Dierks Bentley is the only artist to have been banned from the Grand Ole Opry before having ever performed there.
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In an interview with Taste of Country, Dierks Bentley confirmed the story that he indeed did get banned from the Grand Ole Opry. And not from substance abuse or reckless behavior, but from sneaking out back when he wasn't a member yet.
Whiskeyriff first shared the story in December 2022, and recently shared it again in light of the Grand Ole Opry's 100th anniversary. Although the outlet doesn't explain where they sourced the details, their account mostly corroborates with Bentley's.
The story goes that Dierks Bentley used to work as a researcher at The Nashville Network. There, he'd have to keep up with the latest in country music. And how better to do that then to infiltrate the Grand Ole Opry?
That's right, Bentley would sneak into the joint to catch the latest. The network was based on Opryland, so it was pretty easy for him to walk on over on "Fridays and Saturdays." There, he would "watch the Opry" before going down to Lower Broadway to "watch more music."
Apparently, he'd hang out backstage and chat to the talent set to perform, too. As far as sourcing new hot developments, this was not a bad method.
But, eventually he got caught out.
Dierks Bentley Got Caught Sneaking Around The Grand Ole Opry
Whiskeyriff say that the singer finally got caught sneaking around and was promptly kicked out by Pete Fisher. But the way Bentley described the events leads me to believe that he was known, but eventually Fisher had to put his foot down on the unsolicited visits.
"Eventually I got a letter at my place of work, saying 'Hey, we love Dierks, but he can't come to the Opry every single weekend,'" he recalled. Although his access was revoked for pushing it a little, it appears that there was some tolerance for the singer.
Being banned, however, made him want to become a member even more to continue attending the Grand Ole Opry. And, eventually, he did.
In 2003, his ban was lifted and he performed there. Two years later, he became a member.
