HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year to all DB Congress representatives and all readers of this blog! We wish you a year full of good health, peaceful moments and tons of Dierks Bentley happy memories.

Here's what Dierks offers as a remedy for the day after a New Year's Eve full of Domestic, Light and Colds: "I think January first is universally accepted as a day off. So, I mean a little hair of the dog. But just water and stay on the couch, I guess. There's no real sure-fire cure for that."

COUNTRY WEEKLY GOES EYE TO EYE WITH DIERKS BENTLEY

Dierks Bentley: What I really think about George Strait. That headline is on the cover of the 1/4/10 Country Weekly issue, along with Dierks' white T mug shot, giving me reason enough to buy the magazine.

The 6-page feature story goes eye to eye with Dierks, digging into dialogue about what a big year 2009 was for the multi-talented, and quick-witted country music artist, whose powers of intelligent observation, keen perception, and mental acuity have all contributed to his success.

Never lacking in his sense of humor, Dierks had this to say when asked, "If you went to a beach and didn't know it was a nude beach, would you stay and go swimming or would you leave?"

"I would leave only because it would probably be like male and female. I don't want to see a bunch of naked dudes [laughs]..."

CW asks Dierks his thoughts on Forbes naming him to the 10 Next Breakout Stars, how he found out that President Obama quoted him and if George Strait ever responded to Dierks giving him the song/CD during the GS Artist of the Decade show. They also asked him to finish sentences such as: "I'm better off without...", and "I can sing better than..."

Dierks also responds to some thought-provoking questions like,'What do you like most about yourself?' 'How do you handle rude people?' 'When was the last time you told a white lie?' and 'If you could have anyone cloned and keep them all to yourself, who would it be?'

Overall, Pat Gallagher did a great job in this 'eye to eye' interview. Although, I half expected the "eye" reference to tie to Dierks' latest single, "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes", especially since it's on the verge of becoming his third consecutive number one hit. Never saw it.

Be sure to pick up a copy to read for yourself how Dierks answered these and many more questions. Also, please send your thank you emails to Country Weekly.

~Ronna Clark

DB Congress Chair

DIERKS SOARING NEW YEARS EVE

Dierks Bentley could be ringing in 2010 with his wife, but instead he'll be starting off the New Year with his second love--his band and his fans. Dierks and the Terminally Lonesome Band (Rod Janzen, Robbie Harrington, Tim Sergent and Steve Misamore) will perform at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort tonight in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan. The show begins at 10:30 p.m., just in time to ring in the New Year.

Tickets are $85, $75, $65 and $55, available at Star Tickets Plus outlets, or by calling the Soaring Eagle at 1-800-585-3737. For detailed information about the New Year's Eve show, visit www.soaringeaglecasino.com.

Congratulations to all the DB Congress reps (fan clubbers) who get to meet Dierks at the turning of the decade tonight! Please come back here and leave a comment or send me your M&G pic and NYE experience to Ronna@dbcongress.com!

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WHO'S THE BEST COUNTRY ARTIST?

American Songwriter magazine's Evan Schlansky sounded off in the Jan/Feb 2010 issue about popular music--quantifying both the best music of 2009 and the best of the 2000's.

The publication is heavy on the non-country genre (except for the May/June 2009 Dierks Bentley feature and cover!), so it was no surprise that Schlansky had no idea who to pick for the Best Country Artist: "Sadly, I don't listen to enough country music to say. So why don't y'all write me a letter and tell me who you think it is."

Please write to Evan Schlansky and let him know why you choose Dierks Bentley! eschlansky@americansongwriter.com

GACTV's TOP 50 VIDEOS OF 2009 - STARTS TONIGHT 12/28

GAC's TOP 50 VIDEOS OF 2009!

See if your votes put Dierks Bentley into the prestigious Top 50! Martina McBride hosts and special guests Trace Adkins, Chris Young, Jack Ingram, John Rich and more count down the best 50 videos of 2009!

I feel confident each of our 570 DB Congress Representatives voted daily, and ONLY voted for Feel That Fire, Sideways, and I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes. That was our best chance to get Dierks three spots on the list!

Tune in to see if your votes helped Dierks!

The countdown kicks off on tonight, Monday, December 28 at 8 p.m. ET. on GAC and runs through January 1. Tonight's show counts down #50-#38. Click here for all showtimes.

RECORDING STUDIO ESSENTIALS FOR DIERKS' NEW ALBUM

Results from the poll of which Christmas song you would most like to hear Dierks Bentley sing have been tallied, and "I'll Be Home For Christmas" earned 35% of the votes, followed by my choice, O Holy Night at 21%. As for a DB Christmas album, it's not likely at least until 2011, since Dierks is working on two new albums for a 2010 release--neither of which are holiday tunes.

The Bluegrass album is due out first--possibly in the spring, followed by a regular album later in the year. But as we all know, Dierks' artistic talent yields nothing but extraordinary results--nothing "regular" about it.

Dierks is wasting no time, as he was back in the studio the day after Christmas, and shared the secret ingredients for a studio record on Twitter/Facebook...

