On July 27, Dierks Bentley was playing a show, just like the 250 other nights a year that he's performing, when Marty Stuart hopped up on stage at the House of Blues in Los Angeles.
Bentley was thinking the Grand Ole Opry legend was looking to jam with him and his band, but he was stunned to hear Stuart ask him: "Will you do it? Will you marry the Grand Ole Opry?"
"It hit me like a ton of bricks. I had no idea," Bentley says of Stuart's invitation to join the most prestigious of country music clubs. His official induction as the youngest member of the Opry will be on Oct. 1.
"If I'd had any idea what he was up to, I wouldn't have had that sixth shot of tequila so I could have been more sober for all those interviews afterward," said Bentley, who will appear Saturday night at the Hancock County Fairgrounds in Findlay.
For any country artist, an invitation to join the Opry is often the pinnacle of their career. For Bentley, 29, it was the realization of a lifetime dream. After leaving Phoenix for Nashville almost a decade ago, Bentley got a job at the Country Music Association for six or seven months so he could learn about the business. And he also worked at the cable channel TNN, which had its broadcast studio in the back of the Grand Ole Opry.
"I'd go over there every Friday and watch the show and dream of playing the Opry," Bentley says by phone from his bus, which is in Nebraska. "I'm looking forward to representing the Opry and turning my fans into Opry fans if they're not already."
Bentley sticks to
a traditional country sound with a hint of bluegrass, and is often referred to as the hardest-working man in country because of his unrelenting tour schedule. He's on the road for more than 300 days a year. If he's not playing a show, he's traveling to get to a show.
Shortly after he signed a deal with Capitol Records three years ago, he bought a home near Nashville. He got tired of asking his neighbors to get his mail, so he sold the house and got a house boat.
"I've still got the boat, but if I'm in Nashville, I'm usually racking up hotel bills. We'll have 20 to 21-day runs on the road, and I'll just be in town for a day or two," Bentley says. "But that's what it's about for me. I'm playing music because I love it. The guys on the road with me, they love the music."
Bentley's concerts are filled with women wearing their white tank tops, paying homage to a line in Bentley's No. 1 smash, "What Was I Thinking?" That single off his debut album helped push sales of his first record to more than 1 million copies. His sophomore and current album, "Modern Day Drifter," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart in May and is still going strong.
Despite having a record deal for only three years, he's already toured with Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, and George Strait. He's hoping to build on his popularity with a major tour next year.
"I would love to go out with Kenny Chesney again, maybe Toby [Keith]," he says.
But Bentley doesn't need a large arena to satisfy his love for music. The night before, he and his band were sitting around on the bus until 3 in the morning, just strumming their guitars and throwing out lyrics. It's hard for some to understand the fanatical touring and having no real home except for his bus, but music and the crowds are what Bentley lives for. Whereas a 9 to 5 job and a white-picket fence may be one man's idea of stability, Bentley has different needs.
"I want to go out there and rock. I try to rock the fans every night," he says. "Hopefully I'm getting to be a better entertainer. What you see is real with me. I'm having fun."
Dierks Bentley will be in concert Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Hancock County Fairgrounds, 1017 East Sandusky St., Findlay. Reserved tickets are sold out, but $15 general admission tickets are available by phone at 419-423-9273 or at the fair ticket office today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Contact Brian Dugger at: bdugger@theblade.com
or 419-724-6183.
First Published September 1, 2005, 1:41 p.m.
