Dierks Bentley

Bio

GRAVEL & GOLD Bio

There comes a time in any climb up one of Colorado’s famous 14,000 foot peaks when, after a few hours of striving, you pause on a ledge, turn around, and marvel at the vista and the ground you’ve covered. That’s where Dierks Bentley finds himself, 20 years into an exceptional career in 21st century country music. The view is breathtaking for sure, but this is a multi-platinum artist in peak shape, his eyes fixed on the summit.

The 2020 pandemic gave Bentley a moment to breathe and think about his journey to this point and the possibilities for the heights that lay ahead. The break led to a new burst of creativity. With one foot in Nashville and one in his beloved second home of Colorado, he worked harder than he ever had on an album – his landmark tenth, Gravel & Gold.

It’s a diverse, 14-track album – written almost entirely by Dierks with his closest collaborators – about perspective and self-awareness at many levels from the personal to the professional. It’s also a testament to the many strains of country music Bentley has mastered and cultivated in his career, from the arena shaker to the barroom weeper to the bluegrass fireballer. In its opening track “Same Old Me,” Bentley recognizes that midlife demands adjustments and adaptations – as well as nurturing the inner fire of the 18-year-old country music fanatic who first arrived in Nashville in the 1990s. Fifty minutes later, we’re in an intimate circle with Music City’s greatest pickers, trading licks and laughs on a witty song about getting high. It was no easy thing to encompass in one record the values and sounds that have defined Bentley across two decades of hits and millions of touring miles, but he’s pulled it off. The story of Gravel & Gold is one of renewal, family, persistence and devotion to making the music as authentic and lasting as it can possibly be.

“I was in Colorado and I was definitely kind of pushing music away for a little bit,” says Bentley about the limbo of 2020. “I put the guitar in a case, I didn’t even get it out.” Playing outdoors “was just the greatest feeling of all time. I could never get enough bike rides and never get enough skiing and never get enough hikes or walks with my family.” It was the break from touring he (and his colleagues) dream about but dare not take. The home that Bentley, wife Cassidy and their three kids have had in Telluride for the past few years, a relatively modest manifestation of multi-platinum success, went from being a fun getaway to a sanctuary during a tough time for the country. Bentley hails from the West after all, and his passion for its landscapes and its “Rocky Mountain freedom” sparkles on track two of Gravel & Gold, “Sunsets In Colorado.”

Under such ideal circumstances for rest and revitalization, it was just a matter of time before the guitar came back out and songs began to flow, initially on Zoom sessions and visits to Telluride by some country music buddies. Bentley could feel the industry stirring 1,500 miles away, and he hadn’t released a new album since The Mountain in the summer of 2018. “I started doing writer’s retreats and got a bunch of songs. We came back to Nashville and cut 15 songs at the Sound Emporium with my band,” he says. But when he sat with the results, Bentley realized it was not going to be so simple. Take two involved working with an old co-writing friend who shifted to the producer role. They cut five songs and took stock, and Bentley still wasn’t satisfied. The next mix of collaborators hit the target: a combination of Ross Copperman, Red Shippen, Jon Randall and Brett Beavers. Bentley stepped into the producer role for the first time. Some of the songs on Gravel & Gold were recorded three times by the time the process was over, but you only get one chance to make a tenth album. Bentley had never had quite so much freedom to make sure every line, every instrumental part, every vocal harmony, every texture, was up to par.

“All you can do is try to make something that you don’t have any regrets about. You know you put all the time you could into it. It wasn’t rushed. It’s as good as I can make it – as good as we can make it. I can look at it for the rest of my life and be like, yeah, that was harder than I thought it would be, but it worked out.”

After “Same Old Me” and “Sunsets In Colorado” establish key themes close to Bentley’s personal story, “Heartbreak Drinking Tour” calls on country music’s capacity for telling stories of others, and of all of us. In this blue-lit classic that could have been on the radio in any of the past four decades, a guy moves to the west coast for love, and when it comes crashing down, he makes his way homeward, drowning his sorrows and crashing in every town along the way, set to some clever wordplay. “Something Real” reasserts the importance of holding on to integrity and self in a world of pressures, while “Still,” one of Bentley’s favorite tracks, is a spacious and lovely meditation on staying spiritually grounded, largely through the power and freshness of nature, whether the titanic Rockies or the shady trails of Nashville’s parks. “Cowboy Boots” features sharp writing about a timeless but humble subject, while “Beer At My Funeral” gives the album a jab of Roger Miller humor at 21st century arena scale.

“Gold,” the album’s first single, falls in the middle of the project, refreshing its core theme of perspective with a road-trip vibe and wisdom that can only be earned by putting in the years and the work. “They say heaven is somewhere on the other side,” sings Bentley. “But I ain’t waitin’, Hell I’m thinkin’ it’s a state of mind.” A similar gratitude for connection and life’s gentle gifts can be found in “Walking Each Other Home.” And to round out the generous collection, we get “High Note,” a song that taps Bentley’s passion for and experience with bluegrass music, not to mention his friends. The witty track about Colorado’s now-legal intoxicant concludes with a super jam featuring Billy Strings and Jerry Douglas on dobro, Sam Bush on mandolin, Charlie Worsham on guitar along with Bryan Sutton on guitar and banjo.