"budlight, several types of whiskey, coffee, water and a dog named jake...essential studio "must haves" for this record. #fb"

DIERKS GRANTS CHRISTMAS WISH

For months, I have been weaving in a "tweet" now and then (between the "VOTE" tweets) to our president, Dierks Bentley, to request that he please "follow" his DB Congress on Twitter, each time to no avail. Although he has replied to us a few times via Twitter, he had never clicked on "follow" officially.

Last week, with all the Christmas songs playing on the radio, I couldn't get that song - "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth..." - out of my head!

So I tried one last attempt on Christmas Eve:

@dbcongress: @DierksBentley All we want for Christmas is our @dbcongress president, @DierksBentley, to "Follow" us!

And I asked all our DBC reps to RT (retweet) my request. Thank goodness Stephanie (DBC rep in California RT'd it!) That's the one he chose to reply to!

@DierksBentley: @DBTHFAN21 christmas wish granted! thanks for a great year. merry christmas to you all. 3:19 PM Dec 25th

Lo and behold, there we are! We are officially on his "following" list of icons in the top left!

My reply...

dbcongress: @dierksbentley THANK YOU! You just made our Christmas so, so special! God Bless! *Ronna 4:05 PM Dec 25th

And the next day, I had to check again to make sure I wasn't dreaming, and what to my wondering eyes should appear, our icon is still there!

dbcongress: ...and I know I'm not dreamin'...I just choose to believe it" Yes! @DierksBentley is now "following" his congress! :) 8:37 AM Dec 26th

Thank you, Dierks! It means the world to us!

~Ronna

MERRY CHRISTMAS, CONGRESS!

Christmas Comments
Myspace 2.0 Layouts


Merry Christmas to all our Dierks Bentley Congress family! I wish you peace and joy! Thank you for all you do every day to support Dierks! We are making a difference--together!

God Bless

~Ronna
DB Congress Chair

HOW ARE THE BENTLEY'S CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS?

Up until this Christmas Eve morning, Dierks Bentley and his 'tribe' (as he refers to his family) planned a "tender Tennessee Christmas, just like the Amy Grant song," according to The Boot.com. But apparently they had some plumbing problems and Dierks tweeted to get some help on how to fix...er, his language in front of his daughter, Evie!

"@DierksBentley: pipe busted.water leaking thru 2nd floor.daughter is too old for me to cuss in front of anymore.does saying "crap on a stick" count?"

Various helpful replies ensued:

MiddleAgeGodess: @DierksBentley favorite when I was a kid was - Some of a BeechNut Gum

Shyanne41805: @DierksBentley Son of a Biscuit Eater works well too!!! Sorry about your leak!!

dbcongress: Or, "Cheese & Rice!"

GirlsGotMiles: Oh I remember dad's f-bombs when r pipes broke...

dbcongress: @DierksBentley Oh, never mind...forget that Cheese and Rice phrase, after all it IS CHRISTmas!

okiemom1: @DierksBentley Thank goodness for insurance... it recarpeted at my brothers when he busted a pipe! But still a huge mess!! Merry Christmas??

CamilleFuston: So @DierksBentley, what I think we're trying to say is, if you use bad words around Evie, you is gonna be on the naughty list

ASHleyAmezcua: @DierksBentley ..."Shut the Front Door" is a favorite of mine or simply just "s balls"

katiebright: @DierksBentley Remember The Christmas Story...Raphie's famous "Ohhhh Fudge"....doesn't feel nearly as good but try that.

sup3rmom: @DierksBentley try "fudge on a stick"

dbcongress: @DierksBentley Yes, that counts! You say what you gotta say to keep little ears safe! So what naughty words has Evie repeated from "daddy?"

ronnopwasky03: @DierksBentley haha crap on a stick probably works fine..hope ya get get it fixed n have a wonderful holiday!

Stephanie2286: @DierksBentley I think crap is a safe word. At least it didn't bust tomorrow! A plumber on Christmas may cost you your first born.

neenals: @DierksBentley I used to say Holy Schnikies until my daughter started drawing out the Holy Sh....

ackerlisalou: @DierksBentley: as long as u dont mind her saying it!

suzsexton: @dierksbentley Good save there dad. I also like to substitute "shite" for the other word. 3 yr old g-son at home.

Sunshine81274: @DierksBentley Oh no!! It only counts if you think she'll start running around saying "crap on a stick" instead of "uh-oh" ;)

Shon82573: @dierksbentley sometimes its a mixed blessing adam is deaf! Sorry about the pipes hope its not 2 bad! Merry Xmas Shonda and adam!

rickybarbie: @DierksBentley crap on a cracker? lol

cutter951: @DierksBentley Float to safety! Cutter & Alisha at Cat Country - Colorado Springs. Wishing you a dry Christmas!

ssigafoos: @DierksBentley they're not too old until they can repeat everything you say ;-) Or just put your hands over her ears! Happy Holidays!

drcamnca: @dierksbentley that works or my favorite for the love of pete

KarissaShields: @DierksBentley that frickin sucks..try saying "Got dranduff and some of it itches!" that tends to help when u cant cuss!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
But the one that got Dierks to reply was:

@DierksBentley try *Shut the front door or Son of a Biscuit* Merry Christmas and hope your house is ok!!!! Although, I think he reply tweeted to the wrong Twitterer:

"DierksBentley: @trinitykim "shut the front door" and "son of a biscuit eater"! those are great! going to start using those a hell...er, heck of a lot. "

Here's the original plans, from The Boot:

For Christmas, Dierks Bentley tells the Boot, "it will be the five of us." Huh? Bentley fans are well aware that he and wife Cassidy welcomed their first child, Evalyn Day Bentley (Evie), in October 2008, but are there two more kids in the Bentley household he's kept under wraps?Yes, if you count the four-legged variety. "People say when you have a kid, you forget about your dogs, but our dogs, Jake and Jorge, are still family," Dierks says. "It's going to be a tender Tennessee Christmas, just like the Amy Grant song."After spending much time on the road, Dierks is happy to home alone with just his wife and kids (including the ones with paws). "We're going to be in Nashville. We've got the tree set up in our house. With a kid, it reinvents everything so I'm happy to just be at home."

CMT NAMES "DIERKS BENTLEY" IN TOP 12 ALBUMS OF THE DECADE

CMT writer, Craig Shelburne, shared a dozen of his favorite country albums from the 2000s.

"Out of the hundreds of country albums I listened to over the course of a decade, here are a dozen I'm keeping, ranked in alphabetical order by artist:

Dierks Bentley (2003) -- Even though this contemporary effort established him on the charts, the music here blends old-school country and new territory quite well. That rollicking lick at the beginning of "What Was I Thinkin'" set him well on his way."

I have to agree. I love Dierks and everything he sings, and every album he's put out, but his self-titled album has yet to be surpassed in my opinion. What do you think? Leave a comment!

Check out the other eleven (if you must) here.

~Ronna

NC REP GETS DIERKS, A WORK OF ART

North Carolina DB Congress rep, Beth (dierksgirll) was supposed to get Dierks Bentley for her birthday. Well, kinda. Beth and her sisters Justine, Tracie and Melissa got to see Dierks at The Tabernacle in Atlanta in August. Justine took lots of pics of Dierks at the Meet & Greet, but one in particular caught Tracie's eye:

Tracie has a friend--Christina Gaines--who had no clue who Dierks is (although Beth says she's working on that!), but has an eye for art. Tracie showed the pic of D to Christina and asked her to paint Dierks using Justine's photo as a model. Tracie wanted to give the painting to Beth for her birthday (in August), but Christina couldn't work on it until December, so it became an early Christmas present!

"It's definitely one of my greatest Christmas presents yet!" exclaimed Beth.

The pic includes the titles to his CD's "Dierks Bentley," "Modern Day Drifter,"and "Long Trip Alone" (but excludes the Greatest Hits CD). One of Beth's favorite songs/albums is Feel That Fire, and Christina took the time to do something a little different--she painted some of the lyrics as if D had hand-written them!

Christina is 25 years old and is not currently an art student but has taken some high school and community college classes in the past. She brought the picture to life on canvas, using her acrylic paints and artistic talent.

"The Tabernacle in Atlanta is my favorite Dierks show so far, and this painting will be a permanent memory of that night! I think Christina did an awesome job!" Beth declared.

#4 ANOTHER WEEK

This week, "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes" by Dierks Bentley is holding steady at #4 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs Chart. Unfortunately, it ended the week about 1.7 million audience impressions behind Luke Bryan's "Do I," but that gap should close over the course of the next couple of days, and Dierks will move to #3 next week.

Over on Mediabase, IWMYCYE moved to #3 this week, based on their points system. After feeling some pressure from Tim McGraws' "Southern Voice" on both the Billboard and Mediabase charts, it's started to once again pull away from the competition.

Last week, there was roughly a 7 million gap between Dierks in 4th and Reba in 1st. This week, it's down to about 5.5 million impressions. Slowly but surely, IWMYCYE is closing the gap, merrily taking the audience from songs 1-3 that are losing it fairly rapidly.

While I do foresee it moving to at least #3 next week on Billboard, it will be an interesting week. Many radio stations are going to all-Christmas for at least part of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. After that, there are year-end countdowns to consider. The next two weeks have the possibility of being rather stagnant on the charts. The best thing we can do is keep calling, texting and emailing our radio stations and letting them know we aren't tired of IWMYCYE and are ready for another #1!

I will do my best to do updates the next two weeks, but they might be at odd times: I will need to update from sunny, warm Hawaii!

Merry Christmas, Congress! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend!

LONG TRIP ALONE UP FOR VOTE: CMTs TOP 50 VIDEOS OF THE DECADE!

It's a long trip alone
over sand and stones
That lie along the road
that we all must travel down

So maybe you could
walk with me a while
And maybe I could
rest beneath your smile
Everybody stumbles sometimes
and needs a hand to hold
'Cause it's along trip alone

Who could forget this powerful video in 2007! When this video was on the CMT Top 20 countdown week after week but not at #1 yet, this is when DB Congress was formed! This is when I realized it was gonna take an act of congress to get the video to the top spot! That's when fan-clubbers rallied together to push the video not only to first place, but for three consecutive weeks in a row in March/April of '07.

I had my very first fan club Meet and Greet that week, and presented Dierks with a plaque to commemorate the occasion!

