Bent on country: Dierks Bentley has history in Chattanooga

photo Dierks Bentley performs at ACM Presents: Tim McGraw's Superstar Summer Night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 8, 2013, in Las Vegas.

IF YOU GOWhat: Dierks BentleyWhen: 9:30 tonightWhere: Coca-Cola StageAdmission: Riverbend pin; $26 day passFAST FACTS• It's pronounced "dirks."• He has had 18 songs make the country singles charts.• Ten of those made it to No. 1: "What Was I Thinkin'," "Come a Little Closer," "Settle for a Slowdown," "Every Mile a Memory," "Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)," "Feel That Fire," "Sideways," "Am I the Only One," "Home," and "5-1-5-0."• Bentley graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1997.• Bentley has won two Country Music Television awards, one Academy of Country Music award and one Country Music Association award. He has been nominated for 17 other awards, including 10 Grammy awards.

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Dierks Bentley is no stranger to Chattanooga. Not only has he played here several times, he spent a long, cold February day in 2008 shooting a video for his song "Trying to Stop Your Leaving" in the area.

In fact, he spent the morning shooting scenes in and on the Ocoee River, then spent much of that night inside the Whiteside Tunnel on Missionary Ridge. The latter was coordinated with the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum and Operation Manager Steve Freer says it ended up being a very dramatic scene.

"They set up a generator in the other end of the tunnel and had these big production lights," he says. "It was colder than usual, so Dierks and the band were breathing steam and that tunnel, which was built before the Civil War in 1858, leaks.

"So, you had this dramatic lighting, the guys breathing steam and these droplets of water coming down."

Bentley headlines the Coca-Cola Stage tonight, and WUSY-FM 100.7 on-air personality Gator Harrison says he wants to hear a live version of Bentley's new single, "Bourbon in Kentucky."

"What's cool about this show is he just released his first single ... from his new album," Harrison says. "He has that growl in his voice, and it will be cool to hear that."

Harrison says Bentley loves Chattanooga and is planning to bring his wife and two daughters down to do some sightseeing during the day.

Contact staff writer Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6354.

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