Happy Father's Day, Dierks!

On this Father's Day, let's take a look at Dierks Bentley's perspective from both spectrums - having a dad and being a dad.

The Riser album oozes images of having a dad and being a dad.  In "I Hold On," Dierks references his dad throughout the song.

Dierks shared some funny memories about his dad Leon who died June 2012, with Y108 in Pittsburgh. Remember the "old beat up truck" that Dierks and his dad drove to Tennessee?  Dierks "holds on" to that truck as the song says, because of all the special memories he and his dad created in that truck.  And to come full circle, now Dierks has three of his own kids riding in the back of the 200k mile truck making new memories.  No amount of "jangle in his pocket" could make him trade up.

In his live show, when Dierks performs "Home," (from the Home album) it is one of the more moving moments of the night.  Especially when he inserts his dad into the lyrics and points to him on the big screen.  "Think.  Wonder what he'd think.  If my dad could see me now".  He'd be proud, Dierks!

Photo credit: Carrie Srebro, Tampa, FL, 9/20/13

In "Damn These Dreams," Dierks is torn between his two true loves - family and performing on the road.

"It was all fun and games 'til the little ones came/ 'Cause it makes my hear bleed/ When I gotta drive away and listen to 'em say/ Hey daddy, why you gotta go, please don't leave."

Being on the road a lot and being a dad to three kids of his own, Evie-5, Jordan-3, and Knox 9 months, it's easy to believe Dierks has never been alone with all three.  He told The Dr. Don Show about his fear:

“My wife was like, ‘Yeah, I might step out and go do something real quick. Are you cool?’ I was like, ‘With three? No, I’m not. Like, there’s just no . . . It’s physically impossible. It’s not safe. I mean, no, you can’t go anywhere.’ It definitely requires all hands on deck. I think back to the earlier days where I used to think I was tired, you know, and you go catch a nap in your bunk or something like that. It’s a whole different level of reserves these days you just dive into but you know kids and their lack of self-consciousness, they’re so fun to be around. They kind of provide energy in a weird way. Whatever they don’t, alcohol makes up for the rest.”

Perhaps the most poignant page in the book of Dierks having or being a dad is when he sings about the legacy of a family name in "My Last Name."  We leave you with a passionate acoustic performance from The Grand Ole Opry in tribute to his dad.

In Loving memory of Leon Bentley:





Happy Father's Day to you, Dierks and all the guys in your band and crew, and to all our DB Congress family!