Dierks Bentley & The Band Loula Release Live Version Of Bluegrass Gospel Song “Get Down On Your Knees And Pray”

Dierks Bentley and The Band Loula couldn’t let their version of “Get Down On Your Knees And Pray” only exist in the memories (and phone videos) of those who attended the Broken Branches Tour.

The “Cold Beer Can” singer – and some very talented friends – embarked on a 30-stop tour back in June to celebrate and share his 11th studio album. Those “talented friends” joining Dierks just so happened to be duo known as The Band Loula, and the young country music star on a meteoric rise: Zach Top.

Oh, and the Hot Country Knights came along on the tour as well… they always seem to hang around Dierks Bentley and his band, don’t they?

Though the summer concerts were filled with a plethora of highlights, a special moment that was shared throughout the Broken Branches Tour was a beautiful, live Dierks Bentley and The Band Loula collaboration. Each night, the main act and supporting act came together to sing an old Bill Monroe-penned, bluegrass gospel track called “Get Down On Your Knees and Pray,” and every time they gave the song new life on stage, it stood out on the set list.

You can see what I mean in this clip that was shared by Bentley and The Band Loula:

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A post shared by Dierks Bentley (@dierksbentley)

In fact, they thought it was so good, and noticed that it got such a positive response from the crowd, that a powerful, live version was recorded and released.

So now, an unlikely branch of the Broken Branches Tour will live on forever as a live recording. Dierks Bentley admitted that he never really imagined having “Get Down On Your Knees and Pray” in his set, but now he’s more than happy that it’s finding a home as a live recording of his own:

“I first heard this song sung live by the Del McCoury Band. It’s an old Bill Monroe song that I’ve always loved, but I never would have thought it was something I’d add to my own set. However that was before I met The Band Loula!

We worked up a really cool, swampy arrangement of it that leans on their delta bluegrass-y sound. I’m so glad we were able to make this live recording and have something that lives on past this summer.”

As for The Band Loula, they were overjoyed to even be a part of the tour in the first place. Now, the roots-infused duo will have a piece of that tour that carries on long past the tour itself, and they couldn’t be happier:

“There aren’t enough words to describe our summer out with Dierks and Zach. We started the tour as newbies and left with an entire family of folks that we’ll cherish for the rest of our careers. As sad as we are to see it end, we’re grateful this collaboration with Dierks gets to endure beyond the tour.

Those who got to experience it live get a chance to hear it again, and those who couldn’t make it will get a taste of our spin on an old gospel bluegrass tune.”

Though the song and it’s lyrics are stellar by themselves, it was almost as if the track was waiting to be reinvented in the vison of Bentley and The Band Loula. They didn’t just put a spin on it… Dierks and The Band Loula put their fingerprints all over it. And fortunately, for those that didn’t get to hear on the Broken Branches Tour, we get a live version that we can fire up whenever the time feels right.

Check it out:

What might be the craziest thing about that version of “Get Down On Your Knees and Pray” is that it fits in quite well with the rest of the Broken Branches album.

As it turns out, when Dierks was putting together the album, he was looking to include themes of brokenness and faith. It was as if he was being guided from above when the puzzle pieces of Broken Branches started to come together and “Jesus Loves Me” was added to the track list, as he told us when he joined the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast earlier this year:

“When I heard the song… again I tried to find some sort of theme to wrap the album around. I found ‘Broken Branches.’ I didn’t write that song… (but) that really became the theme. So this Jesus, small town, broken branches (and) leaving and searching, that spiritual component was really important.”

So “Jesus Loves Me” was a natural fit to the album that is basically a love letter to those that have ever felt lost or broken themselves. “Get Down On Your Knees and Pray is certainly relatable in that department as well. And when we asked if it was intentional to include a song about Jesus in this album – or include any faith-based song in any of his work – Dierks Bentley answered with this:

“Absolutely. I wrote a song that didn’t make this record called ‘The Older I Get, The Longer I Pray.’ I think the older you get, the more gratitude you have for your blessings, and you recognize that every day is a gift. Getting some of that into the album, especially with this theme, was really important.”

You can hear more from Dierks Bentley on his faith and all things Broken Branches in the newest episode of Whiskey Riff Raff.

Download the podcast on Apple Podcasts by searching “Whiskey Riff Raff” or click here.

We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts.

Cheers, y’all.

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