This final track carries Bentley full circle to his formative years in Nashville. He arrived from his native Phoenix with a hunger for all kinds of country music, a love of classic WSM-AM and the Grand Ole Opry, and a willingness to seek out knowledge and greatness wherever it could be found. So when Bentley first discovered Nashville’s Station Inn, the venerable bluegrass bar in a then decrepit part of downtown, he felt like he found a second home and family. Meanwhile, he filled notebooks with classic country songs and played them at bars downtown well before the Lower Broadway boom. He landed a song publishing deal in 2001 and a record deal followed with Capitol, his career home, two years later. Bentley saw his first single “What Was I Thinkin’” climb to No. 1 on the Billboard country chart. In the remarkable year of 2005, he released his sophomore project Modern Day Drifter, secured the CMA Horizon Award as best new artist and was asked to join the Opry.

In the years since, Bentley has built a vast fan community and performed consistently at the top tiers of his industry without chasing trends or making music that wasn’t satisfying to himself. While other artists came and went, he has cultivated longevity and legacy, with nine albums reaching platinum or gold status, 21 No. 1 hits, three CMA Awards and 14 Grammy Award nominations. He’s launched the annual Seven Peaks Music Festival in Colorado and Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row franchise of bars with four locations. He’s also back playing bluegrass at his beloved Station Inn on a regular basis featuring an acoustic version of the road band he’s valued for so many years, plus special guests from the elite of acoustic music. Nobody can say at this point that his professed love for timeless country music and the soul of Nashville was anything but genuine and lifelong.

“Selfishly I’ve always wanted to have my cake and eat it too,” says Bentley. “I’m in the bluegrass space. I’m in the traditional country space. It’s always been important to me to have the love and support of this community in Nashville, particularly the older establishment and the Opry – and to know that I’m part of the scene at the bigger venues, you know? It’s fun to be out there on the big stage and swing for the whole deal and have that as well.”

It’s a track record of versatility and success that’s unmatched in country music in the past 20 years. More gold undoubtedly lies ahead.

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UMG NASHVILLE’S NEW YEAR’S LINERS (AUDIO)

Audio

“Hey everybody, it’s Brad Paisley, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

“Hey! This is TJ, and I’m John, and we are Brothers Osborne. Happy New Year.”

“Hey y’all, this is Bryce Leatherwood, and I’m wishing y’all a Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year’s everybody. Bryce Leatherwood out.”

“Hi! I’m Carrie Underwood, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

“Hey y’all, this is Dalton Dover, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

“Hey y’all, this is Dalton Dover. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Happy New Year!”

“Hey y’all! What’s up? This is Darius Rucker, wishing you a Happy New Year!

“Hey, it’s Dierks Bentley. Happy New Year!”

“Hi, I’m Dierks Bentley, wishing you and yours a Happy New Year.”

“5-4-3-2-1…Happy New Year, everybody. I’m Eric Church.’”

“Hey! It’s Eric Church, hoping you have a Happy New Year.”

“Hi! I’m Jon Pardi, wishing you a Happy New Year!”

“Hey! I’m Jordan Davis, wishing you a Happy New Year!”

“Hey y’all, this is Josh Ross, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

“Hey y’all, this is Josh Ross. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Happy New Year.”

“Hey! I’m Josh Turner. Happy New Year!”

“Hey! It’s Kacey Musgraves, hoping you have a safe and Happy New Year!”

“Hey! It’s Kassi Ashton. I’d love to wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year.”

“Hey everyone! This is Keith Urban. Have a safe and happy New Year.”

“Hey! We’re Little Big Town. Happy New Year!”

“Hey! This is Luke Bryan, hoping you have a Happy New Year.”

“Hey y’all, it’s Luke Bryan. Hope you get to ring in the New Year with the ones you love.”

“Hi! We’re Maddie & Tae, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

“Hey! This is Mickey Guyton, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

“Hey everybody! I’m Parker McCollum, wishing you a Happy New Year.”

“Hey y’all, this is Priscilla Block, wishing you a very Happy New Year!”

“Hey everybody, this is Reba McEntire. Happy New Year!”

“Hey everybody! I’m Sam Hunt. Happy New Year!”

“Hi! This is Shania Twain. Happy New Year!”

“Hey everybody, we’re The War And Treaty. Hope you have a wonderful New Year.”

“The War And Treaty here. Happy New Year.”

“Hey what’s goin’ on it’s Tucker Wetmore. Happy New Year everybody!

UMG NASHVILLE’S NEW YEAR’S EVE CONTENT (AUDIO)

Audio

Brothers Osborne / Darius Rucker / Dierks Bentley / Eric Church / Josh Ross / Kacey Musgraves / Luke Bryan / Reba McEntire / Travis Denning / Tyler Hubbard

What are some of your favorite stars doing to welcome in the New Year? A few of them are working to help fans celebrate. Several artists have taken the time off around the holidays and will hit it hard when they return to the road in 2025. Some artists have resolutions, some artists look ahead to 2025 and some are very helpful with their own hangover cures for those who have a little too much fun on New Year’s Eve.

