Dierks Bentley On Another Level for Opening Night of the Mountain High Tour in Columbia, MD

Photo Credit: Mary Lou Greene 
Cassady Feasby, Ben Helson, Dierks Bentley, Steve Misamore, Dan Hochhalter, Tim Sergent,
Opening Night, Mountain High Tour, 5/18/18, Merriweather Post Pavillion

Dierks Bentley was nine songs into his opening night of the Mountain High Tour before he drew a breath. 

"I didn't get a chance to introduce myself....Hi, I'm Dierks Bentley, I'm your lead singer tonight and you guys are amazing.  You guys are so incredible I cannot believe ...just blows my mind you guys are all here, everywhere, alright! up top!"

The Merriweather Post Pavillion was a gorgeous setting, and the fans in Columbia, Maryland on Friday, May 18, 2018 didn't seem to mind the rain to have the chance at the Dierks Bentley Mountain High experience.

All six 'Team Dude' members managed four costume changes (and wigs) in record time from the VIP 'mountain-clad' acoustic set, to 15 minutes later opening for LANCO in overalls as "The Maryland Monroes," then the new set, and a psychedelic '70's-themed encore--complete with platform shoes, bell bottoms and oh, yeah, a pilot's uniform.

The VIP acoustic set started out with stripped down versions of 5-1-5-0, Up On the Ridge, Drunk On A Plane and new from The Mountain album, "You Can't Bring Me Down." Fantastic fiddle playing by Dan Hochhalter! At one point, someone in the crowd was face-timing and Dierks took the phone and introduced the band to them. Dierks on the mandolin was having a blast, then traded with Ben Helson for the guitar.  Thank God for the versatility of this skillful group of musicians! Check out the VIP acoustic videos on our DB Congress Facebook page!

It's 9:20 pm and the lights go dark.  The intro music starts..."Well I bet my soul on a six string gamble, and I climbed like hell through the brush and the bramble. Even though I had my doubts, told myself, don't look down, and I turned that hill into a pile of gravel.  It was only a mountain, nothing but a big ole rock.   Only a mountain,  it ain't hard if you don't stop.  It just took a little step, a right then a left then a couple million more, who's countin'?  Hell, it's only a mountain, Hell, it's only a mountain...then BAM! An explosion --90 seconds of electricity and elaborate new lighting (compliments of Chris Reade), and live electric guitars, drums, bass, and banjo. Dierks, Ben Helson, Cassady Feasby, Dan Hochhalter, Steve Misamore and Tim Sergent rocked 'The Mountain' hard, straight into the next song--I Hold On.

Transitions were tight--they never stopped playing. Ending each song on the same note the next one began--seamless.  Before Somewhere On A Beach, Dierks quipped, if you want to climb a mountain, you gotta start at the bottom, you gotta start at sea level before you reach that altitude. The wild drum sound of Woman, Amen was augmented with LANCO and Brothers Osborne drummers in addition to Bentley's own Steve Misamore and perfectly positioned Black as the chaser.

Burning Man brought Brothers Osborne to the stage again--a much anticipated number since the Brothers are featured on the album cut.  And many DB Congress reps heard it live first in Vegas in December 2017. Ben Helson and John Osborne killed it while Dierks,  jumped up and down excitedly:

Up On The

Ridge took a turn to Hillbilly Shoes (a nod to Montgomery Gentry), spotlighting the vocal talent of bass player, Cassady Feasby. "You think you know me, but you ain't seen nothin' yet.  Til you walk a while, a country mile in my hillbilly shoes, he belts out while Bentley harmonizes with background vocals:



During 5-1-5-0, LANCO lead Brandon Lancaster returned to duet with Dierks on the 90's throwback, "Sold" (Grundy County Auction).



So how did the tour name come about? Dierks tells us.

"Ah man, we've been off the road for a while...this is our first night of the Mountain High Tour.  I got a record coming out called The Mountain, so me and the guys we're responsible for the "Mountain" part of the name, Brothers Osborne are responsible for the "High" part of the Mountain High Tour.  Pretty good, right? We're just so relieved to be back on the road, this is where we love to be.  We had to take some time off to try to make the best record we could, but we missed you guys, miss being around you guys."

"It was a crazy year last year, it was a hard year for a lot of us in country music, in the country music community and a lot of difficult times out there that we all went through together.  I was meeting earlier tonight with a girl who was here with her family and its her first concert back since Route 91 and I want to recognize her and her family--thank you for coming out tonight and letting us be your first concert since then--really means  a lot to me and the guys that you guys came here."

