Dierks Bentley has certainly had an incredible year. His innovative bluegrass album, 'Up on the Ridge,' reached No. 2 on the charts and spawned two Top 40 hits, and throughout 2010, he took his music on the road for the hugely successful Up on the Ridge tour. In addition, the Arizona native garnered three Grammy nominations and three CMA Awards nods, was honored at the prestigious ASCAP Awards with the trophy for Songwriter/Artist of the Year and saw 'Up on the Ridge' named as one of the Best Albums of the Year by iTunes. Now, the tireless entertainer looks ahead to 2011 with a show at Los Angeles' legendary Troubadour club in February.

Dierks will celebrate his success with a pre-Grammy concert on February 12, one night before the star-studded awards ceremony, bringing his noteworthy Dierks Bentley and Friends show to the storied venue. Guests such as Pearl Jam, Miranda Lambert, Dwight Yoakam and Brad Paisley have joined him for previous Dierks and Friends shows, so it's likely next year's event will have its share of musical surprises.

Dierks admits he was unsure how the 'Up on the Ridge' album would be received, considering its bluegrass theme, but says the experience was liberating. "When I went in to make this record, I really threw away all of my expectations for ... country radio airplay, just anything," Dierks tells The Boot. "I went into it with no expectations, and that's what freed me up to make the album we wanted to make. And on the backside of that, to actually be recognized, to have country radio play the song ... there are no words for it. I'm still taking it all in."

The year has been a memorable one for Dierks for reasons other than music. He announced over the summer that he and his wife, Cassidy, are expecting another girl around Christmas. She'll join two-year-old Evie just in time for the holidays.

Already back at work on another album, Dierks will spend some time at home in 2011 before playing several festivals over the spring and summer. See his schedule here.

A Day in the Life of Dierks

More From TheBoot