Merry Christmas 2011!

Christmas Religious Graphics


Merry Christmas! 

Is it wrong that instead of listening to Christmas music, many of us are listening to 90 second clips of "Home" over and over?  I am sure we would have loved to open a present this morning and find the hard copy of Dierks' new CD, right?  We only have 6 weeks to wait, with the album concert at The Ryman on February 2 and the CD release date of 2/7/2012.

Back to Christmas day.  Happy birthday Jesus and happy birthday baby Jordan!  That's right, Dierks Bentley's youngest daughter is one today!  Here's what Dierks had to say according to American Country Countdown:

"Capitol Records Dierks Bentley was at the hospital in Nashville welcoming his daughter Jordan into the world on Christmas Day 2010. That means this Christmas is also Jordan's first birthday. Says Dierks, "Some people tend to think that's like a really bad day to have as a birthday, because you've got to share it with Jesus and share it with Christmas and all the other presents, but I think it's great."

Even if Jordan gets upset her birthday is on Christmas when she gets older, Dierks has a plan. "She could have my birthday," he says. "She can take the 20th of November, and I'll take Christmas as a birthday. Everyone will forget! I'll never get older!"
Dierks and his wife Cassidy also have a three year old daughter named Evie."

And CMT's Alison Bonaguro tells us what Christmas was like for Dierks growing up:

"There were no white Christmases for Dierks Bentley. As a kid in Arizona, his were more like dirty, dusty, sandy Christmases. "I grew up in the desert, so we would always have Christmas out in the middle of the desert. We'd go out and take four wheelers and horses and motorcycles, dirt bikes and stuff and just have Christmas in the desert," he said in a recent radio interview. "You know, wrap tin foil around the cactus and ... have Christmas in the middle of the desert.""
-Alison Bonaguro, CMT.com

To all the DB Congress representatives around the world, and Dierks, Cassidy, Evie, Jordan, and the band and all the crew (Steve Misamore, Dan Hochhalter, Cassady Feasby, Tim Sergent, Brian Layson, Brit, Chris A., Chris R., Ryan, Jay and Mary & Tyne), we wish you and your families the merriest of Christmases today, and that next year brings you lots of happiness and success!

~Ronna
DB Congress Chair

Country Weekly Permanently Links To Dierks!

From the Vault is a special section on countryweekly.com and the "Dierks Bentley: Friends For A Lifetime" story is a featured vault article!  Not only that, but the story about Larissa and the friendships DB Congress reps have formed through Dierks, originally appeared in the October 10, 2011 magazine and links to even more Dierks content in the Country Weekly archives!

"In order to give Larissa's story a permanent place to reside, we're posting it here on this page, which is dedicated to Larissa's memory." 

-Your fellow Dierks fans at Country Weekly

CW also thanks the fans for the comments, tweets and letters.  One such letter appeared in the Oct. 31 issue from DBC Iowa rep, Mona:

Check it all out here.

~Ronna


Related blogs:
http://dbcongress.blogspot.com/search?q=larissa+tragedy
http://dbcongress.blogspot.com/search?q=DB+Congress+Reps+Have+Big+Hearts+

Listen to Snippets of Home by Dierks Bentley

Thanks to amazon.com, you can now hear samples of all 12 tracks (listed below) from Dierks Bentley's forthcoming album, Home, set for a February 7, 2012 release.  Go to Amazon to listen to snippets from each new song. 

In addition to the #1 smash, Am I The Only One, and the second single, Home, spiraling up the charts, the CD includes some of the tunes Dierks has been testing on the Jagermeister and Country & Cold Cans tours such as Diamonds Make Babies and 5150.  Surprisingly absent is his last tour's title.  Let's hope it gets added as a bonus track!

We want to know what you think!  Come back here and comment!

1. Am I The Only One
2. Gonna Die Young
3. Tip It On Back
4. Home
5. Diamonds Make Babies
6. In My Head
7. Breathe You In
8. The Woods
9. When You Gonna Come Around
10. 5-1-5-0 
11. Heart Of A Lonely Girl
12. Thinking Of You

Don't forget to leave a comment after you listen!

You can still pre-order your copy at dierks.com and the album release concert at The Ryman in Nashville, Tennessee is February 2, 2012.  Are you going?

Dierks Bentley's Free and Easy, Takes Fan Melissa Martin "Home"

I am sorry to have to bring you sad news today, but we have lost another member of the Dierks Bentley Congress family. Today we honor Melissa Blackard Martin, DBC rep from Cordova, TN, who died Tuesday after a three and a half year battle with cancer.

"Dierks was her favorite," Melissa's Aunt, Lora Moore, told me.  "She loved going to see him and always went if he was near. She would be so happy to know you were doing this [blog].  It also makes me feel so good that you are doing this for her!"

I never met Melissa in person, but after reading Lora's stories about Dierks and Melissa below, I wish I had:

"Melissa and I were very close. I don't know how to describe our relationship. I thought of her as a daughter, sister and good friend.  We would go together to as many Dierks shows that were possible! She won her first Meet and Greet at the Huntsville, AL show in May 2009. She was in remission at the time and was so happy to share her news that she was a cancer survivor! Dierks was sincerely happy for her and that brought her joy!