"I know everybody here, you all have your own mountains you're climbing, your own personal battles, and I tell you the one thing I know is that country music fans have more perseverance and determination than any people I've ever met in my life and we're gonna send this song to all you risers out there tonight--this is for you guys, you are risers, there's nothing you can't do, nothing we can't get through together. Isn't that right?"

Am I The Only One? allowed the guys to all sit down for a minute (whew!) on the new stage with a U-shaped set of lighted steps, and Dierks introduced each of them, then strolled out to the B stage for Tip It On Back--a perfect fit for the fans on the lawn- and Say You Do, before heading back to the main stage for Living, Thinking and Sideways.

When darkness comes to town, I'm a lighter...the stage goes dark for a short time and then a 70's clad crew come back for the lively Drunk On A Plane encore and suddenly Dierks is maneuvered high up in the stage clouds for the Mardi Gras tune in a make-shift plane.

As if our clear eyes weren't even blinking, it was over, leaving us with a heart full of grateful for all Dierks and his crew gave us tonight, an uplifting evening, allowing us to feel that fire we've been missin', we were living!

Don't miss the Mountain High Tour tonight in Camden, NJ.  See all tour dates here.

Ronna Clark
DB Congress Chair

Dierks and Sheryl Hit The Streets of Nashville in Carpool Karaoke

For those of us who follow Dierks Bentley on social media, we knew it was coming.
For those who follow happenings in downtown Nashville, you knew even sooner than that.

Carpool Karaoke (Goes Country) edition, featuring Dierks Bentley and Sheryl Crow, finally aired this week, and it was worth the wait.

On July 31, Dierks dropped this teaser:

@carpoolkaraoke w/ @applemusic 🚘

A post shared by Dierks Bentley (@dierksbentley) on Jul 31, 2017 at 3:50pm PDT

With that bit of information in our pocket, a look back at an April 5 post from Legends Corner gave us a little more insight on what we could expect from this highly-anticipated episode:

#dierksbentley and #sherylcrow stopped in at this afternoon to sing a song. 🤠 You never know who will pop in and jump on stage at #legendscorner  #sherylcrow #dierksbentley #tennessee #honkytonk #countrymusic #nashville #tennessee #visitmusiccity #carpoolkaraoke

A post shared by Legends Corner (@legendscorner) on Apr 5, 2017 at 3:26pm PDT

The episode was available on iTunes and Apple Music as of Sept. 26. You can watch it here (though you will need an account to do so). It didn't disappoint.

For those who don't have an account (or who want to relive the magic), here's a brief recap!
*spoiler alert*

With Dierks in the driver's seat and Sheryl riding shotgun, the comfortable pair took a drive down music memory lane, singing personal hits such as "All I Wanna Do," "Picture," "What Was I Thinkin'," and "Drunk on a Plane." (Though it's questionable if Sheryl knew all of the words, she nailed the majority of the song!)

They even pull in a random musician strolling down the street to have him sing "If It Makes You Happy." Surprising the pair, he gets the chance to sing one of his own. They picked a winner. Dierks even replies, "If I had the button to turn my seat around right now, I would! You're great man!" As it turns out, the musician is David Oakleaf who was a top 5 finalist on CMT's Can You Duet? in 2008. According to his Instagram post, he's still on a Dierks and Sheryl high six months later.

After finding out pretty much no one knows how to spell either of their names, Cheryl and Derk decide to take the challenge of seeing how many gigs they can accomplish in their remaining 30 minutes. The only rules--pull over, run in, play something, run out.

With stops at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge and (a very familiar venue for Dierks) Legend's Corner, they successfully fit in four shows in 30 minutes (with an entertaining bonus fifth show in the last minute in a back alley!). Classic country was on the menu with songs such as "Good Hearted Woman" and "I Hear That Train A Comin.'"

For those who want to see behind the scenes, these lucky fans happened to be at Tootsie's and Legend's when the pair took the stage:



With prior duets at the 2014 ACMs and the 2013 ACM Fan Festival, a special Miles and Music for Kids in 2012, and even social media jokes last year, it's clear the two have a friendship filled with laughter and "some fun" performing together.

With Whiskey Row opening in the coming months in Nashville, my guess is DB Congress members will be taking to the streets in droves, looking for their chance of a drive by!


