Dierks Bentley Establishes Broken Branches Fund to Provide Mental Health Resources Through Music Health Alliance

Today, award-winning songwriter and entertainer Dierks Bentley announces the establishment of the Broken Branches Fund with a multi-year financial commitment to provide mental health resources to the creative and touring communities. The Broken Branches Fund will be administered in partnership with Music Health Alliance (MHA)and will provide mental health grants for qualified candidates and their families to cover outpatient counseling, as well as a plan for follow-up care. More information and to apply for access to all resources that MHA’s groundbreaking Music Industry Mental Health Fund provides is available HERE. Additionally, fans will have an opportunity to donate to the fund themselves throughout the summer at tour stops and other activations and online at https://bit.ly/DonateToMHA25.
 
“Making this album and prepping for the tour, I’ve never been more aware of the sacrifice that the people in this town make every day to keep country music playing. Whether you’re sitting in a room all day trying to write the perfect hook or leaving home on a bus for weeks at a time, it can be isolating and exhausting. This just felt like the right opportunity to make a bigger commitment on my part to supporting those folks and their families in a more direct and intentional way,” said Bentley.
 
“Dierks was one of the first artists to believe in and support Music Health Alliance, and from day one, he’s led with both heart and action,” said Tatum Allsep, Founder & CEO of Music Health Alliance. “Creating the Broken Branches Fund at MHA to support music’s mental health shows his deep commitment to the people who power our industry both on stage and off, and to their well-being for many years to come.”
 
Bentley will kick off his 30-city Broken Branches Tour on Thursday, May 29, joined by Zach Top and The Band Loula, ahead of his forthcoming 11th studio album, Broken Branches, out June 13 (MCA). As he leans into this new chapter, Bentley embraces the knots and imperfections that have shaped his journey, proudly honoring the outliers of both country life and country music. The upcoming album’s lead single “She Hates Me,” which features his “trademark humor” (Billboard) while blending elements of Whitley and Weezer, scored Bentley his career highest charting debut with its playful edge to Bentley’s signature country sound. He counts eight Number One albums, 22 Number One songs, and over 9.5 billion global streams to his credit—plus 15 Grammy nominations and membership in the historic Grand Ole Opry. Continuing the path built from the ground up, as an entrepreneur, he has four locations of the gastropub and live music venue “Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row,” has a Flag & Anthem lifestyle collection "Desert Son” and recently released ROW 94 – a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey crafted with only “three ingredients and the truth” at Kentucky’s Green River Distilling Co. For more information on new music and upcoming tour dates, visit Dierks.com.

About Music Health Alliance: 
Music Health Alliance’s mission is to Heal the Music by providing advocacy and access to healthcare and mental health resources that Protect, Direct, and Connect music professionals with medical and financial solutions. Thanks to the direct efforts of MHA, over 32,000 members of the music community across the country have gained access to lifesaving transplants, medicine, health insurance, mental health resources, emergent dental care and end-of-life care, saving over $145 million in healthcare costs. MHA’s services are available at no cost to those who have made a living in the music industry for three or more years. Spouses, partners, and children of qualifying individuals may also receive access to the non-profit’s services from birth to end of life. For more information please visit MHA’s website or contact MHA directly at 615-200-6896 or email info@musichealthalliance.com.

Music Health Alliance Kicks Off 10th Anniversary Year with Help from Dierks Bentley

Music Health Alliance Celebrates Ten Years Of Helping To Heal The Music As The Music Industry’s Critical Non-Profit Healthcare Resource

Over 100 million dollars saved in healthcare costs, providing free healthcare advocacy to over 20,000 music industry professionals in all 50 U.S. states

Dierks Bentley joins celebration as celebrity ambassador

In its tenth year, Music Health Alliance launches the Richard M. Bates SMILE Fund and
The Visionary Circle

Photo Credit: Steve Lowry

Music Health Alliance (MHA), the music industry’s critical non-profit healthcare resource, is marking major milestones in its mission to provide free healthcare advocacy and resources to music industry professionals. As the non-profit celebrates its first decade of providing free healthcare advocacy and support to a largely self-employed industry, MHA is uniquely positioned to continue to heal the music in the decades to come.