JOHN: “I think it’s kind of funny how we spend literally the last moment and the very first moment of every year being extremely intoxicated, extremely, because you don’t want to wait until like 12:30 to get your buzz on. You’ve got to do it before midnight, and then once midnight happens, you’re like, ‘Omigod! Now it’s time to celebrate even more.’ Debauchery is the literally bookending your entire year.” TJ: “I love how everyone starts the year off with diets and then we end the year with like excessive amounts of food. And then you get to the end of the year, you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m going to start a diet on the 1st, so I’m going to eat everything that’s in front of me.’ I love it.” JOHN: “And come February 1st, ‘what diet?’” [laughs] TJ: “What diet? I’ll start it next month.” [laughs]

John Osborne:
“Usually drinking more. I mean, a little hair of the dog never hurt anybody. Plus, it’s the first of the year.”

“These days New Year’s Eve unless I get a big gig, I don’t take it. And we don’t do anything for New Year’s Eve, we stay home. New Year’s Eve is for amateurs, we stay home, New Year’s Eve.”

Dierks Bentley (New Year’s) OC: …in stride. 1:11
“New Year’s is rough. New Year’s hurts no matter what’s going on. I’ve played a lot of New Year’s shows, you know, but I’ve honestly found that it’s not my favorite night to throw down. Look, for a living, that’s what I do. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, I host a big party; not only on stage, but I’ve got friends backstage. It starts before the concert sometimes, [and] it goes long after the concert, so a lot of times on New Year’s, I’m looking for a really mellow hang – a good party, good friends, pretty chill. Some of my best New Year’s – it doesn’t make for great radio – but some of my best New Years have been just like actually hearing fireworks go off while I’m in bed, [laughs] and know I’m gonna wake up the next morning for the first day of the New Year feeling great, feeling recharged and I’m ready to go ad go into the New Year feeling good as opposed to going into it with a giant Jagerbomb hangover, which I’ve done many, many times. So, the goal this year is to go into it feeling pretty good and the kids help with that, because you really just don’t want to be hungover with children. It’s not a good feeling. You would probably admit to any crime to get them, just feel better, and get them leave you alone. So, [I’m] gonna try to hit New Year’s this year in stride.”

Dierks (NYE) OC: …for that. :10
“I think January first is universally accepted as a dog. So I mean, a little hair of the dog, I guess. But just…water and stay on the couch, I guess. There’s no real sure-fire cure for that.”

Eric Church (hangover cure) OC: …every time. :17
“The best hangover cure – I’ve got two. One is 5-hour Energy [bottles], because of all the B-vitamins that are in it. You can start pounding those, and it’s either gonna work, or it’s gonna keep you up and prolong your misery. But the other one I have is just take two Advil and a beer in the morning. Hair of the dog, man – that works every time.”

“My hangover cure is Bloody Mary’s. But be careful, because once you have a couple, don’t go to beer, because if you go to beer, you’re gonna start drinking again. And you end up a morning drunk. Or if you wanna go the non-alcoholic route, there’s nothing you can do for hangovers. You just gotta deal with it.”

“You know, obviously just the energy around it being a new year and new goals and it’s my refresh for the year, and, but it’ll I get to kind of start my refresh right at the very first moment of time, so I’m really looking forward to that.

“Best hangover cure—I think it’s depending on what I have to do that day or the next day. But yeah, there’s definitely two. There’s my old approach, which was the football approach when I played college football, was we used to have Sunday morning rundown and no matter how much fun you had on Saturday night, you had to be at the field at 8 or 9am and we used to have to jog around the track. Running or doing some type activity is one of the best cures. As I’ve gotten lazier, I would maybe say, sometimes just having water, having liquid IV or sometimes my grandma’s old trick of the hair of the dog is a real thing and kind of just help level you out for the day.”

“Coconut water is a major help with hangovers and also, a lot of times we go and eat Vietnamese pho. It’s a soup, and it’s got this awesome broth. You can get different things in it or whatever, but for some reason, it’s just like…it’s almost like a chicken noodle soup kind of an idea, you know, but it’s good. That’s good for hangovers too. That, sleep, Tylenol, coconut water and just water, in general. And when you’re drinking, have your alcohol, drink a little bit of water, drink some more alcohol, drink some water. Yup!”

My favorite day drink is typically a margarita with a nice reposado tequila. If I day drink tequila, I will have a day nap, always. You have a day nap anyway. I do. You do. That’s how I stay so young. That’s right. It’s good for my complexion.

I don’t, I’m sorry. What is your day drink? I grew up napping. He’s a napper. Kimberly’s day drink would be a… Cuban. Or a pineapple mojito. Oh, that sounds nice. Sure. Can you make me one? My day drink would probably be a glass of… White wine. Yeah. And then I like to go shopping…not a good combination. It is for her. Your credit limit is higher if you’re drinking while you shop. It’s like gambling and shopping. I mean, gambling and drinking. I like beach drinks, like bitter, legitimately beachy drinks. Rum runner. Yes, rum drinks are good. I like my mai tais. It kind of sounds like you take a nap and you drink.

You know, beachy drinks. Fru-Fru drinks. What is that? Nobody said Fru-Fru. You said Fru-Fru. Yeah, OK. I was just thinking. OK, I like Fru-Fru drinks. He does. During the day. Mai tai, that’s a good day drink for me. That’s good.

“My best New Year’s Eve is definitely when my wife and I started back dating. We started back dating right before Christmas and we went on a trip down to Florida and met some friends. And her birthday is New Year’s Eve. We celebrated it that night and it was just a great night.”

