"Press On
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent alone will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not: unrewarded genius is almost proverb. Education alone will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent."
-from Owen Bradley’s headstone (Calvin Coolidge)
Dierks Bentley knew Country Music was in his soul at the age of 18 when he was drawn to Nashville, TN. "I just knew I had to be in Nashville…it was all I could think about," Dierks says. Once he arrived, Dierks found himself turning to the past to build his future. "I ‘discovered’ the world of Bluegrass Music one night by wandering into the Station Inn (a Nashville music club landmark) and it changed my whole world…it was like starting all over again." He slowed down and changed his focus from country stardom to a back-to-the-basics love for the music. Dreams of playing arenas and stadiums were replaced by lessons in Lower Broadway honky-tonks. "If there were a couple of people in the bar who were really into the music, then I considered the night a success. I would rather play for five people who "get it" than for five thousand who don’t."
At a time when music industry execs are struggling in their search for a musical direction, Dierks Bentley has charted his course carefully and will reach his destination when he writes and produces Country Music that fans of all ages and country stylings can embrace. His debut release, Don’t Leave Me in Love, is a prime example of this effort. The record has received favorable reviews from people who do not consider themselves country music fans as well as from traditional proponents of the genre.
The formula for producing the record was easy. "We picked out the players we knew would give us the sort of sound we wanted and then told them ‘play it how you feel it’." Dierks drew from the best musicians in the country and bluegrass fields to play on this record, including members of the world renowned Del McCoury Band, Ray Flacke, as well as legendary steel guitarist John Hughey. The end result is raw, pure, unique, and above all, Country.
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Dierks wrote or co-wrote nine of the ten songs on the record, co-produced by Mike Ward. Mike and Dierks met in the Spring of 1999 and immediately began writing together at least once a week for well over a year. "The songs went from the heart to paper with the help of a lot of late nights and six-packs," Dierks says with a grin. The idea for recording a record just happened naturally because of a mutual love and respect for the lyric.
This record evokes all corners of Country Music emotions and captivates you from first downbeat to the last note. From the sad ("Whiskey Tears") to the introspective ("Lonesome Why Do You Love Me") and from the amusing ("Walkin’ Papers") to the straight honky-tonk ("Bartenders, Barstools, Barmaids"). "This song probably won’t inspire anybody to try to change the world but some of my favorite country songs don’t have big messages. "Lonesome Why Do You Love Me" is a song that draws from Dierks’s real life experiences. "It’s about unintentionally pushing love away when it comes around…something I was guilty of doing. I was too busy chasing ‘the dream’ to chase after love." Another standout is "Midnight Radio," a song about the Grand Ole Opry and 650 WSM, the radio station that has brought the Opry into homes all over country. "Playing the Opry is my number one goal. From the very first time I heard the Opry on the radio I was obsessed with it."
Always a fan and student of the genre himself, one of Dierks’s highlights was meeting Chet Atkins. "I’ll never forget what Chet said. He was talking about the secret to his success as a producer and musician and said, simply put, ‘I just made records that I liked and it turns out a lot of people liked the same things I did.’
"Chet was true to himself and that’s what I strive to be. At the end of the day, I want to look into the mirror and say, "It wasn’t all about me…it was all about the music."
Contact and booking info: dierksbentley@yahoo.com or (615) 491-7137 |
