With social media being the way it is, you’d think all our favorite celebrities would be an open book, right? Believe it or not, there was a time before social media and sometimes those things have gone undocumented!
What some people may not know, is that Bentley has been around the country music scene for a very long time! He released his first album in 2003 and with the success of his very first single, “What Was I Thinkin’,” he hasn’t looked back.
What would you say if we told you there were 7 BIG things that you didn’t know about Bentley? Check them out below.
1. Dierks Is Not His Real Name
Dierks Bentley was born as Fredrick Dierks Bentley, but has always gone by his middle name. While that isn’t a very common name either, it’s pretty uncommon in his family.
“Dierks is a last name on my mom’s side of the family,” he told CMT. “My family’s big into the whole family name stuff, I think. My brother’s named Fife, and that’s a family name. So we just kind of pass things down.”
2. He Was Sent To Boarding School
Bentley once told Press of Atlantic City that “due to troubles in my younger adolescence, my parents decided to send me away to boarding school.”
According to Country Habit, Bentley was initially sent to Culver Academies in Culver, Indiana, and graduated from The Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. AXS reports that he is grateful for going to boarding school, because that’s where he found his love for country music.
Bentley told CMT, “When I was about 17, I was listening to some other music at the time. I was playing guitar. I was doing music … just kind of really finding out what I wanted to do. A friend sat me down, gave me a beer and put on a Hank Jr. song called ‘Man to Man,’ and it just changed everything. Just everything clicked, and I knew what I wanted to do. I started to [listen] to other people’s music around that time, and then I started trying to work out my own stuff. I put away the electric guitar and got an acoustic.”
Thank goodness for boarding school and for that friend!
3. His First Job Was For A Country Music TV Network
No, it wasn’t CMT. He worked for The Nashville Network, which is now SpikeTV. He looked through old videos of country music performances. What an amazing job for an aspiring country music singer!
4. He Can Play Multiple Instruments
Bentley often plays guitar to his own songs, but did y’all know he can play two other instruments that are heavily featured in country songs?
In a sit down with Us Magazine, he revealed he can play the Flat and Scruggs hit “Cripple Creek” on the banjo, but only one way, “Veeeery slooooowly”.
He also revealed that he can play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” on the fiddle. Instead of proving it, he said, “Just take my word for it.” We sure would love to hear that!
5. He Has His Pilot’s License
Instead of just getting “Drunk On A Plane,” Bentley can actually fly one! He has his private pilot’s license and actually owns a plane – a Cirrus SR22 to be exact.
6. His Favorite Singer Of All Time Is The Possum
In an interview with CMT, Bentley revealed, “My favorite singer of all time is George Jones, I guess probably like everybody else. He’s just the best singer. When I moved to Nashville, I spent a long time listening to him at the bars and the clubs, and I really got into bluegrass music. And somehow bluegrass music really led me back to country music [from] the ’50s and ’60s, and I really, really got back into George Jones. Far and away, he’s just one of the great things about country music and one of the greatest singers ever.”
He added, “I love people that sing about broken hearts, whether it’s Frank Sinatra or George Jones or Keith Whitley or Merle Haggard or anybody who’s had their heart broken and sing from that spot. Those are my favorite singers.”
7. His Life Goal Is To One Up Garth Brooks
At a show in 2004, Bentley injured his knee pretty badly in front a crowd full of fans. He tore his ACL and isn’t even embarrassed about it!
“I took one for the team, taking one for the comedy right there. If I ever get a big enough gig where I can have an opening montage of footage, like Kenny [Chesney] does, it’ll start out with that footage,” he told CMT. “And then I’ve got footage of the actual surgery with the scope when they’re going in there and cutting out the old ACL with these pliers and yanking out the old piece. See, my goal is to take music to a place it’s never been before. You know, Garth made fans cry and laugh at the same time. I want them to cry, laugh and throw up all at once.”
Not sure if he’s gotten people to laugh, cry, and throw up at a concert, but we do know he puts on a damn good show! Which fact surprised you the most?