Tyler Hubbard (New Year’s memory) OC: …comes to mind. :24
“Well, this is probably a classic answer, but we did play New Year’s in New York and watched the ball drop and it was a big, special moment, one of those kind of check it off the bucket list type of moments, and we did that. And it is incredible. The energy’s amazing, and it’s super cold, but we had a great time. When I think of epic New Year’s, that’s definitely, it’s probably the first memory that comes to mind.”

Tucker Wetmore’s New Year Resolution:
“Yeah, I haven’t really thought of any New Year’s resolutions for 2025. Um, probably cause my whole next year is already planned out, in the books and stamped and all I gotta do is show up. And yeah, I guess being happy would be my, my resolution for sure.”

UMG NASHVILLE CHRISTMAS CONTENT

Audio

CHRISTMAS SOUNDBITES:

Dierks Bentley, who is the father of three children (Evie, Jordan, Knox), says you revert back to your childhood at Christmas when you start having a family of your own.

Dierks Bentley (Christmas is for kids) OC: …one again. :29
“You know, Christmas didn’t lose any of its real meaning, as far as its religious meaning with Jesus’ birthday. But as far as like the whole tree and all of the Christmas spirit stuff, the secular stuff, it just kind of goes away to be honest. But then you have a family, and all of a sudden, it’s like I’m all Clark Griswold out there decorating the tree, putting lights up around the house, you know. So, all of those things that you did as a kid and appreciated as a kid, you get a chance to do over again when you have kids, because you kinda become one again.”

Dierks Bentley (Christmas in the desert) OC: …in Arizona. :32
“I grew up in Arizona, so we didn’t have like a white winter kind of deal. It’s kinda…once you experience that, it’s hard to go back and like celebrate Christmas in the desert but…for us, we would…me and my family and a couple other families would go out to the desert and bring a big turkey and just kinda have a cookout in the middle of the desert…and drink beers and ride four-wheelers and…well, I wouldn’t drink beers, but they would. We’d ride four-wheelers and horses and just kind of spend it out in the middle of the desert, which was kind of a cool way to spend Christmas. So, whenever I think of Christmas, I always think of the desert, which is a little weird, but that’s just the way we did it out in Arizona.”

Dierks Bentley (Christmas tough for Jordan) OC: …for you! :21
“It’s tough kind of for Jordan because her birthday IS on Christmas, so it’s kind of one of those things where we try to give her an extra present or two. It’s kind of tough to share your birthday with Jesus. You can get a little overshadowed on that one, but she’s good about it, but we just tell her, ‘All these Christmas trees and lights, these are all for you.’”

Dierks Bentley (Christmas traditions) OC: …old ones, as well. :22
“One of our favorite Christmas traditions is just driving around looking at lights. Love seeing all the lights back in the valley, back in Arizona and Phoenix where I’m from, and that tradition is carried over to here for me in Nashville. We’ve got a lot of lights up on the house. We’ve got a Grinch in the front yard, as well as a talking Santa, so new traditions here in Nashville and some old ones, as well.”

Darius Rucker, who released his Christmas album Home for the Holidays in 2014, loves to take it easy during the holidays after being on the road all year long. One way he winds down is to watch Christmas movies…however, he can’t pick just one favorite.

Darius Rucker (favorite Christmas movies) OC: …favorite movies. :32
“That’s such a hard question, favorite Christmas movie, because there are so many great movies that I can think of just off the top of my head that are great Christmas movies. But it would be a tie between Miracle on 34^th Street, which is still just great acting, great movie. I just love it. I love watching it. I watch it probably four times every Christmas and cry at the end every time. And I love Elf. I just think Elf is one of the absolute great stories and just funniest movies I’ve ever seen and it just happens to be a Christmas movie. It’s one of my favorite movies.”

Darius Rucker (favorite Christmas song) OC: …listen to. :09
“Oh, ‘The Christmas Song,’ no doubt about it. There’s a reason it’s called, ‘The Christmas Song.’ That’s my favorite Christmas song to sing and my favorite Christmas song to listen to.”

Darius Rucker (Christmas dish) OC: …sweet potato pie. :17
“I’m a big food guy, as you can tell by looking at me up here. I like food a lot. But my favorite thing is my sister’s sweet potato pie. I love sweet potato pie so much, and I don’t get it very often. And my sisters always make sure I get a couple during Thanksgiving and Christmas, so that’s my favorite thing – sweet potato pie.”

Since he’s been touring so much this year, Josh Ross says he’s barely spent any time at home with his family back in Canada, so he’s looking forward to having several days with his family.

Josh Ross (a favorite Christmas memory) OC: …from out West. :22
“I’d say as a kid, so my sister is 12 years older than myself, so she moved out West to go to school when I was like six-years-old. She used to always come home during Christmas. I never knew when because I was young and didn’t really understand how the calendar worked, but I always remembered that my sister would fly home and come wake me up and like would always surprise me. So, that’s definitely one of my favorite Christmas memories is when my sister would come home from out West.”

Josh Ross (Christmas present) OC: …front of a screen. :32
“All my friends had video games, and I was never very, very big into video games. I wasn’t really allowed. I was more like the go outside and play type, and honestly, this is really what speaks to me as a person now with different things in life, but I really wanted a PlayStation 2 and I remember like that was the big thing that I wanted. And I got a PlayStation 2, and I bet you I only played it for like a couple of weeks and then I was back to outside playing, and really just wasn’t super interested in it. I think that kind of still speaks to me today is I’d much rather be in the outdoors and not necessarily in front of a screen.”