Later that month, she got the news that the cancer had come back and metastasized to her lungs. Even though she was sick, she wanted to go to Miles and Music For Kids in October 2009, so we did. It turned out to be a beautiful day! Melissa was so excited to meet Dierks at the Harley Davidson dealership! It was a perfect day with friends and the concert was fantastic!

After the concert, walking down Broadway, she spotted Dierks coming out of The Stage. He stopped and talked to us for several minutes. He remembered her and asked how she was doing. As she shared the news that the cancer was back, he expressed his sorrow and said he’d keep her in his prayers. It was a day she never forgot and I am forever thankful to Dierks for making her so happy that day!
 
She was too sick to make it to the ‘Up on the Ridge’ show at the Ryman, so her mom, Rita and I went and she listened on the phone to the show.
 
We were able to meet him one more time together at a Meet and Greet in June, 2010 in Tunica, MS and as always, she had a big smile as he asked how she was doing.
 
In August 2010, she was in remission again and made it to another Miles and Music For Kids event in October with myself and her mom. In December 2010, we got the news the cancer was back in her lungs and brain. She underwent brain surgery to remove tumors, and had full brain radiation and chemotherapy this past year. This past summer, she heard he was playing the Opry and wanted to go, so we surprised her with a front row seat. She could barely walk on a cane, but she pushed and went to see him one last time.

Her favorite song was ‘Free and Easy (Down The Road I Go). With heart and soul, she would sing, Someday I know it’s gonna take me home, so Free and Easy down the road I go!

We are so thankful to have had Melissa in our lives and will miss her so much!  Thank you, Dierks, for the memories!"

Melissa was 40 years old when she passed away on Tuesday, December 6, 2011, after a courageous fight with breast cancer, which she chronicled in her Caring Bridge site from the beginning of her diagnosis to the end. By doing this she had one wish: that by sharing her experiences, both good and bad, it might help someone else who was facing this terrible disease or other hardships.

Visitation will be Friday, December 9 from 6 - 9 pm at Shackelford's Funeral Home, Bolivar, Tennessee. Services will be Saturday, December 10 at 11:00 am in the chapel at Shackelford's. Burial will be in the Shandy Cemetery, Bolivar. A fund (Melissa Martin Fund) has been set up for Melissa's children at First South Bank, 809 West Market Street, Bolivar, Tennessee 38008, care of Lora Moore.

A fellow DB Congress rep, Takara (MO), remembers meeting Melissa for the first time at the Dierks show in Tunica, MS.  On behalf of the DB Congress, Takara has volunteered to collect money for flowers and/or donations for the Melissa Martin Fund. 
God bless you, Melissa! You're finally home!

~Ronna (DBC Chair, FL)

Video Interview with Dierks Bentley's Mom & Dad at Home

Dierks Bentley's new single will be the official song of Arizona's Centennial Celebration in February 2012.  It's appropriate since AZ is where he grew up.  Watch as his mom talks about Dierks' humbleness:



For the whole story, click here.

Finding a "Home" in Top 20

Photo Courtesy Carrie Srebro (ACC Fanfest 12/3/2011)

In its 10th week on the charts, the title track and second single from Dierks Bentley's upcoming album "Home" jumped 4 spots on Billboard to come in at #16! On Mediabase, "Home" is up to #18. Although audience isn't the deciding factor for Mediabase, it's the only place you can track audience gains and "Home" had some huge days this past week: on two different days it was the #1 audience gainer, one day with a pickup of 585,000 and one day with a pickup of 757,000. Those are pretty stealthy numbers!

"Home" hit the charts the same week as the new singles from Kenny Chesney ("Reality") and Brad Paisley ("Camouflage"). Kenny easily pulled away from Brad and Dierks in the weeks following (as many expected, I'm sure), but in recent weeks, Brad and Dierks have been engaged in a healthy battle, which Dierks is winning quite handily on Billboard ("Camouflage" is at #19) and poised to win on Mediabase (Brad is at #17, with Dierks less than 100 points behind). Not only that, but with "Home" sitting at #16 on Billboard, it's just two spots behind Kenny's "Reality." It's great to see our Prez hanging with the titans of the charts! 

In the upcoming weeks, holiday music will start to become more prevalent, and many assume the charts "freeze" during this time. It's not exactly the case. The charts will still publish and Mediabase's daily information will still update, however the majority of the songs will see a significant loss in spins and audience, primarily in the week before Christmas. Some years, the charts remain fairly active, as was the case last year (for the top of the charts - it didn't help "Draw Me a Map" any. Hmph!). The chart that publishes on 1/2/2012 (the 1/14 chart) will likely see many songs with significant gains. On December 19th and December 26th, I won't have access to the Billboard information on those nights. Instead, I'll see the updates on Wednesday. All that being said, "Home" is in a great position heading into the holidays, and I still think it will fare well against the holiday music, or at least better than some of the other songs around it on the charts. Regardless, don't be alarmed if it loses a spot or two during the next few weeks; it will rebound and looks to be close to peaking right around album release the first week in February! 

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

6 "Home" Updates from Dierks.com!

In case you haven't visited dierks.com lately, here's what's happening:

1. Home, the new CD has a release date of Feb 7, 2012! Pre-order your bundle of the "Home" CD and merchandise today!
    
2. Dierks will be performing a special "Home" album release concert at The Ryman in Nashville, TN on Feb 2, 2102.  Tickets are still available at dierks.com on the Tour page, and you can apply for a Meet and Greet.
    
