Dierks Bentley

Biography

Frederick Dierks Bentley (; born November 20, 1975) is an American country singer and songwriter. Bentley moved to Nashville in the late 1990s to pursue a career in music, leading up to his releasing the self-funded and independent album Don't Leave Me in Love×Don't Leave Me In Love2001 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Always Be Me4:072Don't Leave Me in Love3:553Midnight Radio3:104Bartenders, Barstools, Barmaids2:415Walking Papers3:476Whiskey Tears3:027Living Single2:568Why Do You Love Me3:229Not Through Loving You3:1610Home Is Where the Hurt Is4:07 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×Long Trip Alone27 October 2006 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Every Mile a Memory3:532Can’t Live It Down3:243Long Trip Alone3:444That Don’t Make It Easy Loving Me4:105Soon as You Can4:006Trying to Stop Your Leaving3:407Hope for Me Yet2:568The Heaven I’m Headed To4:329Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)3:2010Band of Brothers3:4411Prodigal Son’s Prayer2:51, is certified Gold. It was followed in mid-2008 by a greatest hits package. His fourth album, Feel That Fire×Feel That Fire3 February 2009 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Life on the Run3:472Sideways3:043Feel That Fire3:214I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes3:595Here She Comes, Here We Go4:286I Can’t Forget Her4:157Beautiful World3:148Little Heartwrecker3:269You Hold Me Together3:5710Better Believer4:1511Pray4:1912Last Call4:26, was released in February 2009, and a bluegrass album, Up on the Ridge×Up on the Ridge8 June 2010 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Up on the Ridge3:352Fallin’ for You3:443Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)3:244Rovin’ Gambler2:355Draw Me a Map3:326Bad Angel4:047Fiddlin’ Around3:088You’re Dead to Me3:209Pride (In the Name of Love)4:0910Love Grows Wild2:4811Bottle to the Bottom4:1612Down in the Mine5:01, was released on June 8, 2010. His sixth album, Home, followed in February 2012, as did a seventh one, Riser×Riser25 February 2014 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Bourbon in Kentucky3:462Say You Do3:403I Hold On4:414Pretty Girls3:395Here on Earth4:256Drunk on a Plane4:147Five4:458Riser4:119Sounds of Summer3:2310Damn These Dreams3:2611Back Porch3:1212Hurt Somebody2:57, in 2014. Bentley's eighth album, titled Black×Black27 May 2016 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Black3:302Pick Up3:343I'll Be the Moon3:314What the Hell Did I Say3:285Somewhere on a Beach3:176Freedom3:367Why Do I Feel4:008Roses and a Time Machine3:399All the Way to Me3:4010Different for Girls3:0111Mardi Gras3:5112Light It Up3:3613Can't Be Replaced5:39, was released in May 2016, and his ninth, The Mountain×The Mountain8 June 2018 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Burning Man3:592The Mountain4:453Living3:424Woman, Amen3:005You Can’t Bring Me Down4:466Nothing On but the Stars3:477Goodbye in Telluride3:098My Religion3:059One Way3:3810Son of the Sun3:1011Stranger to Myself3:2512Travelin’ Light3:1513How I’m Going Out3:38, was released in June 2018. His tenth studio album, Gravel & Gold×Gravel & Gold24 February 2023 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Same Ol’ Me3:162Sun Sets in Colorado3:033Heartbreak Drinking Tour3:434Something Real3:575Still3:146Beer at My Funeral3:107Cowboy Boots4:348Gold2:489Walking Each Other Home3:4610Roll On3:0711All the Right Places3:5912Ain’t All Bad3:4413Old Pickup3:2214High Note5:34, was released in February 2023.
Bentley's studio albums have accounted for 27 singles on the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, of which 18 have reached No. 1: his debut single, "What Was I Thinkin'×What Was I Thinkin'20 May 2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1What Was I Thinkin'3:522Whiskey Tears3:25", "Come a Little Closer×Come A Little Closer2005 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Come A Little Closer4:12", "Settle for a Slowdown", "Every Mile a Memory×Every Mile a Memory2006 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Every Mile a Memory (Album Version)3:53", "Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)", "Feel That Fire", "Sideways", "Am I the Only One×Am I the Only One25 March 2011 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Am I the Only One3:12", "Home", "5-1-5-0", "I Hold On×I Hold On13 August 2013 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1I Hold On4:39", "Drunk on a Plane×Drunk on a Plane30 April 2024 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Drunk on a Plane4:14", "Say You Do", "Somewhere on a Beach×Somewhere on a Beach19 January 2016 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Somewhere on a Beach3:20", "Different for Girls", "Woman, Amen", "Living×Living25 February 2019 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Living3:42" and "Beers on Me×Beers on Me29 July 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Beers on Me2:54". 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 chart as a featured artist on "New Old Trucks×New Old Trucks7 October 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1New Old Trucks3:11".