Jessica Borrelli
DB Congress Rep, WA
@AllTheWayToMe

Dierks Bentley and U2 Connection, Years in the Making

As die-hard, card-carrying members of DB Congress, we know what it's like to be super fans.

We listen to--and know--all the songs; we travel--sometimes around the world--to see him; we have the homemade t-shirts to prove it.

But what if you had Dierks Bentley's phone number in your cell? That's reaching dream status. Am I the only one?

Dierks knows that feeling. He, himself, is a card-carrying member of U2's fan club (literally--he carries the card in his wallet). AND he is in regular contact with frontman Bono.

A post shared by Dierks Bentley (@dierksbentley) on Sep 14, 2017 at 8:06pm PDT

Their history goes farther back, and is more intricate, than many realize. It all started with a "mutual interest in helping people out and trying to use our celebrity currency for good."

But a very public nod from Bono to Dierks this month drew the attention of country music (and U2) fans everywhere.

In a New Orleans concert on Sept. 14, U2 stunned the audience--and very clearly, Dierks Bentley--with a cover of "Drunk on a Plane" as an interlude in their hit "Beautiful Day."

trying to process... U2 breaking into drunk on a plane last night in New Orleans. Can't make this up. @u2 #drunkonaplane #beautifulday @onecampaign Thank you whoever posted this video. I need a drink... maybe several!

A post shared by Dierks Bentley (@dierksbentley) on Sep 15, 2017 at 4:31pm PDT

One could argue that is the ultimate compliment.

The feeling is mutual. In addition to publically noting U2 was the best concert Dierks has ever seen, for those of us who are familiar with Dierks' bluegrass album, Up on the Ridge, the song "Pride (In the Name of Love)" is actually a U2 cover.

Dierks even contacts Bono before every new album release, sending a song or two for Bono's feedback. A recent example is "Freedom" from the Black album.

"The third verse of the song was kind of inspired by something he said to me once," said Dierks. "He said when people in other countries see the American flag, they don't just see a geographical location, they see an idea of freedom. And they want a piece of that idea. So I sent him the song, and he sent me a pretty thoughtful email back. ... He couldn't be more supportive. It was pretty cool to get that email."

It's not just professional feedback between the two artists. When Dierks' dad passed away in 2012, Bono reached out with a letter of condolence. The words that stuck out most to Dierks were, "I don't know how close or far away you were, but it's just a stinker." That message held a lot of meaning in a very difficult time.

Just two months before, Bono--a lover of country music himself--had the privilege of introducing Dierks at the ACM Awards.



"Dierks Bentley's music reaches all the way from Nashville into my kitchen in Dublin."

As DB Congress representatives globally, we would have to agree, Bono.

Now the only question that remains: Has Bono joined our ranks a DB Congress member?
If not, sounds like he has honorary member status already established.
Now, to get him a card ...



Jessica Borrelli
DB Congress Rep, WA
@AllTheWayToMe

Dierks Bentley Flies High With Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority

There's no doubt some 737s are rocking like a G6 in Nashville this week!

Dierks Bentley has been selected to join the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority Board of Commissioners as Industry/Commerce/Finance representative. This is a volunteer position.

“As a widely-acclaimed country music artist, he brings unique experience and expertise regarding the entertainment industry, tourism and business. And he's a licensed pilot as well," said Rob Wigington, MNAA president and CEO.

With award-winning hit song, Drunk on a Plane, this appointment might sound humorously ironic, but when listening to the words, “Buyin’ drinks for everybody but the pilot …” it’s clear he’s responsible in the cockpit.

“I love Nashville and I love aviation,” he said in a recent interview about this appointment. “There are many big changes happening in our city right now as it continues to grow so rapidly. I am very excited to get a chance to be involved in facilitating and managing that growth as it pertains to our airports and aviation services.”

Dierks will help manage the $1.2 billion capital investment in the MNAA facilities “while working to make [the] airport a true international hub for commerce and tourism.”

Being a pilot is as much as part of Dierks’ life as is country music.

In a recent iHeart podcast with Bobby Bones, Dierks defines becoming a pilot as a manifestation over the years, the fulfillment of a dream that began when he was 19.

“I want to be the pilot, not a passenger,” he says.

If the band is on tour, they all fly with Dierks in the pilot seat. This has saved precious time the band treasures with their families.

“When we walk on stage, [the band is] in a great mood," he says. "Their families are happy; their wives are in good spirits; and they got to be with their kids that morning. When we get onto the stage, it makes for a better show for us, for our fans. … At this point in my career, they go hand-in-hand.”