Who could forget the shocking scenes of Dierks in a Mexican jail, having his curls shaved off, working to get back to an empty home to find 31 messages on his voice mail--from himself! "Hey babe, it's me...ya there?" So sad and moving! Watch the video on You Tube here.

Now, CMT has nominated Long Trip Alone for us to vote in the Top 50 videos of the decade! For this campaign, we need each and every DB Congress rep now more than ever! Vote as often as you can--no restrictions!

Let's do it for Dierks! Let's show him we can catapult him to the top!

Vote for Dierks' "Long Trip Alone" on CMT's Top 50 videos of the decade! http://www.cmt.com/music/top-fifty-videos-of-the-decade/

*Remember to ONLY vote for Long Trip Alone (CMT allows up to 5 video votes at a time, but please don't vote for 4 more--that will reduce LTA's chances!)

~Ronna
DB Congress Chair

AMAZON RANKS FEEL THAT FIRE AT #25

Amazon.com published their Bestselling MP3 Albums of 2009 and Dierks Bentley earned a #25 spot on the list of 100 for his Feel That Fire album. A favorite of Dierks', U2, topped the all-genre list. Other country artists include Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, and Jason Aldean later in the list at #62 and George Strait (#87).


1. No Line On The Horizon by U2
2. 21st Century Breakdow... by Green Day
3. The Blueprint 3 [Expl... by Jay-Z
4. Brand New Eyes by Paramore
5. It's Not Me, It's You... by Lily Allen
6. The E.N.D. (The Energ... by Black Eyed Peas
7. Forget And Not Slow D... by Relient K
8. Chickenfoot by Chickenfoot
9. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix
10. Incredibad [Explicit] by The Lonely Island
11. Ursa Major by Third Eye Blind
12. Middle Cyclone by Neko Case
13. Hannah Montana The Movie by Various
14. Big Whiskey And The G... by Dave Matthews Band
15. The Twilight Saga: Ne... by The Twilight Saga: Ne...
16. Sounds Of The Universe by Depeche Mode
17. Defying Gravity by Keith Urban
18. Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear
19. The Ecstatic by Mos Def
20. Swoon by Silversun Pickups
21. Memoirs Of An Imperfe... by Mariah Carey
22. Dark Was The Night (R... by Various Artists
23. Unstoppable by Rascal Flatts
24. The Resistance by Muse
25. Feel That Fire by Dierks Bentley

DIERKS WINS 2009 CMIL AWARDS

Country Music Is Love held online Awards for 2009, made up from fan nominations. Dierks Bentley won two of the categories: "Most Under-Rated Artist" and "Favorite 'Party' Song Of The Year for 'Sideways'." Thank you to all the DBC reps and DB fans who voted!

See all the winners here.

Happy 15th Birthday Country Weekly!

Fifteen years ago, Country Weekly began publication of their devotion to the country music world--"a direct link between country stars and their loyal fans"--April 12, 1994.

You won't want to miss this Collector's Edition, featuring the hottest stars of the last 15 years, including our very own DB Congress president, the dude himself--Dierks Bentley!

Country Weekly has been very kind to Dierks since he came slidin' in like Bo Duke to the country music scene in 2003.

All throughout this special edition, CW features "CW Shout Outs" from the artists. One of the funniest was from Blake Shelton: "15 years old? You aren't even legal! Call me whe you turn 18. Love you, Country Weekly." Not to be out 'done', git er done comedy king Larry The Cable Guy said, "...after a few Blue Collar Comedy tour shows, there it was--an article on me. I was so excited I called all my friends and my parole officer and they had the same response--'You idiot! I'ts 3:30 in the morning!'"

I'd like to give my own shout out. I was so excited to see the DB Congress featured in Stars Up Close article (He Looked Up, October 6, 2008) telling the story of that cool Atlanta night with Dierks and his congress! CW was so gracious, emailing me back and forth to make sure everything was accurate! True professionals! But then in March 2009, after launching this website (www.dbcongress.com) in February, CW published "Dierks Fans Go to Congress" on the What's Online page--I was so surprised and happy! More Dierks coverage! More CW sales!

Dierks appears on several pages of this special December 28, 2009 issue: 17 with Jake on his ATV, 39 weddings, 41 babies, 46 country living, 51 top tunes, and page 59 (15 years of covers).

He's decidely absent from the "15 Most Influential Stars" over the the last 15 years. But I predict he will be in the top 20 by the time Country Weekly publishes their 20 year anniversary issue!

On behalf of all the DB Congress (Dierks Bentley Fan Club) Representatives, THANK YOU Country Weekly for always having at least some little morsel of DB in every issue! We especially appreciate the two solo covers in 2009 and all the "letters" and Stars Up Close about Dierks from DB Congress reps! Congratulations on 15 years! We look forward to another 15 and many more Dierks covers!

Country Weekly magazine--money well spent every week!

~Ronna
DB Congress Chair
Florida Representative

CHECKING A LIST, DIERKS MAKES IT TWICE!

Many of you subscribe to the CMA Exclusive email newsletter. Great news about our DB Congress president! I checked the list and Dierks Bentley landed in the top ten twice! Congrats!

