That Fire," " Sideways," " Am I the Only One," "

," " 5-1-5-0," " I Hold On," " Drunk on a Plane," " Say You Do," " Somewhere on a Beach," " Different for Girls," " Woman, Amen," "

Living Living or The Living may refer to: Common meanings *Life, a condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms ** Living species, one that is not extinct *Personal life, the course of an individual human's life * H ...

" and " Beers on Me." Eight more of his singles have reached the top 5.

Early life

Bentley was born on November 20, 1975, in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

, as the son of Leon Fife Bentley (August 16, 1923 – June 1, 2012), a bank vice president, and Catherine Childs. His father was born in

Glasgow, Missouri Glasgow is a city on the Missouri River mostly in northwest Howard County and extending into the southeast corner of Chariton County in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 1,087 at the 2020 census. The Howard County portion of G ...

, to Richard Thomas Bentley Jr. and Mary Cecile ( Fife) Bentley, and was a First Lieutenant in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. His middle name, Dierks (which he now uses as his first name publicly), is also his maternal great-grandmother's surname. He attended

Culver Academies Culver Academies is a college preparatory boarding school located in Culver, Indiana, which is composed of three entities: Culver Military Academy (CMA) for boys, Culver Girls Academy (CGA), and the Culver Summer Schools and Camps (CSSC). Culver ...

in Indiana and graduated from The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey in 1993. Afterward, he spent a year at the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is among the oldest universities in the Unite ...

(UVM) before transferring to

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

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 ...

, where he graduated in 1997.

Music career

2003–05: ''Dierks Bentley'' and ''Modern Day Drifter''

Bentley worked at The Nashville Network (now

Paramount Network Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles. The channel was ...

), researching old footage of

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...

performances. During this time, Bentley was banned from the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a div ...

for trespassing on the grounds of the Opry House for research purposes, a ban that would be lifted when Bentley's first album was released. In 2003,

released Bentley's self-titled debut album. The album's first single, "

," reached No. 1 on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

charts later that year. The next two singles from the album – " My Last Name" and " How Am I Doin'" – reached No. 17 and No. 4, respectively. The album was certified

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

. Bentley's second album, '' Modern Day Drifter'', was released in 2005. It spawned two No. 1 singles in " Come a Little Closer” and " Settle for a Slowdown," as well as the No. 3 hit " Lot of Leavin' Left to Do." The album was also certified Platinum. In 2005, Bentley won the CMA Award for the Horizon Award (now Best New Artist) and was invited to be a member of the

. The induction took place on October 1, 2005. Bentley stands as the third-youngest member after

Carrie Underwood Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005. Her single " Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the ''Bil ...

and Josh Turner.

2006–08: ''Long Trip Alone'' and ''Greatest Hits/Every Mile a Memory 2003–2008''

On June 10, 2006, Bentley released his third album, ''

''. The album produced two No. 1 hits in "

" in 2006 and " Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)" in 2007. The title track reached No. 10 on the country charts, while the fourth single, " Trying to Stop Your Leaving," peaked at No. 5. In 2007, Bentley released a live DVD titled ''Live and Loud at the Fillmore'', which was filmed in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. In a March 2008 interview, Bentley said he would let his fans be the executive producers of his first greatest hits album, '' Greatest Hits/Every Mile a Memory 2003–2008''. The album was released on May 6, 2008. An album cut, "Sweet & Wild," reached No. 51 on the

chart. The song was an uncredited duet with fellow country singer Sarah Buxton.

2009–10: ''Feel That Fire'' and ''Up on the Ridge''

Bentley's fourth studio album, '' Feel That Fire'', was released in February 2009. Its title track, co-written by Brett Beavers and The Warren Brothers, became Bentley's sixth No. 1 hit in February 2009, and the album's second single, " Sideways," became his seventh in summer 2009. The third and final single, " I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes," peaked at No. 2. Bentley released his fifth studio album, ''

'', on June 8, 2010. The title track was released on iTunes on April 20, 2010. The song peaked at No. 21 on the US ''

chart, becoming Bentley's first single to miss the Top 10 since "My Last Name." The second single from the album, " Draw Me a Map," reached No. 33.

2012–13: ''Home'' and ''Country & Cold Cans'' EP

Bentley's sixth album, ''

'', was released on February 7, 2012, led by the single, " Am I the Only One," which reached No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Country Singles. The second single off the album is "

," which was co-written by Bentley, Brett Beavers and Dan Wilson, and also reached No. 1 on March 24, 2012. A third single, " 5-1-5-0," was released shortly after "Home" fell from No. 1 on the country chart. Dierks has been quoted by

American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...

