Dierks Bentley Biography | Country Music | Ken Burns

Bentley’s interest in music began at an early age, listening to records and influenced by his father, a country music fan. When he heard Hank Williams, Jr. perform the single “Man to Man,” it was like, Dierks says, “a coin going down a slot machine and just everything lining up.” After a year at the University of Vermont and a transformative trip with his father to Nashville, he transferred to Vanderbilt, graduating in 1997. He got a day job at The Nashville Network, researching old footage of country performances, and played in bars and worked on demo tracks at night. After five dues-paying years, he was signed to Capitol Records.

Bentley has won two CMA awards, two CMT awards, and two ACM awards, and has been nominated for 14 GRAMMYs. On October 1, 2005, he became the youngest member of the Grand Ole Opry, at age 29 – the same year he won the CMA Horizon Award. In 2018, he was awarded the Academy of Country Music’s “Merle Haggard Spirit Award,” in recognition of a career that has spanned eight albums and blazed a unique artistic trail. His most recent release, The Mountain, was recorded in Colorado and inspired by experiences at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival – and, though not strictly another bluegrass album, the genre’s influence is clear. “A lot of people, when they discover bluegrass, feel like they’re discovering something new,” Dierks says, “but it’s been there, all along.” In October 2018, Bentley headlined the Country Music Hall of Fame’s concert paying tribute to bluegrass legends The Stanley Brothers, Ralph and Carter.

Born: November 20, 1975, Phoenix, Arizona

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