Josh Ross (Christmas spirit) OC: …in the spirit. :35
“My mom would definitely always be playing Christmas music. She loved Christmas music, so that’s always playing when she’s decorating and things like that. I’m excited to go back and listen to her songs on repeat (laughs), but the thing for me that would always solidify that Christmas is happening is we’d go and cut a tree down. So, my mom, dad, myself and we used to take the dog that I had as a child, we’d all go out and cut a tree down, and that’s just like a Canadian thing. I think here we import the Northern trees, so the ornaments stay on them, but up there that’s what we got to do, so that’s something I’ll always remember as a kid year after year would get me in the spirit.”

Josh Ross (The Grinch story) OC: …freshman year boyfriend. :36
“We were talking about Christmas movies, and I think I said I watched Elf all the way through. Now I understand what the World’s Best Coffee Shop means and all this kind of stuff and people have all these jokes around Christmas time. It’s funny, The Grinch was one of my favorite movies, and that was one that I watched, and I got to fill people in, I was like, ‘Well, my mom used to date ‘The Grinch.’’ And everybody was like, ‘Wait! What do you mean?’ And my mom’s boyfriend in high school was Jim Carrey. So, it’s kind of a cool, I guess, fun fact that most people would not know is he grew up in Burlington, Ontario and went to Aldershot High School and he was my mom’s ninth grade, or freshman year, boyfriend.”

Kassi Ashton grew up in a rural town called California, Missouri, and she took ballet and other dance classes for many years. So, one of her favorite Christmas memories include being in The Nutcracker every year. “One of my favorite Christmas traditions growing up was always being a part of The Nutcracker,” says Kassi. “[I took] ballet my entire life, and now that I’ve graduated and moved on, I go see The Nutcracker at the Nashville Ballet every year. I can’t wait to have a little girl some day and put her in ballet class.”

Kassi Ashton (Christmas traditions) OC: …ballet class. :21
“Hey, it’s Kassi Ashton. One of my favorite Christmas traditions growing up was always being a part of The Nutcracker. [I took] ballet my entire life, and now that I’ve graduated and moved on, I go see The Nutcracker at the Nashville Ballet every year. I can’t wait to have a little girl some day and put her in ballet class.”

Kassi Ashton (Christmas song) OC: …along perfectly. [laughs] :11
“My favorite Christmas song is ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ by Judy Garland in the key of G, because that’s my key [laughs], and I can sing along perfectly.” [laughs]

Kassi Ashton (Christmas music) OC: …the best. :23
“Hey, it’s Kassi Ashton. My favorite thing about Christmas hands down is Christmas music. I start playing eh, the day after Thanksgiving usually, if not a little sooner. I love the classics – Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, anything that you know by heart and you don’t have to really think about. Christmas songs are the best.”

Keith Urban and his family, including wife Nicole Kidman and daughters Sunday and Faith, usually head Down Under for the holiday, visiting family and hitting the beach, which is what he did on Christmas Day when he was a kid.

Keith Urban (Christmas-beach) OC: …to the beach. :24
“I have great memories of getting up early and going and jumping on your parents’ bed and getting them up. You know, and then of course you tear open the presents and then it’s done and it’s like eight in the morning, and you’ve got all morning now to sort of wish you had more presents to open. We had great Christmases growing up. I really, really enjoyed them. Mostly, we’d go to the beach, you know, ’cause there it’s summertime. Load up the station wagon and head off to the beach.”

Keith Urban (Christmas—yellow Tonka truck) OC: …forever, too. :09
“I got a yellow Tonka truck when I was about 6, I think, and it’s probably still my favorite Christmas gift ever. Those things last forever, too.”

Keith Urban (what gets him in the Christmas spirit) OC: …goes away. :10
“The lights going up, uh, the lights, the music, all of that, the house sort of transforming into Christmas. I love it. It’s sad when it all has to go away.”

Keith Urban (still loves going to the beach at Christmas) OC: …explains a lot. :33
“Yeah, we still love going to the beach at Christmas time, as long as we’re in Australia, because it’s like the Fourth of July. It’s huge. Everybody’s out. It feels very celebratory. It’s in the ‘90s. It’s crazy, but having grown up with that, it feels very natural to me. Albeit it, we still had all of the same Christmas songs, so we’re in like 90-degree heat with shorts and tank tops singing ‘Walking in a Winter Wonderland,’ and I remember getting Christmas cards of like Santa on a surfboard, so that probably explains a lot.”

Reba McEntire has graced us with a couple of Christmas collections, including 1995’s Merry Christmas to You and 2006’s Secret of Giving: A Christmas Collection, as well as last year’s compilation, Ultimate Christmas Collection.

Reba McEntire (Pake) OC: …down the hall. :22
“The funniest thing I can always remember about Christmastime is my older brother Pake, when we were kids at home, he’d always be the first one to jump out of bed and run down the hall, and he’d just run down the hall with his underwear on. And he’d say, ‘If y’all don’t hurry up and get up and get in here, I’m opening all the presents by myself.’ But he knew it was a standing rule we all had to be in there before anybody could open up a present, but I can still see Pake running down the hall.”