Early life

Bentley was born on November 20, 1975, in Phoenix, Arizona, 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 (née Fife) Bentley, and was a First Lieutenant in World War II. 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 (UVM) before transferring to Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he graduated in 1997.

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

Dierks Bentley moved to Nashville, Tennessee 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 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), researching old footage of country performances. During this time, Bentley was banned from the Grand Ole Opry 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'×What Was I Thinkin'20 May 2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1What Was I Thinkin'3:522Whiskey Tears3:25", reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs 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 by the RIAA.
Bentley's second album, Modern Day Drifter×Modern Day Drifter10 May 2005 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Lot of Leavin’ Left to Do4:352Come a Little Closer4:443Cab of My Truck3:424Settle for a Slowdown3:455Domestic, Light and Cold4:036Good Things Happen3:477Down on Easy Street3:338So So Long3:279Modern Day Drifter4:1310Good Man Like Me3:0911Gonna Get There Someday4:16, was released in 2005. It spawned two No. 1 singles in "Come a Little Closer×Come A Little Closer2005 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Come A Little Closer4:12" and "Settle for a Slowdown", as well as the No. 3 hit "Lot of Leavin' Left to Do×Lot of Leavin' Left to Do2004 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Come A Little Closer2Lot of Leavin' Left to Do3:40". 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 Grand Ole Opry. 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×Long Trip Alone27 October 2006 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Every Mile a Memory3:532Can’t Live It Down3:243Long Trip Alone3:444That Don’t Make It Easy Loving Me4:105Soon as You Can4:006Trying to Stop Your Leaving3:407Hope for Me Yet2:568The Heaven I’m Headed To4:329Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)3:2010Band of Brothers3:4411Prodigal Son’s Prayer2:51. The album produced two No. 1 hits in "Every Mile a Memory×Every Mile a Memory2006 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Every Mile a Memory (Album Version)3:53" 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×Trying To Stop Your Leaving2008 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Trying to Stop Your Leaving3:332Trying to Stop Your Leaving3:333Trying to Stop Your Leaving (Research Hook)0:17", 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. 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.

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

Bentley's fourth studio album, Feel That Fire×Feel That Fire3 February 2009 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Life on the Run3:472Sideways3:043Feel That Fire3:214I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes3:595Here She Comes, Here We Go4:286I Can’t Forget Her4:157Beautiful World3:148Little Heartwrecker3:269You Hold Me Together3:5710Better Believer4:1511Pray4:1912Last Call4:26, 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×I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes19 September 2009 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes (Acoustic Version)4:15", peaked at No. 2.
Bentley released his fifth studio album, Up on the Ridge×Up on the Ridge8 June 2010 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Up on the Ridge3:352Fallin’ for You3:443Señor (Tales of Yankee Power)3:244Rovin’ Gambler2:355Draw Me a Map3:326Bad Angel4:047Fiddlin’ Around3:088You’re Dead to Me3:209Pride (In the Name of Love)4:0910Love Grows Wild2:4811Bottle to the Bottom4:1612Down in the Mine5:01, on June 8, 2010. The title track was released on iTunes on April 20, 2010. The song peaked at No. 21 on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs 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, Home, was released on February 7, 2012, led by the single, "Am I the Only One×Am I the Only One25 March 2011 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Am I the Only One3:12", which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country Singles. The second single off the album is "Home", 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, 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×Tip It On Back2012 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Tip It On Back3:26" from his album Home. 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.

