Bono Gives Country Singer Dierks Bentley Advice on Extremely Personal Song

A chance meeting between U2 frontman Bono and country singer Dierks Bentley has evolved into quite the friendship. And with his new album, 'Riser' now available, Bono has given one song in particular his vote of approval.

Bono and Dierks first met in 2011, when U2 performed in Vanderbilt stadium in Nashville. Bono was seated next to Bentley at dinner, and they hit it off. Dierks was surprised to know what a country music can the rocker is. According to Country Weekly, he states:

“I had a chance to sit next to him at a dinner he did with [Tennessee] Senator Frist and we talked a lot about country music and the country audience...He loves country music and he’s been to the Station Inn, he’s been to the Bluebird. He was friends with Johnny Cash. He wanted to learn more about the country audience."

Bentley asked for Bono's feedback on the most personal track from his new album, called 'Here on Earth', about the death of Dierks' father. After hearing the song, Bono fired off an e-mail the singer with his praise, pointing out the lyrics are very much like a prayer. Bentley's response? "Wow! He totally gets it."

In their initial meeting, Bono went so far as to ask Dierks directly about country music fans. The country singer was sure to let him know how great they are.

“I feel like I really got a chance to tell him what our country fans are like and what’s important to them, what they value. He obviously has these big causes [he supports] and he’s trying to find a way to relate that to our country audience...I’d love to find a way to introduce him and bring him more into the country audience, because the more you get to know him, you realize what a great guy he is."

With the budding cross-genre friendship, one can only wonder if there's a collaboration in their future. Bentley is enthusiastically on board, stating “It’s going to happen one day!”. We shall see.