Multi-Platinum singer/songwriter Dierks Bentley has landed at the No. one spot on both the Billboard Country Airplay and Mediabase radio charts this week with country music’s biggest summer hit “Drunk On A Plane.” It is the second consecutive No. one hit off his critically acclaimed album RISER on Capitol Records Nashville and the 12th of his career as both a singer and a songwriter.
“I think I knew even back when we were in the studio making this album that we were on to something special, but once you let it fly out into the world, you just never know what will happen,” said Bentley. “First, ‘I Hold On’ came out and really hit people in an emotional, personal way, and I was totally blown away by all the stories I heard and how impactful some of those lyrics were for a lot of people. And now, the reaction to ‘Drunk’ has just been crazy…two VERY different songs that the fans have taken and made their own. I’m just trying to live in every minute and soak it all in. In the few quiet minutes I’ve got, I spend a lot of time thinking about how grateful I am to be here doing this and how many people have supported me and my music. The guys in radio are first on that list…I’m beyond thankful for those relationships. 12 No. ones…crazy!”
Rolling Stone also recently included the track as one of the “10 Best Country Songs of 2014 So Far,” calling it the “best sing-along of summer.” And E! handpicked Bentley’s infectious track to represent country music on their “2014 Official Songs of Summer” list alongside hits by Beyonce, Sam Smith and Ariana Grande. Since takeoff, the track’s hilarious music video debuted on FUNNY OR DIE and went on to score the most votes for “funny” of any music video in the web site’s history.
After a summer of capacity crowds in amphitheaters across the country, Bentley will wrap the first leg of his headlining 2014 RISER TOUR in Nashville, TN with his ninth annual “Miles & Music for Kids” on Sept. 28. The tour has now officially been extended with an additional 20-plus dates through the end of the year. For ticket information and a full list of upcoming tour dates, please visit www.dierks.com.