As a Nashville resident and frequent flyer in the area, Dierks will bring a unique voice to the table, all with the focus of keeping families in the forefront. This perspective will no doubt bring high-impact opportunities to the MNAA.

Photos from @DierksBentley Facebook page.

Jessica Borrelli
DB Congress Rep, WA
@AllTheWayToMe

Young Fan Gets Priceless Birthday Gift from Dierks Bentley

 

One of our youngest DB Congress members, 8-year-old Derek Verst, got the best birthday gift ever last weekend in Indy! 

 

Mom Gina told us, "Derek is one of my triplets and it was his belated birthday present to go to the Dierks Bentley concert, including VIP."

 

Last September in Cincinnati, Dierks pulled Derek on stage during Drunk On A Plane.  So his goal for the VIP experience this time in Indy was to get Dierks to sign a photo he had brought from last year's experience.

 

But, boy did he get so much more! Gina tells us the story:

 

"The Indy VIP show was already extra special in and of itself because Dierks' girls, Evie and Jordan, each joined him on stage to sing songs.  But, then while prepping to do D.O.A.P. during the VIP show, Derek held out the photo and Dierks willingly autographed it.  He then asked Derek if he remembered the words.  Derek confidently replied, "Yes!" (he later asked me how he could not know the words to his FAVORITE song?!?)  Dierks helped him up on the stage and adjusted the mic Ben Helson had been singing on.  Derek nailed every last word!

 

Derek was still floating on cloud 9 from the VIP experience and I think his night would have been made with that.

 

But, he stood in the pit at the rail near our seats, singing and dancing along the entire night.  His face when the plane emerged for D.O.A.P. was PRICELESS! 

 

A group of people who were in the VIP event came over and asked if they could try to get Derek on stage and I said, "Sure!"  While Dierks was singing D.O.A.P., a man lifted Derek up and a large group of people started pointing and motioning towards Derek.  Dierks came over and grabbed his "co-pilot."  He placed Derek in the cock-pit of the plane and Derek got the best view in the house to watch the remainder of the finale.

 

 

 

After the show, Dierks tweeted a shout-out to his "co-pilot" with the picture."

 

 

 

Truly an unforgettable night!

Special thanks to Suzanne Jarvis for the videos and Kathy Butler for the photos.

 

27 Dierks Bentley Memories of 2015

Dierks Bentley and his fans have a lot to celebrate looking back on 2015!  We remember 27 (as in '27 days I've been out on the road'... from Heart Of A Lonely Girl, Dierks' "Home" album) special memories and accomplishments throughout the year by Country's Hottest Guy, according to People.  Let us know if we missed any!

1. On Super Bowl Sunday, Bentley’s performance from the official NFL Tailgate was televised as part of NBC’s pre-game show in his home town of Phoenix, AZ.
   
   
2. Bentley Announces 2015 Sounds Of Summer Tour With a Polar Plunge Boot Camp for his tour mates - Kip Moore, Maddie and Tae, and Canaan Smith.
   
   
3. Dierks Bentley Nominated for Lucky 7 Academy of Country Music Awards! Wins Video of the Year for Drunk On A Plane (27 million views on YouTube).  DOAP catapults our prez to a career-high, replacing "What Was I Thinkin'" as the last song in the set list each night.
   
   
   
   
4. ACM Awards Live performance of "Riser."
   
   
   
5. DBCongress.com turns 6! On February 1, 2009, our welcome post proclaimed our mission: to actively campaign to make and keep Dierks Bentley #1! That remains our daily Dierks duty today, now with 802 DBC representatives in all 50 states and 12 countries, 1,288 Facebook Likes and 5,300 Twitter followers!
   
   
6. Dierks launches the sexy ‪#‎SayYouDo‬ music video, featuring all his favorite things--flying, motorcycles, wine and the woods.
     
   
   
   
7. Feb 8: Dierks nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Album ("Riser")! Miranda Lambert takes the win for "Platinum."
   
   
8. Feb 27 - Hot Country Knights debuted - a little side project for Dierks and the guys playing as a 90's country cover band, starring DB's alter ego 'Big Rhythm Doug.'  One song in particular earned recognition from Shania Twain!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
9. May 4 - Say You Do becomes third consecutive multi-week #1 single (following I Hold On and Drunk On A Plane)--historic in that it is the first single Dierks had ever released that he did not write.  Country Weekly featured ‪#‎SayYouDo‬ as a story behind the song article --writers Shane McAnally, and Old Dominion members Matt Ramsey and Trevor Rosen.
   
