Hot Country Knights, Dierks Bentley’s ’90s influenced band, has signed a worldwide recording contract with Universal Music Group Nashville. The news was announced Thursday (Jan. 2) in a press release in which the band promised to “to bring real ’90s country music back to a format that’s been drowning in male sensitivity, cashmere cardigan sweaters and programmed drum loops.”
The comedic group, which is fronted by Bentley‘s alter ego Douglas “Doug” Douglason, captured what they called the “greatest day” of their lives on camera. Watch them invade the UMG Nashville offices in the clip above.
Douglason said has big plans for Hot Country Knights in 2020.
“Some artists out there tried to put the ‘O’ back in country, that was a thing for a while…. but what it’s really missing is the ‘T,’” he shared in a statement. “Country music has Low-T right now…it could use a pick me up, if you know what I mean. Those record label people over at Universal finally realized that only the Knights could be up to a task this big and hard.”
Originally formed in 2015, Hot Country Knights is comprised of members of Bentley’s touring band and consists of lead bass player Trevor Travis, lead guitarist Marty Ray (“Rayro”) Roburn, keytar/fiddle player Terotej (“Terry”) Dvoraczekynski, steel guitarist Barry Van Ricky and percussionist Monte Montgomery. The group previously opened up for Dierks Bentley and has shared the stage with artists such as Miranda Lambert, Jon Pardi and Thomas Rhett.