Category Archives: Dierks Bentley

Growing up in a nonmusical family in Phoenix, AZ, country vocalist Dierks Bentley got his country music education on his own, listening to recordings. A love of the material inspired him to move to Nashville at the age of 19, but he quickly grew discouraged by the lack of public and professional interest coming his way. It all changed when he walked into the Station Inn, a bar where the bluegrass faithful hang out. An all-night jam session recharged his batteries and he restarted pursuing bookings. He landed a job at the TNN tv network doing research on classic country songs and by night he worked on his demos. Capitol Records heard the artist, signed him, and gave us his self-titled debut, Dierks Bentley, in 2003, which yielded the impossibly catchy single “What Was I Thinkin'”. Bringing his love of Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings more to the forefront, Modern Day Drifter followed two years later and became a Top Ten hit. In 2006 he came back with Long Trip Alone, a more polished effort that was commercial but not crass. Greatest Hits: Every Mile a Memory arrived in 2008, a bit early in his career for that, perhaps, but it did contain his key charting singles and added in fan-selected live tracks as a bonus, making it a nice summation of Bentley’s work to date. A new album, Feel That Fire, was gave us in early 2009.

Dierks Bentley Releases Bonus Video

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Fans are invited to take an inside look at the creation of Dierks Bentley‘s next album by promising to post a new behind-the-scenes video on Bentley’s Web site every Monday. This latest move shows both artists and fans how much the power of the internet and online social interaction is changing the face of artist promotion and how it gives fans an opportunity to get up close and personal to stars like Dierks Bentley. Dierks was an early adopter of online social tools in the country music scene which has no doubt aided in his success. So let’s celebrate his efforts and enjoy the special behind the scenes Dierks Bentley video.Country Music Photo Gallery

Dierks Bentley: Long Trip Alone – Hot Country Music Video of the Week

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A milestone in Dierks Bentley‘s career, “Long Trip Alone” raced to the top of the CMT and Billboard charts. In an interview with Dial-Globe he said the song started off about his wife but then became about all the people in your life. By the end, he said, it became more of a prayer. Either way, the song seems to show a more mature and serious side of Dierks that had not come out until that point in his career although he didn’t seem intent on coming across that way. “I think it just kind of happened that way. I think in my mind there is always a push ahead with the live show and push ahead to take it somewhere new. I’m not content just to put out an album that sounds like the record before. I was trying to move forward in that direction and I think with this record some stuff came out, you know, in songwriting. I’ve been on the road for the last four years straight. So when you sit on the front seat of a bus that long, you really think about a lot of heavy things at times. And a song like “Long Trip Alone” is more of a prayer than a song to me. Some stuff came out that is kind of bigger sounding and with bigger messages. We’ve kept it in line with some songs that are definitely honky-tonk, beer joint stompers. But there’s definitely some big songs on this record.” Take a listen and tell me what you think of Dierks Bentley’s Long Trip Alone. [youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=2yNXsWm-vKs] For Dierks Bentley 2008 concert tour dates, artist biographies and event details, please visit our partner site Country Music On TourCountry Music Photo Gallery

Dierks Bentley – Country Artist of the Week

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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

Dwight Yoakam Only Country Singer on Coachella Festival

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One set of dates that’s solid on Dwight Yoakam’s schedule comes April 26. He’s the only country artist set to appear in Indio, Calif., at the annual Coachella music festival, which this year features Pink Floyd alum Roger Waters, Death Cab For Cutie, Kraftwerk and Portishead. The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly known as Coachella) is a three-day (formerly a one or two-day) annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Fields in Indio, California. The event features many genres of music including alternative rock, hip hop, country, and electronica as well as large sculptural art. The event has several stages/tents set-up throughout the grounds, each playing live music continuously. The main stages are: Coachella Stage, Outdoor Theatre, Gobi Tent, Mojave Tent, and the Sahara Tent (2006 also saw the addition of a smaller Oasis Dome). The following weekend, he’ll return to the same location for the second annual Stagecoach Country Music Festival. Among the artists booked so far for that event are Carrie Underwood, Big & Rich, Earl Scruggs, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw, Dierks Bentley and country music legends, The Judds. For Dwight Yoakam 2008 concert tour dates, artist biographies and event details, please visit our partner site Country Music On TourCountry Music Photo Gallery