It’s a sad day for Dierks Bentley. He has lost his best friend, sidekick and canine companion, Jake, who has been with the singer in nearly all phases of his life so far – as a single guy, a married guy and a father, as well as a touring country artist. He has immortalized Jake on the cover art of his very first single “What Was I Thinkin’,” and his debut album, in numerous music videos, on stage at the Grand Ole Opry, in the video for his Country Radio Seminar New Faces Show and on his latest album, Black, on the very last song, “Can’t Be Replaced.”
“For 15 years, right by my side / From a single man to three kids and a wife / Friends come and go, but when it comes to Jake / There’s just some things that can’t be replaced.”
“The last verse talks about him and knowing this is the last record he’ll be a part of, and it’s painful, but I love it. But the last lyric is about Jake, and then you have this great dobro solo on the way out from Jerry Douglas,” says Dierks. “The very first song I ever put out and my very first record ‘What Was I Thinkin’’ had Jake on the cover artwork and featured a really prominent dobro solo played by Randy Kohrs. So, it’s kind of in a way bookending Jake’s life with me and my life so far really ‘cause he’s been there from a single man to finding my wife and my kids and he’s had to adapt to all of these circumstances. So, this really is an end of a big era for me and obviously for Jake, so it really bookends my life so far.”
Jake has been on the road with Dierks until recently and was his faithful friend. Once, he ran off during a rain storm and Dierks took to his social media to help locate him.
Jake has also appeared on red carpets, and he even had his own seat on a Southwest flight to New York to appear with his “Dad” on ABC’s The View.
He once again took to his socials to post a memorial to the beloved family member.
rest in peace pal pic.twitter.com/olxyb5Of0f
— Dierks Bentley (@DierksBentley) July 10, 2016
and again in michigan. hard to express how much i needed our fans, my band, my crew and the show this weekend. pic.twitter.com/bzWu9OhEW6
— Dierks Bentley (@DierksBentley) July 10, 2016
Audio / Dierks Bentley explains how his longtime companion, his dog Jake, figures prominently on the last track of his latest album, Black, on a song titled “Can’t Be Replaced.”
DownloadDierks Bentley (Can’t Be Replaced) OC: …for sure. 1:22
“The last track on this record, the last song is a song called ‘Can’t Be Replaced,’ I wouldn’t say that it’s sad. It’s somber. It’s honest. It’s real. It’s a look back on life. It’s a look back on really the 12 songs that came before this last song. The guy’s kinda realizing that’s just the way life is – no matter how much you want something back or how much money you’ve got, you can’t get it to come back. That’s the way I feel every day watching my kids grow up and also with my dog, Jake. The last verse talks about him and knowing this is the last record he’ll be a part of, and it’s painful, but I love it. But the last lyric is about Jake, and then you have this great dobro solo on the way out from Jerry Douglas. The very first song I ever put out and my very first record ‘What Was I Thinkin’’ had Jake on the cover artwork and featured a really prominent dobro solo played by Randy Kohrs. So, it’s kind of in a way bookending Jake’s life with me and my life so far really ‘cause he’s been there from a single man to finding my wife and my kids and he’s had to adapt to all of these circumstances. So this really is an end of a big era for me and obviously for Jake, so it really bookends my life so far [laughs] between ‘What Was I Thinkin’’ and ‘Can’t Be Replaced.’ That’s my life with Jake, so it’s kind of has some layers to it for me, for sure.”