2014–2015: Riser

Bentley's seventh album, Riser×Riser25 February 2014 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Bourbon in Kentucky3:462Say You Do3:403I Hold On4:414Pretty Girls3:395Here on Earth4:256Drunk on a Plane4:147Five4:458Riser4:119Sounds of Summer3:2310Damn These Dreams3:2611Back Porch3:1212Hurt Somebody2:57, was released on February 25, 2014. The album's first single, "Bourbon in Kentucky×Bourbon In Kentucky14 June 2013 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Bourbon In Kentucky3:45", 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×I Hold On13 August 2013 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1I Hold On4:39", 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×Drunk on a Plane30 April 2024 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Drunk on a Plane4:14", 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 for the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.

2016–2017: Black

Bentley released his eighth album, Black×Black27 May 2016 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Black3:302Pick Up3:343I'll Be the Moon3:314What the Hell Did I Say3:285Somewhere on a Beach3:176Freedom3:367Why Do I Feel4:008Roses and a Time Machine3:399All the Way to Me3:4010Different for Girls3:0111Mardi Gras3:5112Light It Up3:3613Can't Be Replaced5:39, on May 27, 2016. The album's first single, "Somewhere on a Beach×Somewhere on a Beach19 January 2016 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Somewhere on a Beach3:20", 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, 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" 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 The Mountain, his ninth studio album, via Capitol Records Nashville. All three singles from the album – "Women, Amen", "Burning Man×Burning Man31 May 2018 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Burning Man3:58" and "Living×Living25 February 2019 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Living3:42" – 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 and Brett Beavers, and features guest vocals from Travis Tritt – 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 since his 2003 debut, "What Was I Thinkin'×What Was I Thinkin'20 May 2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1What Was I Thinkin'3:522Whiskey Tears3:25". On July 29, 2021, he released "Beers on Me×Beers on Me29 July 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Beers on Me2:54" featuring Hardy and Breland. He also joined James Barker Band on the single "New Old Trucks×New Old Trucks7 October 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1New Old Trucks3:11" in October 2021.

2022–2023: Gravel & Gold

On July 29, 2022, Bentley released the lead single, "Gold", from his tenth studio album, Gravel & Gold×Gravel & Gold24 February 2023 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Same Ol’ Me3:162Sun Sets in Colorado3:033Heartbreak Drinking Tour3:434Something Real3:575Still3:146Beer at My Funeral3:107Cowboy Boots4:348Gold2:489Walking Each Other Home3:4610Roll On3:0711All the Right Places3:5912Ain’t All Bad3:4413Old Pickup3:2214High Note5:34, which was released on February 24, 2023. On November 19, he released "High Note×High Note18 November 2022 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1High Note5:33", a bluegrass track featuring Billy Strings.

2024–present: Broken Branches

Bentley began work on his eleventh studio album in 2024, collaborating with songwriters Brett Beavers, Devin Dawson, and Ashley Gorley.
He released the single "She Hates Me×She Hates Me14 February 2025 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1She Hates Me2:51" on February 14, 2025 blending elements of Keith Whitley and Weezer, with Billboard describing it as "humorous" with Rolling Stone highlighting its post-grunge homage to the 2001 single "She Hates Me" by Puddle of Mudd.
The album's title Broken Branches×Broken Branches13 June 2025 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Cold Beer Can2:432Jesus Loves Me3:253She Hates Me2:514Something Worth Fixing3:125Standing in the Sun3:476Well Well Whiskey3:347Broken Branches3:178Off the Map3:129Never You3:3610For as Long as I Can Remember3:5011Don’t Cry for Me3:03 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. 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, "Living×Living25 February 2019 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Living3:42".
Bentley holds a private pilot license. He owns a Cirrus SR22T and flies a Cessna Citation CJ4.