Dierks Bentley Reveals Hit Songs He Passed On

Dierks Bentley has plenty of chart-topping hits to his credit, but he admits he let some good ones get away as well. The singer-songwriter has shared a few songs he passed on, which became mega-hits for someone else instead.

Bentley revealed during an intimate concert honoring the 10th anniversary of the CMA Songwriter Series -- which was taped for an upcoming episode of PBS' 'Front and Center' -- that he passed on Lee Brice's  'I Drive Your Truck,' Gary Allan's 'Watching Airplanes' and Luke Bryan's 'Drink a Beer.'

“It’s all about the right song finding the right home,” Bentley told the crowd (quote via Nashville's Tennessean), adding that 'Drink a Beer' especially was a song that was meant for Bryan.

Not that the Arizona native is struggling to find hit songs. Bentley has amassed 19 Top 20 hits, including his current single, 'Drunk on a Plane,' which is in the Top 5 and climbing. The song is the third single from his No. 1 album, 'Riser,' which includes six songs that Bentley co-wrote.

“When I first started writing for this album, I was in a place of grief over the loss of my dad, but over the course of the next 18 months, my wife and I had our son Knox, and I ended in a place of real joy and gratefulness,” Bentley recalls. “Both sides of that coin are what country music has always been about, and I hope that my fans can feel how much of myself I put into this project. It’s all out on the table, for sure.”

Bentley is currently crossing the country on his Riser Tour, which includes Chris Young, Chase Rice and Jon Pardi serving as his opening acts. See a list of all of his upcoming shows here.