3. There's still time to try to win tickets and Meet and Greets for Feb 2 and join the Mosaic at http://2mosai.cc/dierks.  Wednesday, November 30, 2011 is the last day to enter by sharing on Twitter or Facebook.
    
4. Dierks picked the winners of the "Map of Home" contest: Hannah Rosamond (HannahR121) and Justin Bockbrader (bockbutt10) have won the opportunity to spend a day on the road with Dierks, where they will attend soundcheck, eat dinner with Dierks, and attend a show of their choice.
      
5. A new "Home" opportunity is available now!  Pick your best eight photos and upload them to the original "Home" music video for a customized video you can share with family and friends!
    
6. Last but not least, "Home" is available on iTunes! It's only $1.29 so get it or GIFT it today! It's currently #34 on iTunes--let's push it back into the top 10 for Christmas with the troops coming "HOME!"

Senor Dierks Bentley Joins Bob Dylan Compilation CD

Am I the only one who, after hearing "Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)" on Dierks Bentley's Up On The Ridge CD, had to know more about the meaning behind the Bob Dylan lyrics?

It seems there are a few possible interpretative themes--patriotic, religious, love or drugs--to name a few.

Whatever your take, be sure to give special attention to your calendars for January 24, 2012--when a live version of the song by Dierks will be available as one of the tracks on the forthcoming Bob Dylan tribute compilation CD.

The title of the 4-CD compilation is Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International.  The human rights organization fights against censorship and activities on behalf of free speech.

Other artists include, Sugarland, who will contribute a live version of  "Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You," and Dylan himself singing the title track.

Given the title of the CD, I'm going with the patriotic theme.  How about you?

~Ronna

What is Dierks Bentley Thankful For?

On this 2011 Thanksgiving Day, we have a lot to be thankful for! Namely, Dierks Bentley.  In a recent reply to his DB Congress, Dierks seems to feel the same way about us!

This year Dierks had a #1 with Am I The Only One, performed for sold out crowds, reached $1.7 for children's hospitals via Miles & Music For Kids, and sang for The President of the USA! 

From The Country Vibe:

On Thanksgiving when Dierks Bentley counts his blessings, the thing he will be most thankful for are his two healthy daughters, Evie and Jordan. “Coming off the Miles & Music event this year in Nashville and Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital and knowing how many families are going through tough times with health of their children. That’s the number-one blessing when you have kids is that they’re healthy,” says Dierks.

“Even when they have a mild cold, it’s like, ‘Aww, man. I feel so bad for them.’ I can’t imagine what those folks at Vanderbilt and St. Jude and all of those children’s hospitals across the country, what they’re going through on Thanksgiving. I’m sure they’re just happy to be together, and that’d be the same thing for me—just to be with my family and thankful for the blessings that I have.”

The men and women who are currently serving our country are the other people Dierks will be thankful for. He says, ”The second thing we will pray for is the troops and their families, the ones that are away from their families at Thanksgiving, the ones that are out there fighting on Thanksgiving Day so we can be back here and have that quality time, have that quiet time is definitely something we’re so appreciative of.”

Happy Thanksgiving to all our DB Congress Reps--thanks for your year-round dedication to Dierks!

We give thanks to all the band and crew who together display a great deal of talent to keep our president sounding and looking good--Chris, Britt, Jay, Brian, Steve, Tim, Dan and Cassady!

And finally, God Bless Dierks Bentley, his voice and powerful songwriting talent, and the man that he is. We love you! Happy Thanksgiving!

~Ronna (Florida)
DB Congress Chair

Videos: Dierks Performs at The White House!

How appropriate for our president of the Dierks Bentley Congress (Dierks), to open the "Country Music: In Performance at the White House" show with his newest single, "Home."   The PBS music special aired last night from the East Room of the White House, hosted by President and Mrs. Obama.

What an honor for Dierks to represent country music in our nation's home, along with eight other artists who performed: Lauren Alaina, who did a duet with Dierks (see video below), The Band Perry, Alison Krauss, Kris Kristofferson, Lyle Lovett, Mickey, Darius Rucker and James Taylor.

"Standing in the East Room of The White House last night rehearsing ‘Home’ was a surreal feeling,” Dierks said. “No matter who you vote for or what you believe, it is one of the greatest symbols of our country. It is our nation’s ‘Home.’ I’m honored to have been asked to perform there, and tonight when I sing this song, I will definitely be thinking about all of the men and women in the military.”



What's Your Favorite Song?


From The Washington Post:

Dierks Bentley on being excited to be here:

"On my phone... I keep going to down to my Google maps, trying to get my blue dot to go on the White House. Hey! It worked! ... I guess ‘cause we’re outside... [Let me] take a screen saver shot of that blue dot.”

Bentley on why we should support our returning veterans:

“Now is the time that these guys are coming back, you know, with health problems and obviously they’re trying to put their families back together. And the economy’s crap. Now is the time to really show your patriotism, your support, and do something... It’s more than just a yellow ribbon... How do we incorporate these folks back into our society, into our economy, so they can have productive lives?”

In case you missed the show, here are a few videos for you. 

1-Behind the scenes, with DB interviewing the other artists.  Check out the "hugs" at the end!