Reba McEntire (leaving Christmas tree up) OC: …really festive. :13
“How long do I leave my Christmas tree and decorations up? Well, after Christmas I am so in tune with the sparkly lights, I leave the lights on and take the Christmas ornaments off. It keeps it really festive.”

Reba McEntire (artificial tree) OC: …half the year. :24
“I definitely have an artificial tree, because when we were growing up, we’d all go out on the ranch and cut down a Christmas tree, bring it in and then we had to water it every other day – make sure the coffee can was full of water – and the cedar needles got everywhere, so nowadays I just go with an artificial tree…and two, I can leave it with the lights on half the year.”

Reba (Christmas memory of Shelby) OC: …he was so cute! :28
“I’ll never forget one (Christmas) morning I woke up and I was laying on my left side and I felt something, and I opened up my eyes, and Shelby was three inches away from my face. He said, ‘Mom, you’re not gonna beweive what Santy Claus weft for me.’ And so, he said you’ve got to come here. I got up out of bed and went in there and there was this little tractor trailer set that he had just fallen in love with at the store. He’s seen it, and he said, ‘I can’t beweive he bought this for me.’ He was so cute.”

Jordan Davis started a Christmas tradition when he moved to Nashville a few years ago. He goes to the historic Belcourt Theatre to catch a viewing of the classic It’s a Wonderful Life. “They play it at a theater here in town, and it’s something that I really look forward to going and seeing that movie,” he says.

Jordan Davis (favorite Christmas movie) OC: …a great movie. :19
“The one Christmas movie I have to watch, which Elf has slowly taken over that spot, but I would have to say It’s a Wonderful Life. Then moving to Nashville, they play it at a theater here in town, and it’s something that I really look forward to going and seeing that movie. Man, it’s just a great movie.”

Jordan Davis (favorite Christmas gift) OC: …great present. :41
“The one Christmas present that stands out to me – I can remember I asked for go-karts. Me and my brother asked for go-karts together. And I was actually worried that we weren’t going to get ‘em, because I knew my mom probably thought we were going to kill ourselves, but we woke up Christmas morning and me and Jacob, we run into the living room and don’t see a go-kart. I remember being like sad opening presents, and then my dad tells me he thought he heard some reindeer in the backyard. So, we jet to the back of the house and there’s two blue-and-white go-karts in the backyard. So, that’s the one I always remember. That was a great present.”

Jordan Davis (Christmas music) OC: …music on. :41
“My favorite Christmas song is Nat King Cole’s ‘Buon Natale.’ I don’t know the record it’s on it, [but] we would just play that song over and over and over. So, that’s by far my favorite, but anything by Nat King Cole. I mean Nat King Cole is Christmas to me, always playing, always having some type of Christmas music on. I remember growing up, my mom, she would start on Thanksgiving. We would start listening to Christmas music and anytime you’d walk into the house if Mom was home, there was Christmas music playing. It was just background music, and it’s something I’ve carried over like there’s Christmas music that is played all the time. If we’re home, there’s Christmas music on.”

Parker McCollum grew up in Conroe, Texas and he and all of his family and extended family would go to his grandmother’s house on Christmas. One of his favorite childhood memories on Christmas Day was playing football in the front yard. “Every year, we would all play football in my Grandma’s front yard probably until the time I was 15 or 16 years old, every Christmas morning,” he says.

Parker McCollum (Christmas childhood tradition) OC: …Christmas morning. :10
“As a kid, it was definitely football in the yard. Every year, we would all play football in my Grandma’s front yard probably until the time I was 15 or 16 years old, every Christmas morning.”

Parker McCollum (Christmas movies) OC: …newer ones. :21
“Favorite Christmas movie – this is gonna sound kind of goofy, but one of them is definitely Annabelle’s Wish, because Randy Travis narrates it. I used to watch that when I was really little with my mom, but I mean, Christmas Vacation is a phenomenal movie. And I always really liked the Santa Clause series with Tim Allen. I always thought those were really good, even the newer ones.”

Parker McCollum (favorite Christmas gift as a kid) OC: …son of a gun. :18
“It would be a Browning 270 Deer rifle I got when I was 13? So, I wanted it so bad, and I’d always had to use my older brothers’ or my Dad’s gun, you know? They wouldn’t even let me shoot anything then. So, I was probably 11 or 12 years old and a Browning 270 Deer rifle…bad son of a gun.”

Both Maddie and Tae have their favorite Christmas movies, and they are planning a Christmas movie night sometime soon, so Tae can see one of Maddie’s favorites. MADDIE: “Favorite Christmas movie? I know Tae’s.” TAE: “What?” MADDIE: “Polar Express!” TAE: “I do love me some Polar Express. Every time the kids do the duet, my heart breaks.” MADDIE: “I would say my favorite Christmas movie – I love Polar Express. I love Arthur Christmas.” TAE: “Arthur Christmas is great. People sleep on that one.” MADDIE: “And The Holiday! Ahhhhhh.” TAE: “I’ve never seen that one.” MADDIE: “Jude Law-It’s a rom-com, but it’s so heartwarming.” TAE: “Christmas movie night.” MADDIE: “YES!”

