Dierks Bentley Gets Presidential Shout-Out

Dierks Bentley may not have been invited to appear at the recent White House Music Series celebrating country music, but he did manage to get quite the Presidential honor: a shout-out by the Commander in Chief himself.

"A lot of people think I'm a city boy, but I do appreciate listening to country music like all Americans," President Obama told the audience at the White House Wednesday night. "Dierks Bentley called country 'the best shrink that fifteen bucks can buy.'"

Dierks found out the President spoke about him right before he was about to take the stage at the Opry. "That is so badass," he Twittered. "Way awesome. To have the president of the United States quote you? It is unreal."

Saying country music "contributed to the life of this nation and chronicled the history of our people," according to Nashville's Tennessean newspaper, President Obama also cited two other country music legends. "Harlan Howard proclaimed country music 'three chords and the truth.' Garth Brooks said it's 'honesty, sincerity and real life to the hilt.'"

Charley Pride, Alison Krauss and Brad Paisley performed at the White House Music Series. You can watch a special taping of the event on GAC, August 15 at 9:00 PM ET.