Dierks Bentley

Frederick Dierks Bentley (born November 20, 1975) is an American country music singer and songwriter.

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 ( 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.

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, he signed to Capitol Nashville and released his eponymous debut album.

In 2003, Capitol Nashville released Bentley's self-titled debut album.

The album's first single, "What Was I Thinkin'", 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.

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, is certified Gold.

Bentley's second album, Modern Day Drifter, was released in 2005.

It spawned two No. 1 singles in "Come a Little Closer" and "Settle for a Slowdown", as well as the No. 3 hit "Lot of Leavin' Left to Do".

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.

On June 10, 2006, Bentley released his third album, Long Trip Alone.

The album produced two No. 1 hits in "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, while the fourth single, "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.

It was followed in mid-2008 by a greatest hits package.

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.

Bentley's fourth studio album, Feel That Fire, 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", peaked at No. 2.

His fourth album, Feel That Fire, was released in February 2009, and a bluegrass album, Up on the Ridge, was released on June 8, 2010.

Bentley released his fifth studio album, Up on the Ridge, on June 8, 2010.

The title track was released on iTunes on April 20, 2010.

His sixth album, Home, followed in February 2012, as did a seventh one, Riser, in 2014.

Bentley's eighth album, titled Black, was released in May 2016, and his ninth, The Mountain, was released in June 2018.

His tenth studio album, Gravel & Gold, 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'", "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", "Home", "5-1-5-0", "I Hold On", "Drunk on a Plane", "Say You Do", "Somewhere on a Beach", "Different for Girls", "Woman, Amen", "Living" and "Beers on Me".

Eight more of his singles have reached the top 5.