2-President Obama's opening remarks

3-Dierks performs "Home," and dedicates it to the guys and girls in the military who are coming "home." (Thanks to Janet, NJ rep)

4-Lauren Alaina performing the Willie Nelson classic, "You Are Always On My Mind," duet with Dierks.













The show ended with Kris Kristofferson singing "Bobby Magee" and all the artists joined him on stage and sang a line or two.  Then, as the credits rolled, President and Mrs. Obama thanked each performer by shaking hands and freely giving out hugs.  Another great feat for the history books!

Powerful Last Name Becomes A First Name That Stuck

Dierks DVR Reminder! See a video preview here and set a reminder to watch @OfficialRFDTV Sunday, 11/20, at 7/6c for Reflections From The Circle with @DierksBentley, featuring an interview with Country Music DJ Hall of Fame inductee Eddie Stubbs from the Grand Ole Opry stage. Visit www.opry.com to find out more!

Martin Guitar's New Ambassador is Dierks Bentley!

I've never seen Dierks Bentley play a show without his D28 Martin Guitar--the one where his pinky-finger has worn a hole clean through it!  It's no wonder Martin Guitar wanted him for their Ambassador!

"CONGRATULATIONS to our new Martin Guitar Ambassador, Dierks Bentley!!!! Dierks has been playing Martin guitars proudly for years, and we are thrilled to finally make it official. We are so excited to have this 10-time Grammy-nominated artist as a part of the Martin guitar family."



Martin Guitar could not contain their excitement on Twitter:

MartinGuitar: @DIERKSBENTLEY is our new Ambassador! We are SO EXCITED!!!! Welcome to the family Dierks! #guitar http://ow.ly/i/lmFN

DierksBentley: @MartinGuitar really honored. looking forward to playing my D28 tonight in Boise! thank you guys

MartinGuitar: @dierksbentley The honor's all ours - we've loved your music for a long time, & are so excited about the future! Have a great time tonight!

Dierks with his "Martin" in Springfield, IL, 11/5/11

Martin Guitar also follow DB Congress on Twitter and has been very supportive in helping us promote Dierks!

In honor of our their new Ambassador, Martin Guitar put together a Mixtape Vol 2 - Country, on @Spotify! Click here to listen! 

Since 1833, C. F. Martin & Co. has been a permanent part of the American experience: The oldest, most respected, most innovative guitar in American history.

~Ronna

DB Congress Chair

DB Congress President To Perform for the US President

Our DB Congress President--Dierks Bentley--will perform for the President of the United States of America on Monday, November 21, 2011.

"Country Music: In Performance at the White House" is a PBS music special in the East Room of the White House, hosted by President and Mrs. Obama. The evening celebrates Country music, whose roots run deep throughout American history. Taping on November 21, this concert honors the rich history and resilience of this uniquely American musical form. Leading contemporary Country artists pay tribute to many of Country’s iconic figures, tracing the history of Country music through performed songs.
Among those performing Monday night: Lauren Alaina, The Band Perry, Dierks Bentley, Alison Krauss, Kris Kristofferson, Lyle Lovett, Mickey, Darius Rucker and James Taylor.

Some of the performers also will take part in an afternoon workshop at the White House for 120 local students about the history of country music and its cultural significance.

The 2 p.m. EST workshop and the 7 p.m. EST concert will stream live on www.whitehouse.gov/live.

The concert also will be broadcast by PBS on Nov. 23 at 8 PM ET.

Be sure to tune in!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.

Source

Home: Chart and Album News!

In its 6th week on the charts, Dierks Bentley's "Home" moved to #23 on both the Billboard and Mediabase charts. The big win, however, was on the listener feedback charts. On the Callout America chart, "Home" rocketed up SEVEN spots to #14 with just a mere .7% of listeners saying they "strongly dislike" the song (what can I say? Haters are gonna hate). On the RadioFeedback chart, it moved another 3 spots to #13, between two of the strongest songs on the charts right now: Zac Brown Band's "Keep Me in Mind" and Eric Church's "Drink in My Hand."

Unfortunately, even though it's still growing healthily and gaining somewhat on Brad Paisley's "Camouflage," "Home" is likely to spend another week at #23 - nothing has or will fall out of the Top 10 to go recurrent, and all of the songs ahead of it are moving up as well. I expect upward movement will continue next week, however, and Top 20 is likely for week 8. Don't forget to buy your copy now on iTunes! :)

And the news we've all been waiting for was released this evening: the studio album "Home" has a release date! Mark your calendars for February 7, 2012! Isn't that cover fabulous?!


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

Top 10 Finalists Announced for Map of Home Contest

Dierks Bentley has chosen the ten finalists of his Map of Home contest.  The Grand Prize winner will be announced tomorrow (11/3).  Who will spend a day on the road with DB?  Which one is your favorite?

Congratulations to tracy for being our last weekly winner for Dierks' Map of Home Contest. The 10 finalists have been chosen. Five of these candidates are our weekly winners and the other five are the entries which have received the most "likes" since the beginning of the contest. Dierks will choose the grand prize winner, who will accompany him for a day on the road. That winner will be announced tomorrow.


Congratulations to these 10 finalists! You can click the title of their entry to view it.

msaddie1987 No Matter Where Life Takes Me, Wilkes is My Home :)

bockbutt10 Where I Come From

HannahR121 Home is Where the Rump Rests

simpsoja698 Home is Where You Hang Your Poopy Suit

tracy** Sand Road my home place

bobbieg12 Beautiful World

joeyssong Joey's Song

leahluvsdierks This Place is a Country Song Waiting to Happen

Devinerik Drawn to Home

randyalan99 My One Light Town Called Saegertown

** - tracy is this week's winner.

Stay tuned for the announcement of the grand prize winner, tomorrow!

