Dierks Bentley grew up in Phoenix, listening to George Strait and Hank Williams with his dad. He moved from listener to player when he picked up an electric guitar at 13. He started out playing the music his classmates listened to, mostly rock, until a friend played him the Hank Williams Jr. song, "Man to Man."
Bentley moved to Nashville, Tenn., at 19 where he became discouraged with the Nashville music business. It was there at a low point, he stumbled on the Station Inn, a club that is in many ways a "mecca" for bluegrass fans worldwide. He took some of what he learned from bluegrass and applied it to the country music. He dug deeper into the music to learn more about the artists who came before him. It didn't hurt that his day job at The Nashville Network (TNN) involved searching through old footage of country performances.
As his songwriting improved, he recorded a demo, which led to a publishing deal. In 2003, Capitol Nashville released his self-titled debut album, which featured his successful first single, "What Was I Thinkin'?"
In 2005, Modern Day Drifter boosted his profile, due to the hits "Lot of Leavin'
Left to Do," "Come a Little Closer" and "Settle For a Slowdown" -- all the while maintaining his extensive touring profile. He won the CMA Horizon Award in November 2005 and eloped to Mexico with his high school sweetheart a few weeks later.
In 2006, he released his third album, Long Trip Alone, with the hit "Every Mile a Memory."
Dierks will be at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre on August 7th. ROCK with DIERKS in Tinley Park!! Also check Dierks out on MySpace.com/dierksbentley
