Dierks Bentley
Bentley in April 2010
Background information
Born	(1975-11-20) November 20, 1975 (age 36)[1] Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Origin	Tempe, Arizona, USA
Genres	Country, Bluegrass
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Dangling Rope, Capitol Records Nashville
Associated acts	Brett Beavers, Deric Ruttan, The Warren Brothers, Lee Kernaghan, Harley Allen
Website	www.dierks.com

Dierks Bentley (born November 20, 1975) is an American country music artist who has been signed to Capitol Records Nashville since 2003. That year, he released his self-titled debut album. Both it and its follow-up, 2005's Modern Day Drifter, are certified platinum in the United States. A 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. A bluegrass studio album, Up on the Ridge, was released on June 8, 2010, and then a sixth album, Home, followed in February 2012.

Bentley's studio albums have accounted for eighteen singles on the country singles charts, of which nine have reached No. 1: his debut single "What Was I Thinkin'", as well as "Come a Little Closer", "Settle for a Slowdown", "Every Mile a Memory", "Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)", "Feel That Fire", "Sideways", "Am I the Only One", and "Home". Four more of his singles have reached Top Five on the country charts as well.

Early life[link]

Bentley was born on November 20, 1975 in Phoenix, Arizona. He attended Culver Academies. After graduating from The Lawrenceville School, Bentley spent a year at the University of Vermont before transferring to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee where he graduated in 1997.^[2][3] He was initiated into Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity while at Vermont.

Music career[link]

Dierks Bentley opening for Brad Paisley 14 Feb 2009 at Scotiabank Place, Ottawa

[edit] Dierks Bentley and Modern Day Drifter

Bentley worked at The Nashville Network (now Spike TV), researching old footage of country performances. In 2003, Capitol Nashville released Bentley's self-titled debut album. The album's first single, "What Was I Thinkin'," reached Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts later that year. The next two singles from that album, "My Last Name" and "How Am I Doin'," reached No. 17 and No. 4, respectively. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA.

Bentley's second Capitol album, Modern Day Drifter, was released in 2005. It spawned two Number One singles, "Settle for a Slowdown" and "Come a Little Closer," and the Top 5 hit, "Lot of Leavin' Left to Do." The album was also certified platinum.

Later in 2005, Bentley won the CMA Award for the Horizon Award (now Best New Artist) and was invited to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry. The induction took place on October 1, 2005. Bentley stands as the third youngest member after Carrie Underwood and Josh Turner.

[edit] Long Trip Alone and Greatest Hits/Every Mile a Memory 2003–2008

Bentley performing in Saginaw, Michigan, March 31, 2007

On June 10, 2006, Bentley released his third album, Long Trip Alone. The album produced two No. 1 hits, "Every Mile a Memory" in 2006 and "Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)" in 2007. The title track reached No. 10 on the country charts. The fourth single from the album, "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.

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.^[4] An album cut, "Sweet & Wild," reached No. 51 on the Hot Country Songs chart. The song was an uncredited duet with fellow country singer Sarah Buxton.

[edit] Feel That Fire and Up on the Ridge

Bentley's fifth studio album, Feel That Fire,^[5] was released in February 2009. Its title track, co-written by Brett Beavers and The Warren Brothers, reached Top 40 in October 2008 and became his sixth Number One in February 2009. The second single from the album, "Sideways," was released on March 2, 2009 and went on to become his seventh Number One in the summer of 2009. The album's third and final single, "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes," was released on September 13, and peaked at No. 2.

Bentley released his sixth studio album, Up on the Ridge, on June 8, 2010. The title track was released to iTunes on April 20, 2010. The song peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and became Bentley's first single to miss the Top 10 since "My Last Name." The album's second single, "Draw Me a Map," was released to radio on August 23, 2010 and peaked at No. 33, becoming his lowest-charting single to date.

[edit] Home

Bentley's seventh album, Home, was released on February 7, 2012, lead by the single, "Am I the Only One" which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country Singles.^[6][7] The second single off the album is "Home", which also reached No. 1 on March 24, 2012. A third single, "5-1-5-0", was released shortly after "Home" fell from Number One on the country chart. Dierks has been quoted by American Songwriter explaining Home.He confesses, “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.”^[8]

Personal life[link]

Bentley married Cassidy Black on December 17, 2005 in Mexico.^[9] They live in Nashville, Tennessee, with their dogs Jake (who has appeared in a few of Dierks' videos) and George.^[10] The couple welcomed their first child, Evelyn Day Bentley (nicknamed "Evie"), on October 4, 2008.^[11] Their second daughter, Jordan Catherine Bentley, was born December 25, 2010.^[12]

Tours[link]

• High Times & Hangovers Tour
  • with Cross Canadian Ragweed
• Free and Easy Summer Tour (2007)
  • with Miranda Lambert and Jason Aldean
• Throttle Wide Open Tour (2008)
  • with Luke Bryan and Bucky Covington
• Paisley Party Tour (2009)
  • with Brad Paisley and Darius Rucker
• American Saturday Night Tour (2009)
  • with Brad Paisley and Jimmy Wayne
• Up On The Ridge Tour (2010)
• Jägermeister Tour (2011)
  • with Josh Thompson
• Country and Cold Cans (2011)
  • with Jerrod Niemann and Eli Young Band

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Don't Leave Me in Love (2001)
• Dierks Bentley (2003)
• Modern Day Drifter (2005)
• Long Trip Alone (2006)
• Greatest Hits/Every Mile a Memory 2003–2008 (2008)
• Feel That Fire (2009)
• Up on the Ridge (2010)
• Home (2012)

Awards and nominations[link]

Film and television[link]

• Narrated and appeared in The Rise of Kahne (2009), a biography of NASCAR driver, Kasey Kahne. Bentley is featured in the DVD during an event benefiting the Kasey Kahne Foundation.^[14]

References[link]