Dierks Bentley Takes Tour International

Dierks will be taking the Country & Cold Cans Tour into 2012 with international dates that will kick off in Vancouver, BC on February 15th. Following the initial Canadian stretch of the tour, Dierks will head to Australia for five headlining shows with local country star, Lee Kernaghan.

“You can find hard core country music fans all over the world, and I love being able to tour other countries and bond over that music we all love,” said Dierks. “The Fall leg of the Country & Cold Cans Tour has been crazy and really exceeded all my expectations. I'm looking forward to taking it to Canada and Australia in 2012…they do make Labatt and Fosters in a can, right?!"

In response to Dierks' sold out shows in New York City, the New York Times exclaimed, "Mr. Bentley was master of the party, the musical equivalent of buying a round for everyone in the bar."

International Country & Cold Cans 2012 Tour Dates:

2/15 Vancouver, BC

2/16 Kamloops, BC

2/17 Prince George, BC

2/18 Dawson Creek, BC

2/19 Edmonton, AB

2/21 Calgary, AB

2/22 Saskatoon, SK

2/23 Winnipeg, MB

3/9 Toowoomba, QLD

3/10 Brisbane, QLD

3/13 Melbourne, VIC

3/15 Canberra, ACT

3/17 Hunter Valley, NSW

CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL TOUR DATES

Halloween with the Bentley's

 

Most kids look forward to Halloween because of all the free candy.  Dierks looked forward to it because of.... explosives? In an article on GACTV.com, DB discusses his past Halloween tradition of blowing things up and what he plans to do this year:

For Dierks Bentley, Halloween was another holiday he could use as an excuse to get his hands on explosives.  

"When I was a kid, I was all into fireworks," Dierks said.  "Growing up in Arizona, we couldn't get 'em so we'd have 'em shipped in illegally.  I still remember the name of the guy we'd call.  His name was Joe, and he's bring in, ship 'em in a package with no writing on 'em.  We were all about M-80s in the mailboxes and bottle rocket wars.  To me, as a kid, Halloween was fireworks, was blowing up stuff around home."

Halloween is a little tamer for Dierks these days.  As the father of two young girls, Dierks is letting his older daughter, Evie, call the Halloween shots, including what Mom and Dad are going to dress up as.

"Evie's got her Halloween costume picked out," he said.  "She's decided what everyone's gonna be this year in our family.  So, she's gonna be The Little Mermaid, and her younger sister's gonna be a crab.  I think his name is Sebastian.  I don't know The Little Mermaid that well, but she's decided Jordan's gonna be the crab.  And she wants me to be Swiper, who's a character from a TV show called Dora, The Explorer.  I think she has Cassie going as Dora."

It sounds like Halloween will be a family affair... even Jake and George were getting in on the costume action!  Here's some pictures that Dierks tweeted earlier this week:

We can only hope that we get a pic of Dierks as Swiper...  I think we'd all laugh. A lot. haha!   

Happy Halloween!!

~Amy 

DBC Rep

Delaware

Bentley's Map of Home Contest Ends November 1

Evenin', DB Congress!  Want one last chance to spend a day on the road with our president, Dierks Bentley?  You still have one more day to submit your "Home" story on dierks.com!

According to his facebook page, "Next Tuesday (November 1) will be the final day to pin and "like" entries. Our five weekly winners as well as the five entries with the most "likes" will be announced next Wednesday. Dierks will choose the grand prize winner from those ten entries and announce the winner of the "Day on the Road with Dierks" on Thursday (November 3). Good luck and stay tuned!"

Music City Network's, Evan Willhite blogged about building Dierks Bentley's Map of Home with a program called "Drupal."

"When one of our clients, Dierks Bentley, met with us about promoting his new single, “Home”, we were inspired to create something meaningful, something that dutifully captured the heartfelt message in his song - we all have a place to call home. It was Craig Dunn, our VP of client services, who came up with the idea that was to become Dierks Bentley’s Map of Home.

As soon as we met to discuss the idea, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy from a functional standpoint, but I was sold on the concept. The idea was that fans would be able to log in and add their own stories of “home” using text, images and/or videos. The stories would then become pins on a large interactive map where anyone could search through others’ stories by clicking on a pin for more info. I loved the vision but faced the challenge of how to build it...With Drupal's help, some fine-tuning of the functionality and an excellent design from Bryan Kemp, we created Dierks Bentley’s Map of Home."

Pretty ingendious, dudes!

I have been so impressed with so many of the entries.  You all are so creative with the video slide shows, but some of the photos and story-telling are just as inspiring!  It has always been my dream (as I'm sure has been many of yours) to spend a day on the road with DB!  Best of luck to all of you!

~Ronna Clark
DB Congress Chair
Florida

Dierks DVR Alert: "Reflections From The Circle" - Nov. 20th

Dierks Bentley will be a featured artist on a new show, "Reflections From The Circle," premiering on RFD-TV on Sunday nights at 7 pm Eastern.  Tonight (November 6) the first episode will feature Vince Gill.  Dierks, who is scheduled for November 20 (his birthday!), and other artists such as Trace Adkins, Charlie Daniels, Kellie Pickler and Josh Turner will be reflecting on their personal lives and careers during interviews from the famed "circle" of wood on the stage of The Grand Ole Opry.  WSM's award winning personality, Eddie Stubbs will conduct the interviews.

