MERLEFEST Update!

DIERKS BENTLEY FEATURING THE TRAVELIN’ MCCOURYS AND JOEY + RORY COMPLETE FRIDAY NIGHT LINEUP AT MERLEFEST 2010


WILKESBORO, N.C. (March 15, 2010)—MerleFest 2010, presented by Lowe’s, is proud to announce the additions of Dierks Bentley featuring the Travelin’ McCourys and Joey + Rory to the lineup for Friday night, April 30. The award-winning country chart-topper Bentley will perform with the Travelin’ McCourys on the Watson Stage, and acclaimed husband-wife duo Joey + Rory will perform on the Cabin Stage.

“We look forward to welcoming Dierks and Joey + Rory to their first MerleFest performances,” said festival director Ted Hagaman, “and The Travelin’ McCourys have been a favorite here for several years. I am continually impressed with the great variety of talent that fills all of the MerleFest stages. There’s truly something here for all music fans.”

Fresh off the success of his acclaimed album Feel That Fire, Bentley has announced the summer release of the acoustic, roots-based Up On The Ridge. The album will feature Bentley working with some of the finest acoustic musicians in the world, including long-time collaborators the Del McCoury Band and a magical new musical partnership with Chris Thile and the Punch Brothers. The disc also features a number of vocal and instrumental contributions ranging from Alison Krauss and Miranda Lambert to Tim O’Brien and Sam Bush, among many others. The project found Bentley working with award-winning singer/songwriter/producer Jon Randall Stewart and world-class recording engineer Gary Paczosa

“I’ve played a lot of cool venues and festivals, but taking this new album to MerleFest is one of the things I’m looking forward to the most,” said Bentley. “I’ll definitely be out there in the crowd like everyone else soaking it all in.”

After selling 5 million copies of his first four studio albums, topping the charts with seven No. one hits including “Sideways,” “Free & Easy” and “What Was I Thinkin’?,” making countless national media appearances, taking home multiple CMA and ACM awards and racking up seven GRAMMY nominations, country star Dierks Bentley has spent the first months of 2010 in the studio working on multiple exciting projects for the upcoming year. The roaddog has headlined multiple arena tours and opened for some of country music’s biggest superstars, and is now heading full-force into his newly announced “Up On The Ridge” tour.

Joey+Rory, the husband-wife duo of Joey Martin and Rory Feek, are nominated for this year’s ACM Top Vocal Duo and Top New Vocal Duo. They are currently on tour with and serving as emcees for Grammy-winning Zac Brown Band’s Breaking Southern Ground Tour, which will take the stage on Thursday, April 29, at MerleFest. Their sophomore release, Album #2, will come out this spring. It was produced by Grammy®-winning Carl Jackson, who also produced their debut album.

Their debut single, "Cheater Cheater," was not only their first Top 30 hit at country radio, but it also became a nationwide Top 10 Dance Club hit. The single peaked at #3 on the iTunes Top Country Album Chart with over 400,000 downloads. Their debut album, The Life of a Song, debuted at #10 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart and remained on the charts for 50 weeks, selling 200,000 copies. Last year, they were nominated for ACM’s Top Vocal Duo, CMA Vocal Duo of the Year and CMT’s Nationwide Insurance On Your Side Award and toured coast-to-coast and overseas with an appearance at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. They continue to be featured in a number of national TV commercials for Overstock.com.

Tickets for MerleFest 2010 can be purchased on the web at http://www.merlefest.org or by calling 1-800-343-7857. Early Bird ticket prices have been extended to Tuesday, April 6, at 5:00 p.m. EDT. As always, there are no hidden fees or surcharges on MerleFest tickets.

MerleFest 2010, presented by Lowe’s, will celebrate its 23rd year from April 29 – May 2, 2010 on the campus of Wilkes Community College. Over 100 acts will perform on 15 stages during the course of the event. A complete list of confirmed performers is available at http://www.merlefest.org. MerleFest was founded in 1988 in memory of Eddy Merle Watson as a fundraiser for Wilkes Community College and a celebration of “traditional plus” music.