Maddie & Tae (favorite Christmas movies) OC: …YES! :24
MADDIE: “Favorite Christmas movie? I know Tae’s.” TAE: “What?” MADDIE: “Polar Express!” TAE: “I do love me some Polar Express. Every time the kids do the duet, my heart breaks.” MADDIE: “I would say my favorite Christmas movie – I love Polar Express. I love Arthur Christmas.” TAE: “Arthur Christmas is great. People sleep on that one.” MADDIE: “And The Holiday! Ahhhhhh.” TAE: “I’ve never seen that one.” MADDIE: “Jude Law-It’s a rom-com, but it’s so heartwarming.” TAE: “Christmas movie night.” MADDIE: “YES!”

Maddie & Tae (Christmas movie character) OC: (Tae) …it’s so you. (both laugh) :28
MADDIE: “If we could be any movie character, who would we be? I think I would want to be a part of Clark Griswold’s vibe. Like, he’s so funny. I don’t know. I’d want to be Clark Griswold’s wife ‘cause I feel like Jonah is Clark Griswold, and that would be really funny, and she just allows his Christmas chaos happen and just embraces it.” TAE: “And you would totally do the fork thing where ‘Oh, this is so yummy.’ (laughs) It’s so you.” (both laugh)

Maddie & Tae (Maddie’s Christmas traditions) OC: …White Elephant. :31
“We always get a real tree every year, because Jonah’s a stickler for a real tree thing. We always shave off a little part of the bottom of the tree and make an ornament out of the little thing, so we’ll put the year on all of them and collect them. We’ve actually just started collecting nutcrackers, which is super weird, but we name them all. Oh, and White Elephant. We play White Elephant on the Font side of things, and I always end up with the best gift somehow, because Jonah and I tag team White Elephant.”

Maddie & Tae (Taylor’s Family Christmas) OC: …the fun stuff. 1:01
“My family has always done Christmas to the nines. My dad is a very big Christmas decorator. He would have the entire house decorated. We had this like life-sized, giant nutcracker, and at one point, we had like a talking Santa at our front door that my dad would talk through. But the decorations were always just like so much fun, really got us all in the Christmas spirit. And every Christmas, one of our traditions was the kids – me and my two brothers – we would all stay in the same room on Christmas Eve and then we’d wake up when it was time to wake up, and we’d go down the stairs my parents would have a sheet at the bottom of the stairs so we couldn’t see all the presents; not that we weren’t going to see them in two seconds, but to them it was just the magic of the big reveal, them showing us all the gifts that Santa had gotten us. I’m just so thankful that my parents really kept that magic alive. And for me, I’m already thinking about Elf on the Shelf. I’m going to do all of the fun stuff.”

CHRISTMAS LINERS:

“Hi! This is Alan Jackson, and I’m wishing y’all a very Merry Christmas.”

“Hi! Billy Currington here, wishing you and your family a safe and Happy Holiday Season.”

“Season’s Greetings, folks, it’s Brad Paisley, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

“Hey everybody, it’s Brad Paisley. Happy Holidays.”

“Brad Paisley here. Happy Holidays!”

“Hey everybody, it’s Brad Paisley. If I were to re-write the ’12 Days of Christmas,’ I would include things like chocolate, Bourbon, guitars and maybe not French Hens or Geese a’laying.”

“Hi, this is Brad Paisley. Make sure you’re good this Christmas, ‘cause Santa’s got a secret agent bird. Penguin James Penguin is watching.”

“Season’s Greetings. This is Brenda Lee, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

“Hi, I’m Brenda Lee with wishes for a very Merry Christmas.”

“Hi, this is Brenda Lee, and here’s my favorite holiday song, ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”

“Hey! This is T.J., and I’m John, and we are Brothers Osborne, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

“Hi! I’m Carrie Underwood, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

“Hey, it’s Carrie Underwood. From our house to yours – Merry Christmas.”

“Season’s Greetings! I’m Carrie Underwood, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

“Hey everybody, this is Catie Offerman, wishing you a very Merry Christmas, y’all.”

“Hey everybody, this is Catie Offerman. Merry Christmas.”

“Hey everybody, this is Catie Offerman. Happy Holidays.”

“Hey y’all, this is Caylee Hammack. Merry Christmas!”

“Hey y’all, this is Caylee Hammack. Happy Holidays, everybody!”

“Hey y’all, this is Dalton Dover. Merry Christmas.”

“Hey y’all, this is Dalton Dover, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.

“Season’s Greetings. I’m Dalton Dover.”

“Hey y’all! What’s up? This is Darius Rucker, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

“Hey! This is Dierks Bentley, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

“Hey everybody! It’s Dierks Bentley, wishing you a very Happy Holiday season.”

“Hey everybody! It’s Eric Church, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

“Hey everybody! This is George Strait, wishing you and your family a Happy Holiday season.”

“Hey Everybody, we’re Hootie & The Blowfish, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

“Hey! This is Jon Pardi, wishing you a Merry Christmas!”

“Season’s Greetings, everybody! I’m Jon Pardi, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

“Hey! This is Jon Pardi. Merry Christmas!”

“Hey! I’m Jordan Davis, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

“Happy, Happy, Happy Holidays, everybody. I’m Jordan Davis.”

“Hey, y’all, this is Josh Ross, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

“Season’s Greetings, I’m Josh Ross.”

