Dierks Bentley Reveals How He Manifested His Pilot’s License and Opry Membership
“I put it out there…”
Dierks Bentley; Photo Provided
Dierks Bentley is a firm believer in manifestation, recently revealing how he made two of his biggest dreams come true.
During a conversation with Bobby Bones on The Bobbycast, Bentley shared how he manifested earning his pilot’s license and becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
First, Bentley recalled a pivotal moment early in his career when he flew home after a show with Kenny Cheney and Keith Urban on a small private plane.
“It’s me, Kenny, and Keith Urban way back in the day, and Kenny offers to fly me back home and I’m like, ‘yeah, I’d love to fly home with you…’ It’s the three of us in this little private plane. We landed back in Nashville and we pulled into a different airport, not the big airport, but a small little building,” he recalled. “I remember looking up and the building said ‘Signature,’ which is a fixed base operator for private jets…But I was like, this is so cool. We don’t go through the real airport. We’re going through this side thing. And I was like, ‘wow, I want that to be like, I want this. I want to travel this way. This is like 2004.”
He even made “Signature” his computer password as a daily reminder of the dream, despite the career struggles he faced in 2008 and 2009.
“So I made that my password on all my computers and devices. Signature with some other stuff behind it. Long story short, 2008, 2009, my career is totally going off a cliff. I went out there, tried to headline. I spent two years just getting my butt kicked, playing these arenas we’d already booked. I’m playing for like 2,500 people…and that went on for a while, but I’m still typing that thing in there every day.”
Bentley remembered that one day, during a gig with Halfway to Hazard, a plane flew overhead, and he soon learned it belonged to Tim McGraw, who was actually flying himself to his show.
“He came to the gig. We start talking about the plane. It’s this new plane called a Cirrus. It has a parachute built into the airframe. If there’s an accident, you pull the handle and the whole plane comes down under a canopy. He’s like, it’s the only plane that my wife, Faith, will let me fly in,” Bentley explained.
McGraw soon introduced Bentley to his instructor and before he knew it, Bentley was a licensed pilot.
“I started flying the next day to gigs because you could fly, if you’re going to play a gig in Indiana, even though it’s only a two hour drive, you’re still going to leave at midnight and the bus to get there. You lose a whole day of your kids, a whole night at home. Now I’m flying a straight line. This little propeller plane… got totally hooked into it. And I remember thinking, well, it’s never going to come true, the dream I had, but this is pretty cool. I’m getting more time at home.”
On day, flying into Chicago in his own small plane, Bentley had a moment of reflection: while sitting next to a professional pilot, he realized he had become one too, with the ‘Signature’ sign above him as a reminder.
“It hit me like, ‘wow. It did happen in a totally different way than I wanted it to,’ which is where the universe works. I put it out there,” Bentley pointed out. “I wanted to sit in the back of a jet that never worked out, but it came back to me in a way where I actually had to go get my pilot’s license and my instrument rating, and I’m actually sitting up left seat in the front of the plane.”
Bentley used the same manifestation approach for another lifelong dream: the Grand Ole Opry.
Pete Fisher was my password forever on my computer, and I did become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. The Opry was such a big part of my life, just that I could play the Opry stage, everything would happen. So I was typing Pete Fisher, who ran the Opry back then. I dunno, it might sound trivial talking about it, but these, these things have happened, but I’m like, I really believe the power of putting it out there, it will come back to you.”
Bentley made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry on April 18, 2003 and was officially welcomed as a member on October 21, 2005.
Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.
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