With a Grammy nomination, CMT Music Award, and the CMA Horizon Award under his belt, the Arizona-native has joined the ranks among the most successful and relevant country singers today. Bentley’s kind of country has never been straight-up-the-middle. Instead, he grew up on a hybrid of honky-tonk, bluegrass, singer/songwriters, classic country, and modern rock & roll, forging his own sound along the way.

“I love the feeling of combining the best older stuff with the edginess of newer, more progressive sounds,” says Bentley. “I try to take the real life connectedness of the stories and songs of Hank Williams and Buck Owens, and then try to put a fresh modern sound to it.” Bentley makes a stop at Sixth & I on the tour promoting his new album, Up on the Ridge.