, explaining: “I wrote too many songs. I wrote 70. I wrote a lot. There’s 64 that are never going to see the light of day. That’s 64 days that I can’t get back.” On August 21, 2012, Bentley released the ''Country & Cold Cans'' EP on iTunes. It includes five songs, including a radio edit of the track " Tip It On Back" from his album ''

''. Bentley paid for the studio time to record the EP himself. On October 23, Bentley and Miranda Lambert announced the co-headlined 33-show Locked and Reloaded Tour, which began on January 17, 2013.

2014–15: ''Riser''

Bentley's seventh album, '' Riser'', was released on February 25, 2014. The album's first single, " Bourbon in Kentucky," was released to country radio on June 10, 2013. It peaked at No. 45 on the ''Billboard''

chart, becoming Bentley's lowest-charting single to date. The album's second single, " I Hold On," was released on August 26, 2013, and became his first No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart in April 2014 and his 11th overall to do so. The third single, " Drunk on a Plane," followed that same month and reached No. 1 on Country Airplay in August 2014 and was also a strong commercial hit, reaching No. 27 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The album's fourth single, " Say You Do," was released on October 6, 2014; it reached No. 1 on Country Airplay in May 2015. The title track became the album's fifth single in June 2015. Bentley, along with Eric Paslay, is featured on Charles Kelley's debut solo single, "The Driver," which was released on September 28, 2015. The song received a Grammy nomination for

Best Country Duo/Group Performance The Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. It was first awarded in 2012, after a major overhaul of Gramm ...

for the

58th Annual Grammy Awards The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 201 ...

2016–2017: ''Black''

Bentley released his eighth album, ''

'', on May 27, 2016. The album's first single, " Somewhere on a Beach," was released on January 25, 2016. Bentley co-hosted the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards on April 3, 2016, where he was also nominated for the Male Vocalist of the Year and Video of the Year awards. Bentley released a series of four short films for songs from ''Black'', with episode 1 being the song "I'll Be the Moon" featuring

Maren Morris Maren Larae Morris (born April 10, 1990) is an American singer-songwriter. While rooted in the country genre, her music also blends elements of pop, R&B, and hip-hop. Born and raised in Arlington, Texas, Morris enjoyed singing as a child. She ...

. The following episode serves as the video for "What the Hell Did I Say." The album's second single, " Different for Girls" featuring Elle King, was released to country radio on June 6, 2016. It reached No. 1 on Country Airplay in October 2016. The album's title track was released to country radio as the third single on November 14, 2016. He was also selected as one of 30 artists to perform on "Forever Country," a mashup track of " Take Me Home, Country Roads," "

On the Road Again On the Road Again may refer to: Albums * ''On the Road Again'', a 1976 D. J. Rogers album * ''On the Road Again'', a 1978 Rockets album * ''On the Road Again'', a 1979 Roy Wood album * ''On the Road Again'', a 1989 compilation album by Canned ...

" and "

I Will Always Love You "I Will Always Love You" is a song written and originally recorded in 1973 by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. Written as a farewell to her business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, expressing Parton's decision to pursue a solo career, ...

," which celebrates 50 years of the

CMA Awards The Country Music Association Awards, also known as the CMA Awards or CMAs, are presented to country music artists and broadcasters to recognize outstanding achievement in the country music industry. The televised annual presentation ceremony ...

2018–2021: ''The Mountain'' and ''Hot Country Knights''

On June 8, 2018, Bentley released '' The Mountain'', his ninth studio album, via Capitol Records Nashville. All three singles from the album – "Women, Amen," "Burning Man" and "Living" – reached No. 1 (the second of which, however, only being recognized by Mediabase). Bentley's side project, a '90s country parody band called Hot Country Knights, signed on with Bentley's label Universal Music Group Nashville as a separate recording act in 2020. The act consists of Bentley and his road band, all of whom operate under stage names; Bentley uses the name Douglas "Doug" Douglason. They released their debut single, "Pick Her Up" – which was co-written by Bentley with

Jim Beavers Jim Beavers is an American country music songwriter. Early life and education Jim Beavers grew up in Garland and Jacksonville, Texas. His educational background includes a BBA from Baylor University and an MBA from Vanderbilt University. Car ...

and

Brett Beavers Brett Beavers (born in Waco, Texas), is an American country music songwriter and producer and the co-author of the book ''Something Worth Leaving Behind''. Education and early career Beavers attended Baylor University, where he earned a bachel ...

