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Biography All Music Guide Wikipedia
All Music Guide:
Growing up in a nonmusical family in Phoenix, AZ, country singer Dierks Bentley got his country music education on his own, listening to recordings. A love of the music 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 gigs. He landed a job at the TNN television network doing research on classic country music and by night he worked on his demos. Capitol Records heard the artist, signed him, and released 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 returned 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 released in early 2009, followed by Up on the Ridge in 2010.
Wikipedia:
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
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. He was initiated into Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity while at Vermont.
Music career
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.
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, "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. 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.
Feel That Fire and Up on the Ridge
Bentley's fifth studio album, Feel That Fire, 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.
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. 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.
Personal life
Bentley married Cassidy Black on December 17, 2005 in Mexico. They live in Nashville, Tennessee, with their dogs Jake (who has appeared in a few of Dierks' videos) and George. The couple welcomed their first child, Evelyn Day Bentley (nicknamed "Evie"), on October 4, 2008. Their second daughter, Jordan Catherine Bentley, was born December 25, 2010.