2009 in Review: Top 10 Radio Hits
You called and requested them at your local radio station. You cranked them up and ripped off the knob. You made these songs the Top 10 of 2009. (Source: Mediabase via Country Aircheck. Mediabase measures radio airplay in cities across the US.)

Rank Artist Song
1 Jason Aldean She's Country
2 Zac Brown Band Whatever It Is
3 Darius Rucker It Won't Be Like This For Long
4 Keith Urban Sweet Thing
5 Toby Keith God Love Her
6 Dierks Bentley Sideways
7 Lady Antebellum I Run To You
8 Rodney Atkins It's America
9 Dierks Bentley Feel That Fire
10 Zac Brown Band Chicken Fried

NEED A 2010 CALENDAR? GET DIERKS!

Just a reminder you can order a 2010 calendar with Dierks Bentley and Jake on October.

Dierks Bentley and his dog Jake are featured on the month of October on the Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation 2010 Celebrity Pet Calendar! For a donation of $15 or more (it all goes to support the Animal Rescue Foundation) you can pick up a copy of the calendar here.

All proceeds from calendar sales support ARF’s life-saving programs.

DON'T DRINK AND TEXT!

The Boot posted this story about Dierks Bentley, drinkin', textin', sad-song listenin', and Alison Krausss. In true David Allan Coe code, sounds like the perfect country and western song except there's nothin' about Little White Tank Tops!

We all know the hazards of "drunk dialing," but what about texting after you've enjoyed a few cocktails? Dierks Bentley found out the dangers when he sent a text message to one of his musical idols, Alison Krauss, while under the influence. On a recent tour bus trek from Nashville to Iowa, Dierks and his band mates were passing the time by having a "battle of who can play the sadder song" from their iTunes collection, he tells The Boot.

"We're drinking all these beers and I go straight to [Krauss'] 'Forget About It.' You should never listen to Alison's music before 6:00 PM. It's nighttime music. Have a Bud Light or some Jack Daniels with a couple of cubes of ice ready to go. It's heartbreak music."After several adult beverages, Dierks texted Alison. Two days later, he received a response from the multiple-Grammy winner asking, "Did they hurt or did they help?"

With no memory whatsoever of texting Alison, Dierks figured she'd erroneously replied to him. He texted back, gently suggesting that as happy as he was to hear from her, perhaps she sent her message to the wrong guy. She texted him back, writing, "No, you texted me a couple of nights ago. You did say you were drinkin'." Her text jarred his memory. A chagrinned Dierks wrote her back, confessing, "You're right. I'm so sorry. I'm so embarrassed. Yes, it did help because our goal is to get as lonesome as possible, and your music causes that. So thank you." Krauss reply? "Ha!"

GOOD THINGS HAPPEN IN VEGAS: A DB CONGRESS REP REVIEW

Well, after flying 3800 miles round trip, I'm back home and rested now. Two nights of Dierks in Las Vegas were just incredible! I got to meet some great friends out there and just hanging with them was a ball! The House of Blues is an awesome place for a concert. I stayed in the Luxor and was able to walk from hotel room to the venue. As we were waiting in line for the first show we saw Dierks heading in to the venue. He stopped and talked to us for a few minutes and thanked us for coming out for the shows! Also talked to Tim before he went in.

The set list on Thursday was really good. Dierks seemed to be stoked to be back in Vegas as it showed with his enthusiasm on the stage. So much so that when he went to run around behind Rod, he slipped and fell. But he rolled over and jumped up without missing a beat. The show wasn't over until almost 1 a.m. and we were exhausted by the time we left.

The next day we were in line at the door about noon. The price you pay to be in the front row and worth every minute of the wait. I called Nid by phone and had a great chat with him then handed the phone over to Janet for a chat too. Because of some overbooking by the HOB Dierks didn't hit the stage until about 11:30pm. We knew he had changed up the set list right from the first song. Instead of opening with Sideways (which they've done for months) they played Lot Of Leavin' first. It was a great mix of songs as the night went on.

At one point he told the crowd as he pointed down to the front row that he wanted to do a song for his fan club. That these fans "fly all over the country to come to his shows" and he wanted to thank them for doing that. He then started to play "Good Things Happen" which is rare for him to do live! As he got to the last verse, he sang this: "good things happen....when the Congress is around" and pointed right in our direction. That was the highlight of the weekend for me! Then they did a bluegrass set and finished the night with Folsom.

A great weekend that I will NOT soon forget!

~David

DB Congress Rep

Kentucky

DIERKS' BEAUTIFUL WORLD INSPIRES UNICEF

As if Dierks Bentley wasn't already doing enough for kids in the U.S. (you may recall his WQYK Benefit for St. Jude's, Nashville4Africa to help build a school, and his own Miles and Music For Kids initiative benefiting Children's Miracle Network of hospitals), now he's uniting with UNICEF. What a perfect fit for his Grammy-nominated song, "Beautiful World" to try to bring awareness to this world-wide organization who's mission it is to further children's rights across the globe.

UNICEF was so inspired by the duet with Patty, they partnered with Dierks to post a 30 second PSA video on You Tube to share his commitment to advancing the fundamental rights of children everywhere.



