Dierks Bentley – Country Artist of the Week
Arizona native and Nashville bound Dierks Bentley is our latest Artist of the Week. I chose Dierks because he takes a completely grass-roots approach to touring and playing. Performing live has always been his passion, and his real reason for making music. Bentley calls himself a country music missionary, and the live show is his testament. “I want to wake up every morning thinking I’ve got to make the most of this day,” he says of his open-armed embrace of the road. “If we’re playing a corn-dog fair, I get out there and check out the horses and the cows and the prizes and hang out and meet people. You get to be a country music missionary. You’re touching people’s lives every day. You’re influencing these people. So I try to make the most out of every day.” When asked about his influences, many of them gained from his time as an intern at The Nashville Network, Dierks Bentley has this to say: “I’ve stolen from the best, man, for sure. Waylon Jennings’ grit and that attitude, we try to toss it into our show a little bit. Johnny Cash, sometimes you can’t tell if it’s a love song or a spiritual song. I think that’s really cool.” “It’s not your dad’s country music,” he said. “It’s youthful, it’s runnin’ around, it’s people jumping off stage, it’s a wild show. I think it’s still country music, but I definitely incorporate some other genres in there as far as the feel of the live show goes.” Dierks Bentley kicked off the latest edition of his live show last week. The Throttle Wide Open Tour features opening acts Bucky Covington and Luke Bryan. For Dierks Bentley 2008 concert tour dates, artist biographies and event details, please visit our partner site Country Music On TourCountry Music Photo Gallery