Frederick Dierks Bentley (; born November 20, 1975) is an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer and songwriter. Bentley moved to Nashville in the late 90s to pursue a career in music, leading up to his releasing the self-funded and independent album Don't Leave Me in Love in 2001. In 2003, he signed to Capitol Nashville 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'', 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'', 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 more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

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

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

'', was released in May 2016, and his ninth, ''

The Mountain The Mountain () was a political group during the French Revolution. Its members, called the Montagnards (), sat on the highest benches in the National Convention. The term, first used during a session of the Legislative Assembly, came into ge ...

'', was released in June 2018. His tenth studio album, '' Gravel & Gold'', was released in February 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 along with digital sales and streaming. ...

and Country Airplay charts, of which 18 have reached No. 1: his debut single, " What Was I Thinkin'", " Come a Little Closer", " Settle for a Slowdown", " Every Mile a Memory", " Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)", " Feel That Fire", "

Sideways ''Sideways'' is a 2004 American comedy-drama directed by Alexander Payne and written by Jim Taylor and Payne. A film adaptation of Rex Pickett's 2004 novel, ''Sideways'' follows two men in their forties, Miles Raymond ( Paul Giamatti), a de ...

", " 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 * ...

" and " Beers on Me". Eight more of his singles have reached the top 5, and he has an additional No. 1 as a part of " Forever Country", and one on the

Canada Country The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...

chart as a featured artist on " New Old Trucks".

Early life

Bentley was born on November 20, 1975, in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) 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 over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, 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, 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. His middle name, Dierks (which he now uses as his first name publicly), is also his maternal great-grandmother's surname. He attended Culver Summer Schools and Camps 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 and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

(UVM) before transferring to

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, where he graduated in 1997.

Music career

1994-2002: Move to Nashville, early years, Don't Leave Me in Love

Dierks Bentley moved to

in the late 1990s at the age of 18 with the ambition of pursuing a career in country music. In his earliest years in the city, he immersed himself in the local music scene by attending live performances and networking with musicians, while also working behind the scenes in the tape library at The Nashville Network, where he catalogued archival footage of historic country music performances. These experiences deepened his appreciation for the genre’s traditional roots and introduced him to the storytelling and instrumentation found in bluegrass. He frequented the Station Inn, a well-known bluegrass venue, and began performing in small clubs and bars along Lower Broadway and elsewhere in the city, including Springwater and Market Street Brewery. During this period, Bentley focused on songwriting, eventually meeting Mike Ward, with whom he began a steady writing collaboration. From 1999 to 2001, Bentley and Ward co-wrote several songs and entered BNA Studios in

Franklin, Tennessee Franklin is a city in and the county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020 Uni ...

to record what would become '' Don't Leave Me in Love'', Bentley’s first independently released album. Self-funded and distributed through his own label, Dangling Rope Records, the album marked the culmination of Bentley’s formative years in Nashville and served as the foundation that would lead to his later mainstream success.

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 and the flagship property of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, who operates it through the MTV Entertainment Group. The network's headquarters are located a ...

), researching old footage of

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

performances. During this time, Bentley was banned from the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a regular live country music, country-music Radio broadcasting, radio broadcast originating from Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, on WSM (AM), WSM, held between two and five nights per week, depending on the ...

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, Capitol Nashville released Bentley's self-titled debut album. The album's first single, " What Was I Thinkin'", 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 advertis ...

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; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

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/o ...

. 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 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, '' Long Trip Alone''. The album produced two No. 1 hits in " Every Mile a Memory" in 2006 and " Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)" in 2007. The

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...

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 List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

. 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

, 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, "

", 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, '' Up on the Ridge'', on June 8, 2010. The

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 Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country music, country singer. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place ...

announced the co-headlined 33-show Locked and Reloaded Tour, which began on January 17, 2013.

2014–2015: ''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'' Country Airplay 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

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 for the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.

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. 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 Tanner Elle Schneider (born July 3, 1989), known professionally as Elle King, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her musical style is influenced by Country music, country, Rock music, rock, and blues. She signed with RCA Records to ...

, was released to country radio on June 6, 2016. It reached No. 1 on Country Airplay in October 2016. The album's

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 "Take Me Home, Country Roads", also known simply as "Country Roads", is a song written by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and John Denver. It was released as a single performed by Denver on April 12, 1971, peaking at number two on ''Billboard''s U ...