Dierks is seen "kissing" the circle here

For more information, click here.  To find out what channel RFD-TV airs in your area, click here.

"Home" Breaks Top 30!

 

In just its 4th week on the charts, the title track and second single from Dierks Bentley's forthcoming album "Home" has cracked the top 30, moving up 5 spots on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart to #30. On the Mediabase chart, "Home" moved up 7 spots and just missed the top 30, coming in at #31. (Unfortunately, that means one more week until "Home" will show up on RateTheMusic and Nashville Country Club's RadioFeedback surveys, and on many weekend countdown shows.)

"Home" made its debut on Callout America this week, as well, coming in at a fairly impressive #25, with only 1% of 450 responses saying they "strongly dislike" the song (4.5 people). Interestingly enough (and frustratingly enough), the song that passed "Home" on the charts this week - Brad Paisley's "Camouflage" - debuted at #35, with 12.1% of its responses at "strongly dislike" (54 people). "Home" was the highest debut on the Callout America chart this week. 

In other "Home"-related news, Capitol Nashville announced yesterday that they will be offering two radio shows for Veteran's Day over the weekends of November 4-6 and November 11-13. Both shows will be hosted by our Prez. Home - Honoring Our Nation's Veterans will include patriotic music as well as a special version of "Home." Believing in Heroes is a public affairs program focusing on the Wounded Warrior Project, which, you'll remember, our Prez has partnered with for some dates on the current Country & Cold Cans Tour. Stay tuned to your local radio stations and let us know if you hear either of these shows being played! 

Make sure you're requesting "Home" daily, whether it's by phone, email, Facebook, Twitter, or text! Let's keep on moving the song up, up, up the charts to its #1 "home." 

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

A Huge Success for Miles & Music for Kids in Nashville!

The DB Congress was in session at this year's Miles and Music for Kids event in Nashville, TN.  A group of representatives hailing from Alabama, Delaware, North Carolina, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, New York, and California got together to sign nearly 170 get well cards for patients at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital!  Each card included a guitar pick provided by DB's camp (thanks, Chris!).  "Officially" meeting fellow DB Congress members and doing something kind for a great cause was a fantastic experience, and I hope we can continue the tradition year after year!

On the day of the event itself, bikers lined up, filling the entire driveway and parking lot of Harley Davidson of Columbia. Music, food, and mingling was on the agenda as Dierks and the other artists did press interviews inside the dealership.  Performers Charles Kelley, Kevin Fowler, and Craig Campbell, along with Bucky Covington, were in attendance.  NashvilleCountryClub.com  posted their interview with Dierks which happened to star some familiar DB Congress faces!  Watch for Janet, David, Jane, and myself in the background!

Here's the view from the other side of the camera  :-)

Dierks led hundreds (maybe thousands?) of bikes in a parade from Columbia, through Tenessee country, and down the interstate (closing I65!) to an end at Riverfront Park in downtown Nashville.  The venue was packed with an impressive number of people awaiting the beginning of the concert.  

The show's MC was CMT's Cody Alan and  included performances by Sarah Silva, Craig Campbell, Kevin Fowler, Josh Thompson, Colt Ford, Eli Young Band, and of course, Mr. Dierks Bentley.  Charles Kelley, of Lady A, joined Dierks for How Am I Doin' and took the lead vocals on Long Trip Alone.  A variety of styles like the acoustic performance from EYB and a loud, energetic one from Colt Ford offered something for everyone's taste.  

MM4K was able to raise $204,938 for Vanderbilt Children's Hospital!!  Thank you to everyone who participated! 

It was great to meet and hang out with everyone who was there this year, and I hope to meet more of the DBC in the years to come! 

 

~Amy S 

DBC rep, Delaware

Dierks Bentley's "Home" Video Up For Vote on GACTV and CMT!

Vote now!

GAC

CMT

DBTV - Episode 38: Country & Cold Cans Tour Kick-Off

Dierks Bentley, Jerrod Niemann and Eli Young Band go together like Country and Cold Cans, don't they? 

"Jerrod is a great singer, great guy, really funny dude. and we're having a total blast on this tour I can't think of a better combination than all three of us on the road together.  It's getting off to a great start!"

Mike Eli says EYB  has wanted to go on tour with Dierks for a long time. 

This song is definitely rockin'!

Gotta have some cold beer with my country music
Gotta have some cold beer with my country music
Gotta have my baby rocking with me to it
Guitar six strings shot glass whiskey
Some thing just go hand in hand
For guys like me that's country
Country and cold cans

Some things go hand and hand don't they brother?

Be sure to look for Dierks' wife Cassidy and baby Jordan in the video!