“Hey! I’m Josh Turner, wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday season.”

“Season’s Greetings—I’m Josh Turner, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

“Hi, I’m Josh Turner with wishes for a very Merry Christmas.”

“Hey everybody, this is Josh Turner. May your days be merry and bright. Happy holidays from my family to yours!”

“Hey y’all, I’m Josh Turner. Wishing you peace, love and joy this holiday season.”

“Hey y’all, I’m Josh Turner. May all your sweaters be ugly and bright!”

“Hey! This is Kacey Musgraves, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

“Hey, it’s Kassi Ashton. I’d love to wish everyone listening a very Merry Christmas.”

“Hi folks, this is Keith Urban, wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas.”

“Hi everyone, this is Keith Urban, wishing you and all your family the very best this holiday season.”

“Hey! We’re Little Big Town, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

“Hey! We’re Little Big Town, and we just want to say Have Yourself a Very Merry Christmas.”

“Hey! We’re Little Big Town. Happy Holidays!”

“Hey! It’s Luke Bryan, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

“Hey! It’s Luke Bryan. Happy Holidays!”

“Seasons Greetings, I’m Luke Bryan. Hope your holidays are filled with joy and happiness.”

“It’s Luke Bryan, and may your eggnog be spiked with plenty of rum to get you through this holiday season!”

“Hey y’all, it’s Luke Bryan, wishing you the gifts of the season — Peace, Joy, and a case of beer.”

“Hi! We’re Maddie & Tae, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

“Hi! We’re Maddie & Tae. Happy Holidays.”

“Hey! It’s Mickey Guyton, wishing you a Merry Christmas.”

“Hey, I’m Parker McCollum, and I’m wishing you a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year.”

“Hi! This is Priscilla Block wishing you a very Merry Christmas.

“Hey-Reba here-hoping you have a very Merry Christmas. Ho, Ho, Ho.”

“Hey, this is Reba, wishing you a Happy Holiday Season.”

“Hey everybody! This is Sam Hunt, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

“Hey everybody! I’m Sam Hunt. Happy Holidays!”

“Hi! This is Shania Twain, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

“Hey, this is Taylor Swift, wishing you a very Happy Holiday Season.”

“Hey what’s goin’ on guys it’s Tucker Wetmore. I just want to say Merry Christmas from my family to yours. Have a happy and safe holidays.”

“Hey y’all, it’s Tyler Hubbard. Merry Christmas.”

“Hey y’all, it’s Tyler Hubbard, wishing you a very Merry Christmas.”

Official Photos

Press Photos

Videos

We have compiled an array of content — a variety of liners and soundbites – from DIERKS BENTLEY to equip you with everything you might need to put together your own album radio special; roll-out tracks surrounding the release of his new GRAVEL & GOLD record to use in news feeds, specials and much more. Check out all of details below (including audio liners and soundbites, as well as transcriptions) to create your own content surrounding DIERKS’ new album release.

GRAVEL & GOLD Track List:

“Same Ol’ Me” (Luke Dick, Jon Randall, Dierks Bentley)
“Sun Sets In Colorado” (Ross Copperman, Tommy Lee James, Josh Osborne)
“Heartbreak Drinking Tour” (Luke Dick, Ashley Gorley, Michael Hardy, Ross Copperman, Dierks Bentley)
“Something Real” (Luke Dick, Ashley Gorley, Michael Hardy, Ross Copperman, Dierks Bentley)
“Still” (Jeff Hyde, Ryan Tyndell, Jeremy Spillman, Dierks Bentley)
“Beer At My Funeral” (Brett Beavers, Jim Beavers)
“Cowboy Boots” (Featuring Ashley McBryde) (Casey Brown, Jordan Minton, Hunter Phelps, Dierks Bentley)
“Gold” (Luke Dick, Ashley Gorley, Ross Copperman, Dierks Bentley)
“Walking Each Other Home” (Luke Dick, John Osborne, Dierks Bentley)
“Roll On” (Brett Beavers, Jim Beavers, Dierks Bentley)
“All The Right Places” (Josh Osborne, Ross Copperman, Dierks Bentley)
“Ain’t All Bad” (Casey Brown, Jordan Minton, Hunter Phelps, Dierks Bentley)
“Old Pickup” (Neil Thrasher, Tony Martin, Michael Dulaney)
“High Note” (Featuring Billy Strings) (Jim Beavers, Charlie Worsham)

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Official Photos

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Press Photos

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Videos

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Dierks Bentley youtube November 15th 2016

Dierks Bentley – Live From Legends

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Dierks Bentley youtube October 3rd 2016

Dierks Bentley – WHAT THE HELL World Tour 2017

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Dierks Bentley youtube May 25th 2016

what happens in the cockpit stays in the cockpit… see ya soon nyc #flightconvos #black

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Dierks Bentley youtube March 11th 2016

flying home from austin #360

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Dierks Bentley youtube January 11th 2016

DIERKS BENTLEY – BLACK

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Dierks Bentley youtube February 6th 2015

Dierks Bentley // Gavin DeGraw – Counting Stars (Super Bowl)

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Dierks Bentley youtube February 6th 2015

Dierks Bentley – Super Bowl Tailgate Show (Highlights)

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Dierks Bentley youtube January 12th 2015

Sounds Of Summer: Polar Plunge 2015

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