, and features guest vocals from

Travis Tritt James Travis Tritt (born February 9, 1963) is an American country music singer and songwriter. He signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1989, releasing seven studio albums and a greatest hits package for the label between then and 1999. In the 20 ...

– on January 23, 2020. Bentley released a new single, " Gone," on October 22, 2020. The song was his highest-charting single on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online stream ...

since his 2003 debut, "What Was I Thinkin'." On July 29, 2021, he released " Beers on Me" featuring

Hardy Hardy may refer to: People * Hardy (surname) * Hardy (given name) * Hardy (singer), American singer-songwriter Places Antarctica * Mount Hardy, Enderby Land * Hardy Cove, Greenwich Island * Hardy Rocks, Biscoe Islands Australia * Hardy, Sout ...

and Breland. He also joined

James Barker Band The James Barker Band is a Canadian country group formed in Woodville, Ontario, in 2015. The band consists of James Barker, Taylor Abram, Connor Stephen, and Bobby Martin. In Canada, they have four number one country singles with "Chills", "Keep I ...

on the single " New Old Trucks" in October 2021.

2022–present: ''Upcoming 10th studio album''

On July 29, 2022, Bentley released the lead single, "Gold," off his upcoming, yet-to-be-titled 10th studio album. On November 19, he released "High Note", a bluegrass track featuring Billy Strings.

Personal life

Bentley married Cassidy Black on December 17, 2005, in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

. They live in

Nashville 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 th ...

with their three children and dog, George. The couple has two daughters and a son. One daughter makes a vocal appearance on the song "Thinking of You" from Bentley's 2012 album, ''Home'', and their son appears in the music video for Bentley's 2019 single, "

." Bentley holds a private pilot license. He owns a Cirrus SR22T and flies a

Cessna Citation CJ4 The Cessna CitationJet/CJ/M2 (also known as the Model 525) are a series of light business jets built by Cessna, and are part of the Citation family. Launched in October 1989, the first flight of the Model 525 was on April 29, 1991. Federal Av ...

Tours

Headlining

* 2006: High Times and Hangovers Tour * 2007: Locked and Loaded Tour * 2007: Free and Easy Summer Tour * 2008: Throttle Wide Open Tour * 2010: Up on the Ridge Tour * 2011: Jägermeister Tour * 2011: Country and Cold Cans * 2012: Country and Cold Cans * 2014: Riser Tour * 2015: Sounds of Summer Tour * 2016: Somewhere on a Beach Tour * 2017: What the Hell World Tour * 2018: Mountain High Tour * 2019: Burning Man Tour * 2021: Beers on Me Tour

Co-headlining

* 2013: Locked and Re-Loaded Tour – w/ Miranda Lambert

Supporting

* 2004: Guitars, Tiki Bars and a Whole Lotta Love Tour –

Kenny Chesney Kenneth Arnold Chesney (born March 26, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has recorded more than 20 albums and has produced more than 40 Top 10 singles on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs and Country ...

* 2006: The Road and the Radio Tour – Kenny Chesney * 2009: Paisley Party Tour –

Brad Paisley Bradley Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting with his 1999 debut album ''Who Needs Pictures'', he has released eleven studio albums and a Christmas compilation on the Arista Nashvil ...

* 2009: American Saturday Night Tour – Brad Paisley

Discography

;Studio albums * '' Dierks Bentley'' (2003) * '' Modern Day Drifter'' (2005) * ''

'' (2006) * '' Feel That Fire'' (2009) * ''

'' (2010) * ''

'' (2012) * '' Riser'' (2014) * ''

'' (2016) * '' The Mountain'' (2018) * TBA (2023) ;As Part of Hot Country Knights * '' The K Is Silent'' (2020)

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

Country Music Association Awards

Other awards

Film and television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bentley, Dierks 1975 births Living people American country singer-songwriters American country guitarists American male guitarists American male singer-songwriters Country musicians from Arizona Capitol Records artists Grand Ole Opry members People from Tempe, Arizona Vanderbilt University alumni 21st-century American singers Musicians from Phoenix, Arizona Lawrenceville School alumni 21st-century American guitarists Guitarists from Arizona 21st-century American male singers Culver Academies alumni Singer-songwriters from Arizona