"Home" Moves Up on Charts

"This song is really well written in that it's well crafted and has a patriotic theme that doesn't get in your face. Great song."
-Greg Cole WKCQ - Saginaw

In the week before its official add date, Dierks Bentley's latest single "Home" had another strong week at radio. The patriotic song was the third-most-added song of both the Billboard (15 adds) and Mediabase/Aircheck (29 adds) reporting stations. In its 2nd week on the Billboard chart, "Home" jumped 12 spots to #41 (edging the new one from Brad Paisley by a mere 1,000 audience impressions!). On the Mediabase/Aircheck chart, "Home" debuted at a very strong #46. The song continues to perform well on the small-market stations as well, moving to #31 on Billboard's Indicator chart, and #36 on the Mediabase/Aircheck chart. 

This past Monday, October 10th was the official add date for "Home." Now is the perfect time to start reaching out to your local stations and requesting the song (that is, if you haven't already). "Home" is definitely going to move into the Top 40 next week, which will be a great catalyst for even more stations to add it. And if tonight on Yes.com is any indication, the song is really starting to pick up!

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

Dierks Bentley - Miles, Music, Kids & New Lyrics?



Photo Credit Larry Darling

 

Photo Credit Larry Darling



Dierks Bentley raised over $144,000 for Chicago’s Children’s Memorial Hospital Sunday.  This was Bentley's first "Miles and Music For Kids" event in The Windy City, but all total he's raised over $1.7 million over the last six years in seven cities through the motorcycle ride/concert.

The motorcycle ride started from Fox River Harley-Davidson in St. Charles, Il, and ended with a full concert at Joe's Bar.  Opening for Dierks were Eli Young Band and Jerrod Niemann.

Not only did Bentley bike it to Joe's, he also wrote a third verse on the spot to his latest number one single, "Am I The Only One?" that included the famous bar in the lyrics.  Watch and listen (video by Stacy):



Several DB Congress Reps supported our prez in this worthy fund raiser, including Stacy Baker from Michigan.

"The doors to The event opened at 1:00. They had a whole city blocked roped off. A building had been knocked down where the stage was set up so there was a lot of room for the "sold out" crowd. The music began right at 2. It started with Tyler Reeve who played a great set. Followed by the CMT star winner Matt Mason.

Then Eli Young Band came on. Dierks came on during their rendition of Lynard Skynards "Gimme Three Steps."  It got everyone really excited. Then Jerrod Niemann played.



Photo Credit Larry Darling

After Jerrod there was a long break where they had a girl who had been treated at Children's Memorial Hospital talk. A $5,000 check was donated from The insurance company sponsors. The they auctioned off a special guitar made for the event. It was autographed by all the artists. They were encouraging Chicago to beat the previous auction in Ohio which was $10,000. At the end of the auction it sold for $10,500 dollars.
Then Dierks came on and as always the crowd went nuts. He started with his new beer and country music song ["Country And Cold Cans"]. He talked about the most amazing moment of the day: They were on the ride on a back road and were coming to the top of a hill and as they reached the top the while Chicago skyline stretched before them and one of the people he was riding with had a radio and at that moment Chicago's Country 99 station was playing AITOO.  He said it was incredible. And because of that he decided to write a third verse for AITOO on the spot (see video above). He messed up the first time and joked about it then went on to sing about the girl talking about commitment and him going to Joe's bar.

When Dierks came on everyone seemed to forget they had been standing on uneven rocks for the past five hours and just were entranced by Dierks. It almost felt magical as the 80 degree day cooled off and the sun was setting during "Trying To Stop Your Leaving."



Photo Credit Larry Darling





Photo Credit Larry Darling




Photo Credit Larry Darling




Photo Credit Larry Darling



Photo Credit Larry Darling




Photo Credit Larry Darling

Then I had to leave early as we had an hour trip back to our truck and a 5 1/2 hour ride home for work this morning. It was so worth it though, as any trip to see Dierks is. Bill and I counted that this past year we had seen Dierks perform 6 times and met him 3 times. It was a Dierks-filled year. I can only hope this next year is just as lucky!"

Fans won't have to wait to long for the next MM4K.  It's this coming Sunday, October 16 in Nashville, Tennessee, marking the inaugural city's 6th annual event!  Several dozen DB Congress Reps will gather at Joe's Crab Shack downtown Saturday night to sign get well cards for the kids at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital!

For more information, email KY rep David at david.m915@googlemail.com.

In Memoriam: DB Congress Rep Cindy From PA Passes Away

Exactly four years and a day before her death, Cindy Wipprecht was writing about Dierks Bentley in an email to me.  I had just finished a scrap book of the DB Congress members at the time (hand-crafted, not digital, so please forgive the blurry photo), and a fellow fan-clubber had delivered it to him during a M&G for me.  Cindy was so proud to be a part of it:

Dear Ronna,
This was just a wonderful idea you came up with! I really enjoyed looking at the scrapbook and all the great things you put into it. You must have spent a long time putting it together. It made me feel very special to be a part of it and to have my picture displayed in it.  I'll bet D was so touched when he received the scrapbook. Wish I could have seen his face when he got it. Bet you do too! Well, I can't say enough good things about this project. You sure have a gift for great ideas and thanks for sharing them with us all.

God Bless,
Cindy from PA
Founder of DDD Apothecary

Don't ask me how I kept this email for four years, but I remembered it when her brother emailed me to tell me about her passing and asked if I could pass along a note to Dierks himself, which I did forward to his team.  I told him it is always sad when we lose a member of the DB Congress family, and I was so moved by her kind words to me.  I wish I had met her in person.