", " On the Road Again" and " I Will Always Love You", which celebrates 50 years of the CMA Awards.

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

On June 8, 2018, Bentley released ''

'', 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 Mediabase is a music industry service that monitors radio station airplay in 180 US and Canadian markets. Mediabase publishes music charts and data based on the most played songs on terrestrial and satellite radio, and provides in-depth analytic ...

). 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 and Brett Beavers, and features guest vocals from

Travis Tritt James Travis Tritt (born February 9, 1963) is an American country music, country singer-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 t ...

– 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, also known as simply the 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), ...

since his 2003 debut, "What Was I Thinkin'". On July 29, 2021, he released " Beers on Me" featuring Hardy and Breland. He also joined James Barker Band on the single " New Old Trucks" in October 2021.

2022–2023: ''Gravel & Gold''

On July 29, 2022, Bentley released the lead single, "

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

", from his tenth studio album, '' Gravel & Gold'', which was released on February 24, 2023. On November 19, he released "High Note", a bluegrass track featuring

Billy Strings Billy Strings (born William Lee Apostol, October 3, 1992) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and Bluegrass music, bluegrass musician. He has released four studio albums, with his album Home (Billy Strings album), ''Home'' winning the ...

2024–present: ''Broken Branches''

Bentley began work on his eleventh studio album in 2024, collaborating with songwriters Brett Beavers, Devin Dawson, and

Ashley Gorley Ashley Gorley (born April 29, 1977) is an American songwriter, publisher, and producer from Danville, Kentucky, who is based in Nashville, Tennessee. Gorley has written 81 number 1 songs and has over 400 songs recorded by artists including Luke ...

. He released the single "She Hates Me" on February 14, 2025 blending elements of Keith Whitley and

Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Brian Bell (guitar, keyboards, backing ...

, with

describing it as "humorous" with

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

highlighting its

post-grunge Post-grunge is an offshoot of grunge that has a less abrasive or intense tone than traditional grunge. Originally, the term was used almost pejoratively to label mid-1990s alternative rock bands such as Bush (British band), Bush, Candlebox, Colle ...

homage to the 2001 single " She Hates Me" by

Puddle of Mudd Puddle of Mudd is an American post-grunge band formed in Kansas City, Missouri in 1992. The band has sold over seven million albums. Their major-label debut, '' Come Clean'' (2001), spawned the single " Blurry", which peaked at number 5 on the ...

. The album's title '' Broken Branches'' was officially announced on April 15, 2025; the album was released on June 13, 2025.

Personal life

Bentley married Cassidy Black on December 17, 2005, in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. The couple have 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.

Tours

;Headlining *High Times and Hangovers Tour (2006) *Locked and Loaded Tour (2007) *Free and Easy Summer Tour (2007) *Throttle Wide Open Tour (2008) *Up on the Ridge Tour (2010) *Jäegermeister Tour (2011) *Country and Cold Cans (2011) *Country and Cold Cans (2021) * Riser Tour (2014) * Sounds of Summer Tour (2015) * Somewhere on a Beach Tour (2016) *What the Hell World Tour (2017) *Mountain High Tour (2018) *Burning Man Tour (2019) *High Times and Hangovers Tour (2021) *Beers on Me Tour (2021–2022) *Gravel & Gold Tour (2023) *Broken Branches Tour (2025) ;Co-headlining *Locked and Re-Loaded Tour (2013) ;Supporting *Guitars, Tiki Bars and a Whole Lotta Love Tour (2004) *The Road and the Radio Tour (2006) *Paisley Party Tour (2009) *American Saturday Night Tour (2009)

Discography

;Studio albums * '' Don't Leave Me in Love'' (2001) * '' Dierks Bentley'' (2003) * '' Modern Day Drifter'' (2005) * '' Long Trip Alone'' (2006) * '' Feel That Fire'' (2009) * '' Up on the Ridge'' (2010) * ''

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

'' (2016) * ''

'' (2018) * '' Gravel & Gold'' (2023) * '' Broken Branches'' (2025) ;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 Musicians from Phoenix, Arizona Lawrenceville School alumni 21st-century American guitarists Guitarists from Arizona 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singer-songwriters Culver Academies alumni Singer-songwriters from Arizona Sigma Alpha Epsilon members