Rodeo Attitude posted this article on their site yesterday:

NASHVILLE, TN – Dec. 16, 2009 – Award-winning country singer/songwriter Dierks Bentley is supporting UNICEF with a public service announcement featuring his recently GRAMMY nominated song “Beautiful World” with special guest Patty Griffin. The 30-second video is available worldwide in support of UNICEF’s mission to further children’s rights across the globe.

“We are grateful to Dierks Bentley for his generosity in volunteering the use of “Beautiful World” for the PSA,” said UNICEF’s Chief of Celebrity Relationships and Partnerships Marissa Buckanoff. “We believe it will help raise awareness of our mission to help children around the world lead happier, healthier lives and develop to their full potential.”

UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and government.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DIERKS AND CASSIDY!

OK, so I'm a day late! So sorry...my day job got in the way!

Congratulations! Dierks Bentley and Cassidy Black became Mr. and Mrs. four years ago, December 15 (some sources say Dec. 14). Many of you know the love story well, but for those who don't...

Dierks and Cass attended Ingleside Middle School together in Phoenix, Arizona. Dierks was dating Cassidy's best friend in 8th grade but had a crush on Cass. They had their first kiss at 15 or 16 and tried to date but he says he was too immature for her. Country Weekly's April 13, 2009 issue featured Dierks on the cover--the first ever--and the article includes an old love letter from Cassidy to Dierks: "All the girls think you're cute. I don't know. I don't love you. But if I did, I certainly wouldn't tell you but I don't. Just so you know..."

Then about 10 years ago (he was in Nashville) they started writing letters back and forth and she visited him a few times but it didn't last. He didn't think he could make her happy with his on-the-road lifestyle. Then she came out to see him in Vegas February 4, 2005 as Dierks was getting ready to go on tour with George Strait. "She walked on the bus and I just knew...this is the one I want to be with," says Dierks. Cass says " it was a weird feeling and it was right when I saw him..." They still celebrate that date as their most important anniversary.

But they married on December 15, 2005 (some sources say Dec. 14). Just the two of them eloped to Mexico. Dierks even surprised her by having a a stylist friend bring a dress for her. "I was nervous! You don't want to pick out a woman's wedding dress!" The Chloe' dress that was selected was "perfect!" according to Cass.

Cassidy has been the inspiration for some of Dierks' most powerful songwriting since then. Like Every Mile A Memory, Long Trip Alone (although she says God stole that song from her), Feel That Fire, and I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes, just to name a few.

They welcomed baby Evie October 4, 2008 into their world--and baby make 5 (Canine kids, George and Jake round out the family).

We are so happy for you Dierks and Cass! Congratulations and we wish you many years of happiness to come!

#4 AND YEAR-END CHARTS

In its 21st chart week, Dierks Bentley's "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes" moves up another spot to #4 this week! Capitol Nashville and Country Radio appear to be giving it a rather healthy push again, as well, because it's spin increase numbers are among the top in the genre, and they haven't been that high since October! Yesterday, in fact, it had higher increased spins than Carrie Underwood's brand-new single, "Temporary Home." As long as the increased plays continue, it's audience impressions will continue to grow as well. There are roughly 6 million impressions separating IWMYCYE and #3 "Do I," so it's difficult to say if there will be much chart movement next week. However, I believe IWMYCYE will move to #2 in two weeks ... SO CLOSE!

This week, Billboard also posted their year-end charts. Here is where our Prez stacked up!

Year-End 2009 Singles:
#6 "Sideways"
#31 "Feel That Fire"
#69 "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes"
*(Note: Billboard compiles the year-end singles chart based on total audience impressions over the course of the song's chart run.)

Top 50 Country Artists:
#6 Dierks Bentley

Top 50 Country Albums:
#26 "Feel That Fire"

Top Songwriters:
#10 Dierks Bentley

And people associated with Dierks include:

Top Label & Top Imprint:
#1 Capitol Nashville

Top Producers:
#10 Brett Beavers

So there you have it, folks -- 2009 wrapped up in a neat little bow! I am confident that Capitol Nashville will seek to continue it's chart-dominating ways by getting a quick #1 hit in 2010, so I think we'll be able to see our Prez get his 8th #1 and 3rd in a row!

~ Carrie S. (DBC Rep/Chart Reporter ~ NC)

CHICAGO TRIBUNE NAMES FEEL THAT FIRE AS BEST 2009 COUNTRY ALBUM

Feel That Fire was listed as #1 Country album for 2009 by the Chicago Tribune! The album is in great company with artists such as touring buddy, Brad Paisley!

Here's what the Tribune had to say about FTF:

"This effort has Bentley blazing new trails with music that maintains enough bluegrass edge to feel roots-worthy but holds tight to the signature gravel in his voice that gives his tunes a rock lean. And the journey through varied song styles, from a hopeful duet with Americana songbird Patty Griffin to the smoldering "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes," shows that Bentley's talent runs deep from the first track to the last."

Go to Chicago Tribune to see what other albums made the years top list!

(Thanks Erin W. for forwarding the article!)