   
10. Dierks Bentley Kicks Off "HOT" Sounds Of Summer Tour in Raleigh; DB Congress "Pyro Patrol" Fans The Flames.
     
11. June 29: "Riser"‬ was released as a single and went for radio adds!
    
    
12. Whoa! @DierksBentley is THE cover of People magazine and Country's Hottest Guy‬! Sort of.  He was the cover of a 32-page special country insert in the June 15 issue.
    
    
13. Dierks named a 2015 Nashville Power Player and lands on the cover of Billboard magazine!
    
    
    
    
14. Dierks kicks off Macy's 4th of July Spectacular:  "That flag represents the things that a lot of folks don't have...freedom first and foremost. There are so many folks around the world that see that flag and they just want a little piece, a little taste of that freedom that we have here, so to me it's the greatest country in the world."
    
    
15. Riser music video released in August.  The treatment, directed by Wes Edwards, features a homeless mom and her kids who rise above adversity with they help of Nashville-based, Safe Haven.
    
    
16. We posted exclusive DB Congress Interviews: Behind the Scenes with "The Mom" and "The Daughter" in Dierks Bentley's "Riser" Music Video.
    
    
    
    
    
17. Dierks Bentley Nominated for CMA Male Vocalist of the Year 2015.  Chris Stapleton had a clean sweep, taking Male Vocalist, New Artist and Album of the Year.
    
    
18. Dierks Bentley Celebrated a Decade as a Grand Ole Opry Member.
    
    
    
    
19. Date night for @DierksBentley and wife Cass lands him on stage with Taylor Swift.
    
    
    
    
    
    
20. Dierks Bentley Featured as "the singer" in Charles Kelley's "The Driver."  The song--sang as a trio with Charles, Dierks and Eric Paslay, was nominated for a Grammy--Best Country Duo/Group Performance. 
    
    
    
21. Dierks Bentley's 10th Annual Miles and Music For Kids: A Weekend of Caring Breaks All Records!  Raises $636,479 for Vanderbilt Children's Hospital--double last year's amount!
    
    
22. Last Call Ball 10 - presented with special commemorative "derby" from his congress!
    
    
    
    
23. Dierks was featured as a key note speaker and tells his aviation story at the #NBAA15 National Business Aviation Association Opening General Session https://amp.twimg.com/v/2ccc4254-8efc-4339-9716-1f62bf95ddb3 …"I fly to work and I work to fly."
    
    
24. Thank you @countryweekly for picking @DierksBentley to be the WordSearch! And "Congress" is a word!
    
    
    
    
25. Dierks Bentley and more honor Veterans ‪#‎StarsandStrings‬ benefit show in Chicago.
    
    
    
    
    
26. Celebrates his 40th birthday in "the woods" with Luke Bryan, and gets an "old" gift from his congress.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
27. Dierks announces his first live television hosting gig - The 2016 ACM Awards with Luke Bryan!
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Stay tuned for 2015 highlights from fan experiences in an upcoming blog.

Dierks Bentley Nominated for Lucky 7 Academy of Country Music Awards!

On the heels of five CMA Awards nominations in November, comes Dierks Bentley's lucky number seven nods for the Academy of Country Music Awards, airing it's 50th anniversary show live April 19, 2015 at 8 pm eastern on CBS from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Once again, he leads the male nominees with 7, only surpassed by female gal-pal, Miranda Lambert with 8 nominations. Bentley was also the most-nominated male artist at the Country Music Association's Awards in November.

"I like the number seven. It's my hockey number. It's my lucky number. This is my seventh album. It's always been my number, and it wraps this whole album up really well to have seven nominations. It's like it was meant to be, but it sure was unexpected. I'm just thrilled for sure. I've just got great people who believe in me, sometimes more than I believe in myself and really go to the wall to get my songs heard."

Not to mention he grabbed a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album (Riser)--his 12th Grammy nod, winners to be shown on the February 8 CBS broadcast at 8 pm.

While the five CMA nods garnered Dierks a win for Video of the Year, Drunk On A Plane, it was awarded off-air.

With seven ACM nominations this year, do we dare get our hopes up that he gets at least one win, and can we go one step further and cross all our fingers that he gets to give a speech live, on the show?  This has got to be his year, right congress?

