Country music star Dierks Bentley has known his wife, Cassidy Black, since they were pre-teens. They attended the same middle school in Phoenix, Arizona.
But it was a long and winding road to the altar. The couple was on and off for years and much of their romance was long-distance as Bentley pursued his music career. They finally tied the knot in 2005 and now have three children together.
Bentley is performing during tonight’s CMT Music Awards. The show debuts at 8:00 p.m. ET on CMT.
Here’s what you need to know:
Bentley & Black’s Relationship Was On & Off for About a Decade After High School
Getty Dierks Bentley arrives with wife Cassidy Black for the 53rd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on February 13, 2011.
Bentley opened up about his long-time romance with Black during an interview with People in 2007. He first met her when they were both in eighth grade at Ingleside Middle School in Phoenix. Bentley said he always had a crush on Black.
But he said the feelings were not initially reciprocated. Bentley admitted he was known for getting into some trouble during his younger years and his pre-teen antics didn’t impress Black. “I was way too immature and into drinking beer and guns and blowing things up,” Bentley said.
Bentley and Black remained within each other’s orbit after starting high school. They actually dating each other’s best friends! But eventually, after those relationships ended, Bentley and Black decided to try dating.
But as Bentley told People, the romance hit a stumble after they graduated. He moved to Nashville to pursue a music career. Black had her own career ambitions. She worked in advertising in San Francisco. The relationship was on and off for the next decade. Bentley commented to The Boot, “It’s a pretty crazy story of just going back and forth with the right time or the wrong time, or right place, wrong time, all that stuff.”
Bentley said he often wrote Black love letters from the road. He joked to People, “That’s why I married her! I was worried I’d get blackmailed with those letters!” Black chimed in, “I did save them and thought I could always sell them on eBay!”
The Couple Eloped in Mexico the Day After Getting Engaged
GettyDierks Bentley and wife Cassidy Black attend the 53rd annual CMA Awards in November 2019.
Bentley and Black’s relationship finally took a turn for the better in February 2005. Black came to Las Vegas to watch Bentley perform. He was opening for George Strait at the time.
The reunion was monumental. Bentley and Black both later said they experienced instant clarity after seeing each other again; they both knew they were finally in a place where they could fully commit to each other. Bentley recalled, “She walked on the bus. I kind of knew that that was the moment,” E! News reported. Black admitted to People, “It was a weird feeling, and it was right when I saw him … I cried when I said goodbye.”
Black packed up her San Francisco home and moved to Nashville with Bentley. They dated for about 10 months before Bentley proposed in December 2005. After Black said yes, Bentley surprised her with a second proposal: Was she willing to elope in Mexico?
Black told People, “I was speechless—I had just gotten engaged the night before.” But she agreed to the plan. Bentley had even arranged for a stylist to find the perfect dress for his future bride. They headed to Mexico the day after getting engaged. They tied the knot three days later. Black explained, “We got married in a little chapel in Mexico, and it was beautiful and private and real.” They were both 30 at the time.
Black & Bentley Are Now Raising Their 3 Children in Colorado
Getty Singer Dierks Bentley and wife Cassidy Black on February 10, 2013 in Los Angeles.
Bentley and Black took their children on a trip to Colorado for spring break in March 2020, as they told People. They have two daughters and one son: Evelyn, Jordan and Knox.
They decided against returning to Nashville as the coronavirus pandemic prompted lockdowns. Theur children’s schools had shifted to distance learning and there was no reason to rush back to Nashville.
Eventually, the family decided to make the move permanent. Bentley explained the decision in a press release from Universal Music Group in January 2021: “If I’m gonna be unemployed and if I’m gonna have this time, I just wanna be somewhere where I can make up for lost time on the road. [There are] mountains and rivers and hiking and biking and family time and riding bikes with my kids to school and so much to do with them and outdoors all the time, which I kind of needed after this many years on the bus and on the road. So, I’m trying to stay inspired and knowing when it does go green again, I’ll probably be gone a lot, trying to make up for the deficit of these last few years.”
Bentley and Black told People they settled in Box Canyon. It’s located near Telluride in the southwestern part of the state.
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