COUNTRY MUSIC CARES FOR CHRISTMAS KIDS

Country Music Cares (aka Jennifer and mom Debbie) started an organization ten years ago called Christmas Kids to help out some of the needy kids in Paducah, Kentucky. Every year, they provide presents to select students at appointed schools. One requirement is they are not supposed to receive help from any other service. Each child receives a coat, a few outfits of clothing, shoes, socks, underwear, a toy, etc. Many of these children will receive little or nothing for Christmas without this help.

While there is no shortage of charitable causes for children - especially at Christmas - and we all have our favorites we contribute to, this group got a hold of my heart because of the strong connection to country music fans.

Whitney Duncan fans started a challenge around Thanksgiving to all other artist fan groups, to donate ten cents for every new Follower they got from Twitter by December 10th (dubbed 10until10). DB Congress joined the band-wagon and reached a milestone of 500 Followers! In total, if I had to guess, this cause raised awareness among Twitter country music fans in excess of 2,000 new followers for Dierks Bentley, Blake Shelton, Josh Thompson, Whitney Duncan and many others! And that's just ten cents from each new follower, not to mention CMC is up to $700 in donations for their auction of artist autographs!

I will be sending a check to Jennifer on behalf of DBC. If any DBC reps would like to contribute, please email me at ronna@dbcongress.com.

Thank you Jennifer and Debbie! Please let us know how many kids your cause helped in 2009!

HE DOES EXIST! PREZ TWEETS HISTORIAN

*EDIT: I found the commercial on YouTube!

You've all seen it, right? The M&Ms commercial where yellow and red say to each other, "He does exist!" and Santa says, "They do exist!" when they get a glimpse of each other in the dim light of a Christmasy living room.

Dierks Bentley had been "Tweetless" for a few days, even though he performed two shows back to back in Vegas Thursday and Friday--a usually productive Tweet time for Dierks.

On the flip side, Stephanie, our DBC Historian and Missouri rep, spent most of her two days in Vegas in line waiting to see Dierks and sending him numerous tweets on Twitter hoping for a response from our DB Congress prez, to no avail. But one of her tweets did finally get his attention:

Stephanie2286: "@DierksBentley Thanks again for such a great time in Vegas! Def made #'s 49 and 50 special!"

And seven hours later...

DierksBentley: "@Stephanie2286 thanks for 50 nights of your life! wow. honored. #fb"

He DOES exist! And he is so appreciative of his fans! This has got to be the best tweet/quote of the day, week, month!

Congrats Steph! And thank you mr. president! You just made her day and all of ours!

TOP BLUEGRASS AND NEW VOTING OPS

Dierks Bentley is the sole writing credit for Train Travelin', the bluegrass cut from his first self-titled album, wishing for a simpler way of life from yester-year. With all the hustle and bustle of today's world, it's no wonder 41% of the fans voted this their favorite BG song from our favorite artist and DBC president! Good Man Like Me, Prodigal Son's Prayer and Last Call all followed in descending order of likability. I don't know about you, but I am soooo looking forward to Dierks' new Bluegrass album - an entire CD - in 2010!

In other voting news, our friends over at Country Music Is Love are holding an online 2009 Awards and Dierks is up for 5 categories! He is ahead right now in 2, but he needs your help in 3.

• Who is the most UNDER-rated artist of 2009? Vote for Dierks!



• Fan Favorite Album of 2009? Vote for Feel That Fire!



• What's the sexiest song of 2009? Vote for I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes!



• Favorite Party Song Of 2009? Vote Sideways!



• Best Major Tour Lineup? Vote for Brad, Dierks, Jimmy!

So please go to CMIL and vote! Voting ends Wed., December 16. 2009 CMIL Awards- Vote Now!

DIERKS TAKES LA

Country Music fan Stephanie Stiefel shared her story of Dierks Bentley and Eric Church in Los Angeles on Thursday, December 10 with Country Music Tattle Tale:

Last night country music superstar Dierks Bentley graced the Wiltern Theatre stage in Los Angeles. His opening guest was no less of an amazing artist, Eric Church.

Eric and his band rocked the crowd with their true to the bone lyrics, guitars, and banjos. The crowd was already going crazy even before Dierks hit the stage. In the middle of his set Eric said tot he crowd, ‘We came here to party with ya’ll tonight, drink beer, play our guitars, and sing songs that are true.’ The comment made me realize that is what country music is all about and why there are so many dedicated fans. Once Eric finished his set, he humbly thanked the crowd and left everyone in anticipation for Dierks.

The lights brightened and the stage crews bustled about the stage recreating the set for the superstar. A short agonizing wait later, the lights went down and a video shows up of Dierks, he then comes on the mic and asks ‘Hope ya’ll are ready for a party?’ The crowd went crazy as he and his band-mates appeared on stage and cranked up the sound. The entire show was upbeat, in your face and pure Dierks Bentley. He made a comment about his recent recording with long-time song-writer, Patty Griffin. The song ‘Beautiful World’ has had a grammy nod recently, and the duet performed the song the night before on the ‘George Lopez Show’. No one was expecting it but Dierks introduced the talented Ms. Griffin and she gracefully walked out to join him for a Johnny Cash song, they later performed their recent recording of ‘Beautiful World’.

