Why Dierks Moved Back To Nashville After Briefly Trying To Escape, & Potentially Retire, In Colorado

Dierks Bentley almost moved to Colorado and hung it up?

The country music star joined the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast to talk about his new album Broken Branches, some of his favorite songs on the track list, the Hot Country Knights and adding humor to his music, being friends with Cross Canadian Ragweed frontman Cody Canada, being a dad, hangover cures, sports and more.

Dierks’ appreciation for the outdoors also came up a good amount, and in case you didn’t know, being outside more and a desire to be one with nature was one of the motivations for Bentley and his family to move out to Colorado in 2020. The timing of the COVID-19 lockdown also played a role in that, but all in all, Dierks Bentley felt peace being out west and in the mountains.

But at some point, Bentley and his family made the decision to move back to Tennessee. We asked him why they moved back to Nashville after briefly living in Colorado, and Dierks was able to explain the entire “why” of the decision to return to Music City told in only a matter of two words.

“My wife.”

Happy wife, happy life, am I right?

As it turns out, it seems as though it was a “happy family, happy life” decision. Bentley wanted to stay in Colorado, but he was outnumbered, and his wife insisted they get back to where they had put down their roots previously. And the “Gold” singer even told us that he briefly considered walking away from music altogether before he moved back to Nashville:

“She wanted to be back in Nashville. The girls, I think, missed it as well too. There’s some therapy involved there because I really did not want to. The last song I put out on an album going into COVID was ‘How I’m Going Out,’ and it really was like, ‘When it’s my time to step off the merry-go-round, (I will).’ And I was honestly kind of ready to step off.

I just love being in the mountains. I love being on my bike, or my skis, or anything just involving the outdoors. Fishing, hiking, camping… I was just ready for it. But I came back to Tennessee, and I have to say as usual, she’s right. My wife is right about a lot of things – most things.”

@whiskeyriff Happy wife, happy life. @dierksbentley // New episode of Whiskey Riff Raff—out now available on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube. #whiskeyriff #whiskeyriffraff #dierksbentley #countrymusic ♬ original sound – Whiskey Riff

For anyone out there that isn’t married yet, take note of those last two sentences right there. For those that are married… probably wouldn’t hurt to take a page out of the Dierks Bentley playbook and admit that wives are right about most everything.

The good news is that once Dierks Bentley got back to Tennessee, he discovered that he may have just needed a short change of scenery. Now, with his family planted firmly back in Nashville, he can’t think of anywhere else they’d rather be:

“You know, being back here in Tennessee, I have a newfound appreciation for it. I had been here for 30 years. I needed a break. But now that I’m here, Tennessee (is great) – and Nashville in particular is a great city. Where else are you going to go? It’s the most fun city in America.”

Selfishly as a fan, I’m glad that Dierks didn’t decide to step off the merry-go-round, as he put it. If he would have, we wouldn’t have gotten to listen to his new Broken Branches album, which I can’t recommend enough. We talked about the project in detail with Bentley, so make sure to 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.

Audio

Video

The post Why Dierks Moved Back To Nashville After Briefly Trying To Escape, & Potentially Retire, In Colorado first appeared on Whiskey Riff.