Here is Cindy's obituary.  Notice Dierks is mentioned:

Cynthia E. (Hogg) Wipprecht, 52, of Willow Street, passed away at the Hospice of Lancaster County on Thursday, October 6, 2011 after a heroic effort in her fight against cancer. Born October 18, 1958 in Lancaster, she was the daughter of the late Robert Winfield Hogg and Betty Jane (Oberdorff) Johnson, of Lancaster. She will be lovingly missed by her daughter: Jessica R., wife of Robby Crosby of Terre Hill, her son: Christopher C. Wipprecht of Maryland; her brothers: Robert and Dennis Hogg; and the father of her children: Bruce Wipprecht.  Cindy attended New Providence Mennonite Church. She loved visiting the beach, especially Dewey Beach in Delaware, and camping with her family and friends. She was an avid animal lover and music enthusiast, especially for Dierks Bentley.

Memorial services are scheduled for 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, October 12, 2011  at the Gundel Funeral Home, 3225 Main St., Conestoga.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Hospice of Lancaster County, P.O. Box 4125, 685 Good Dr., Lancaster, PA 17604-4125.

If you would like to send a message of condolence, please visit gundelfuneralhome.com.

God bless you, Cindy!
RIP 10-06-11

~Ronna
DBC Chair
Florida

Dierks Bentley Congress Rep of the Week: Megan Tuttle, Ohio

You may have seen Ohio DBC Rep, Megan and her sister Lindsay on our home page rotating photo.  Megan shares her Dierkstory below:

"Hello my name is Megan Tuttle and I live in Northeastern Ohio. I am 23 years old and I have loved Dierks Bentley since he came out with his first single, "What Was I Thinkin'."  It's still one of my favorite songs of his, and that's my favorite part of Dierks' concerts when he sings that song last!

I became a Dierks Bentley super-fan when he came golfing at the private country club where I work. He was doing a show in town that night (September 5, 2010). Of course, I was off that day, but I heard he was there so I hurried up and put on my work uniform and went and waited for him. I waited for about an hour and a half, then he came around in his golf cart and I yelled, "Dierks, can we get a few pictures?" He immediately pulled his cart over and walked right up to us! I was so excited! He took a few pictures with us, gave us his autograph, then he ate a Cheeseburger and drank a diet coke. He hung out there for about 15 minutes talking to us.

Then he said, "Maybe I should give you guys a shout out at the show tonight." (He gave tickets to any who worked there, so my manager made a list of names who wanted tickets and he took that list to will call.  What a nice guy!) But I already had tickets so I didn't need to be on that list.

About half way through his set that night at the Canfield Fair and right before "Settle for a Slowdown," Dierks says, "This one is for all my Tippy Girls out there." I was so excited, I couldn't believe he remembered us!

As soon as the Dierks Bentley live Ustream came on in February 2011, I was addicted!  It was so cool to watch him online in the studio recording for his next album.  That's all I did for a week straight! WOLF PACK!

After that show I saw what a nice, genuine guy he was, and I knew I had to go to another one of his concerts as sooon as possible! So my sister Lindsay, who goes to all the concerts with me, and I got tickets for the Pittsburgh, PA show for March 20th. We also both won a meet and greet! 

It was so much fun in the meet and greet.  We took the photograph, he signed something, then he talked to all of us for a few minutes.  Also, during the concert, we were in the second row and Dierks pointed to us and said, "We got some wolf packers here tonight!"
Dierks is such a great live performer he has so much energy up on the stage! And every concert is just as fun as the one before! After that we got tickets for the May 5th show in Akron,Ohio. Lindsay and I did not win a meet and greet but we still had a blast! We made signs and Dierks pointed at us and read them out loud...so cool!

After Akron came the Dierks Bentley LAST CALL BALL7 (annual fan club party)! We traveled to Nashville nine hours to go to it!  This was my favorite Dierks show ever! We got there a few hours early to wait in line.  While we were waiting, Ryan "Camera Guy" came up and talked to us! Also Dierks' truck "Big White" was parked right in front of the venue.  Lindsay and I took pictures by it and left him a note under his windshield wiper.

The show started and Dierks played about a 10-song set. After the show we had to wait our turn for a meet and greet with him. While we waited, Camera Guy (Ryan) came up to us again and interviewed us for a DBTV Episode! Lindsay and I appeared in the DBTV Episode 21! Also Dierks' dog Jake was there and we got to pet him and take pictures!

Finally around 2am, it was our turn for the Meet and Greet! I walked up and Dierks and I took a "howling" picture for the Wolf Pack! He also signed my wolf pack shirt! It was one of the best days of my life!

The next concert we went to after LCB7 was in Chambersburg, PA on July 15th. We had to travel 5 hours to get there. As always it was a great show but after the show was the best part! We waited by Dierks' bus and Tim and Cassady came out to say hi! We told them to bring Camera Guy out and they did! Ryan came out, gave both me and Lindsay a hug and hung out with us for a while! It was so much fun.  Dierks, his band mates, and Camera Guy are a blast!

November 3rd is my next Dierks Bentley concert in Kent,Ohio! I cannot wait to make more memories with Dierks!"

Megan Tuttle
DBC Rep, Ohio

Thanks for sharing your story, Megan!

Would you like to be a feature DBC Rep of the week?  Just email me at Ronna@dbcongress.com with your story, what DB's music means to you, and a few photos!

~Ronna Clark
DB Congress Chair
Florida