Towards the end of his set Dierks invited Eric back out onstage, and it was clear he had been having a good time backstage. They sang a few more songs for the crowd and obviously, unwillingly exited the stage. The ambiance of the Wiltern, the talented musicians and of course the raw voices that make country so real made the entire night an unforgettable event.



Dierks Bentley, Eric Church & Patty Griffin Take LA Head On-A Fan Review

SHARING AND CELEBRATING BEAUTIFUL TEARS

Dierks Bentley and his wife Cassidy were watching a sad movie when they learned that 'Beautiful World' was nominated for a Grammy. So there were tears of joy for the recognition and tears of sadness from the movie. The fact that Dierks was more concerned about getting his $16 worth and not being wasteful just validates his strong character as a person. That's why we love him! He's a down-home dude! Here's an excerpt from the interview with Dierks from The Boot:

"I was on the couch, watching the saddest movie in the world with my wife. We were watching 'My Sister's Keeper.' My wife is bawling and my phone keeps ringing."He finally answers, gets the news and delivers the good word to his wife. They share a celebratory drink (beer for him, wine for her) and "partied for about 30 minutes," he recalls before his fiduciary sense kicked in. "The practical side of me goes, 'This movie is costing us $16 on demand and it's going to expire in [a few] hours, so we need to go back to watching it.' As soon as we pressed play, she starts crying. So there's really this sad moment to this intensely happy moment right down to tears again. It was like tears of sadness ... tears of joy ... tears of sadness."

Dierks' show at the Wiltern offered more moments of joy as Patty joined him to perform the nominated song together for the first time in concert. Afterward, the country star was still glowing. "When you die, people talk about what you see. Is it the light in the tunnel? But think about what you hear? [Patty's is] the voice I think you'd hear. That's the way I feel -- her voice is angelic. To have her number in my cell phone, is bad ass."

=================

Another beautiful moment is Tomi L. Wiley's interesting view of Dierks and Patty's Grammy-nominated Beautiful World (the video):

"The video, simply shot and authentic, matches the organic and easy lyrics, melody, and message of the song. There is nothing contrived about the video setup, alternating between shots of Bentley and Griffin palling around in the kitchen and actually playing and recording, as well as between color and black and white frames, contrasting the balance between work and play. The contrasting color and grayscale shots also reflect the basic highs and lows of life and the message of the song: despite serious issues, wars, health and personal problems, it is a beautiful world, if you choose to see it that way.

But the real beauty here is the blending of Bentley’s and Griffin’s voices together: Griffin’s distinct, pure and clean voice is a warm current beneath Bentley’s signature smooth style. The two have a connection, which seems not so much contrived as a duet but a genuine sharing of the love of a simple song."

THE BOOT FEELS THAT DIERKS BENTLEY FIRE

The Boot presents (after hours of debating) their top ten albums of 2009 -- not just the biggest sellers or radio pleasers, but the albums that they believe made the biggest mark on this last year of the decade. - How refreshing!

Dierks Bentley's Feel That Fire is #6. Is anyone else reeeeeeeally disappointed the album is not even in the top 30 for record sales? I just can't understand how/why everybody doesn't love and buy this album as much as I do/have! And, I'm buying another 12-pack to give as Christmas gifts! Gotta make em' wanna come back for more! Going for Gold or Platinum! Who's with me?

6. Dierks Bentley, 'Feel That Fire'

Standout Song: 'Pray'

Dierks has said that with 'Feel That Fire' he stepped out of his comfort zone a bit. This time out he's also mixed some crank-it-up-loud-on-the-car-stereo tunes with some gorgeous, thoughtful ballads like 'Pray' and 'Beautiful World,' to pull on the heartstrings.

Special thanks to The Boot for your awesome support of our DB Congress president!

~Ronna

TOP 5 AND ALIVE!

Dierks Bentley's "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes" moves up one more spot this week on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, to crack the Top 5! It is also #5 on Mediabase, and #3 on Billboard's Country Indicator chart.

It's continuing to gain on the #4 spot, slowly but surely. It perhaps won't make #4 this next week, but Craig Morgan's "Bonfire" is starting to slip, and Dierks is there to take over. It *could* happen, but it's going to take a bit of a plummet on "Bonfire's" part over the course of the next couple of days for that to happen.

After it hits #4, it's going to mostly be a matter of growing or at least remaining steady as it waits for "Do I," "Need You Now," and "Consider me Gone" to fall. "Need You Now" has experienced some slowing, and is starting to make it's way down the charts. Once "Do I" hits #1, it is likely to fall fairly quickly. That song has been on the charts for 33 weeks! "Consider me Gone" will take a bit longer to fall.

So this is where you can help, Congress! Continue to call, email, text or tweet your local stations and DJs -- let them know you're not tired of IWMYCYE. Join Rate the Music and do the surveys, and make sure you say you're not tired of it there, too! Get on Yes.com and thank the stations for playing it. It has plenty of room for growth. Let's kick of 2010 with a #1 hit and make it 3 in a row!

Next week's Country Update on Billboard will include the year-end chart, so I'll tell you how "Feel That Fire" and "Sideways" fared among all songs released this year, as well as the IWMYCYE update!

~ Carrie S. (DBC Rep/Chart Reporter ~ NC)