Here's who he's up against:

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR [TIE]
Jason Aldean
Dierks Bentley
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton


ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
"Old Boots, New Dirt" – Jason Aldean
Producer: Michael Knox
Record Label: Broken Bow Records

"Pain Killer" – Little Big Town
Producer: Jay Joyce
Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville

"Platinum" – Miranda Lambert
Producers: Chuck Ainlay, Frank Liddell, Glenn Worf
Record Label: RCA Nashville

"Riser" – Dierks Bentley
Producers: Ross Copperman, Jaren Johnston
Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville

"The Outsiders" – Eric Church
Producer: Jay Joyce
Record Label: EMI Records Nashville


SINGLE RECORD OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
"American Kids" – Kenny Chesney
Producers: Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney
Record Label: Blue Chair Records/Columbia Nashville

"Automatic" – Miranda Lambert
Producers: Chuck Ainlay, Frank Liddell, Glenn Worf
Record Label: RCA Nashville

"Dirt" – Florida Georgia Line
Producer: Joey Moi
Record Label: Republic Nashville

"Drunk On A Plane" – Dierks Bentley
Producer: Ross Copperman
Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville

"I Don't Dance" – Lee Brice
Producer: Lee Brice
Record Label: Curb Records


SONG OF THE YEAR [TIE] [Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]
(Dierks is nominated for both Artist and Songwriter)
"American Kids" – Kenny Chesney
Songwriters: Rodney Clawson, Luke Laird, Shane McAnally
Publishers: Big Red Toe Music (BMI), Creative Nation Music (BMI), Farm Town Songs (BMI), Smack Ink (ASCAP), Songs Of Universal, Inc. (BMI), Twangin And Slangin Songs (BMI), Universal Music Corporation (ASCAP)

"Automatic" – Miranda Lambert
Songwriters: Nicolle Galyon, Natalie Hemby, Miranda Lambert
Publishers: EMI Blackwood Music, Inc. (BMI), Pink Dog Publishing (BMI), Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (BMI), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI), Wruckestrike (BMI)

"Drink A Beer" – Luke Bryan
Songwriters: Jim Beavers, Chris Stapleton
Publishers: House of Sea Gayle Music (ASCAP), Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (BMI), WB Music Corp. (ASCAP)

"Follow Your Arrow" – Kacey Musgraves
Songwriters: Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves
Publishers: 351 Music (BMI), Highway 508 Songs (ASCAP), House of Sea Gayle Music (ASCAP), Smack Ink (ASCAP), Universal Music Corporation (ASCAP), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI)

"Give Me Back My Hometown" – Eric Church
Songwriters: Eric Church, Luke Laird
Publishers: Creative Nation Music (BMI), Longer And Louder Music (BMI), Songs Of Universal, Inc. (BMI), Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (BMI), Twangin And Slangin Songs (BMI)

"I Hold On" – Dierks Bentley
Songwriters: Dierks Bentley, Brett James
Publishers: Atlas Holdings (ASCAP), Big White Tracks (ASCAP), External Combustion Music (ASCAP), Songs of Brett (ASCAP), WB Music Corp. (ASCAP)

VIDEO OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)] *(Off Camera Award)
"American Kids" – Kenny Chesney
Director: Shaun Silva
Producer: Don Lepore

"Cop Car" – Keith Urban
Director: John Urbano
Producer: Michelle Abnet

"Drunk On A Plane" – Dierks Bentley
Director: Wes Edwards
Producer: Clarke Gallivan

"I'm Not Gonna Miss You" – Glen Campbell
Director: James Keach
Producer: Julian Raymond

"Somethin' Bad" – Miranda Lambert Duet With Carrie Underwood
Director: Trey Fanjoy
Producer: Trent Hardville


VOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]*(Off Camera Award)
"Lonely Tonight" – Blake Shelton Featuring Ashley Monroe
Producer: Scott Hendricks
Record Label: Warner Bros. Records

"Meanwhile Back At Mama's" – Tim McGraw Featuring Faith Hill
Producers: Byron Gallimore, Tim McGraw
Record Label: Big Machine Records

"Somethin' Bad" – Miranda Lambert Duet With Carrie Underwood
Producers: Chuck Ainlay, Frank Liddell, Glenn Worf
Record Label: RCA Nashville

"The South" – The Cadillac Three Featuring Florida Georgia Line, Dierks Bentley & Mike Eli
Producers: Dann Huff, Justin Niebank
Record Label: Big Machine Records

"This Is How We Roll" – Florida Georgia Line Featuring Luke Bryan
Producer: Joey Moi
Record Label: Republic Nashville