Music Health Alliance’s mission is to create a safe and confidential place for the music community to gain the very best healthcare and health insurance solutions through defined and transparent advocacy services, with an emphasis on the prevention of illness and overall wellness. Since 2013, MHA has:

• Saved more than $100,000,000 in healthcare costs

• Provided free advocacy and support to over 20,000 music industry clients in 50 states 

• Facilitated more than 3,200 counseling sessions through MHA’s Mental Health Fund

• Saved nearly 2,500 families from bankruptcy due to medical bills

• Provided life-saving diagnostic care to 57 clients through the Ben Eyestone Fund

• Aided 31 individuals in securing life-saving heart, liver, kidney and lung transplants

• Provided access to more than 1,000,000 meals during the COVID-19 pandemic

“In ten years MHA has gone from just an idea to a thriving organization that has served tens of thousands and saved over $100 million in healthcare costs to keep the music playing across this country,” says Tatum Allsep, Music Health Alliance Founder and CEO. “MHA’s success is possible because we have a fierce staff, dedicated Board of Directors and encouraging donors and community who sincerely believe in our mission to Heal The Music. Thank you all and cheers to 10 years!”

The 15 person team at MHA continue the non-profit’s mission to provide free healthcare advocacy, access and resources to the music industry, more than 75% of whom are self-employed. Songwriters, musicians, performers, producers, engineers, venue operators, artist managers, agents, publishers, business managers, and more have had access to critical medicine, mental health resources, diagnostic tests, lifesaving transplants, end of life care and many other necessary services.  

Reggie is one of the many music industry professionals who have received free healthcare advocacy and support from MHA. The 41 year-old tour manager lost his right arm below the elbow when he was injured in a tragic accident witnessed by his wife and children. He was quickly referred to MHA as he had no health insurance. Music Health Alliance was able to secure affordable coverage and negotiate his more than $500,000 in medical bills down to zero. By helping Reggie navigate the healthcare process, MHA enabled him to secure a neurobionics prosthetic arm, allowing him to resume his music career, and arranged trauma counseling for the entire family. By providing access to health insurance, negotiating medical costs, and navigating the healthcare process, MHA was able to provide affordable solutions for an otherwise debilitating and career-ending healthcare crisis. “Music Health Alliance literally put my life and family back together when we thought all hope was lost,” said Reggie. “We thought we were going to lose our house and I thought I would never be able to work again. They saved us.” 

During a kickoff event held at Nashville’s Gibson Garage yesterday, multi-platinum entertainer Dierks Bentley, a longtime supporter and client of MHA, joined the celebration as celebrity ambassador.  

“Healthcare is the ultimate thing you can offer your team out there on the road,” shared Bentley. “Having 30 people on my team, it is tough to navigate insurance and healthcare and having MHA to help us figure it out and uncover benefits we didn’t even know were available. They’ve helped us save so much over 10 years and $100 MILLION industry wide...it's just incredible!”

As MHA begins its tenth year of serving the music industry, it is honored to establish the Richard M. Bates SMILE Fund, named in memory of music enthusiast and the Walt Disney Company’s longtime SVP, Government Relations. The Richard M. Bates SMILE Fund is the music industry’s first dedicated fund for dental health. Through the generosity and vision of Richard Bates’s family and friends, and matching grants from The Walt Disney Company, music professionals of all ages will no longer need to forgo critical dental healthcare that is often costly and not covered by medical insurance.

“Our family is very grateful to support something so meaningful and lasting,” said his widow Mrs. Rose Bates. “Richard would have been quite touched by this honor while being thrilled that it will help so many musicians with their health-related concerns.” 

Music makers of all genres who are in need of critical dental healthcare will now be able to access qualifying grants through the Fund, with applications accessible here. The Richard M. Bates SMILE Fund will not only bring smiles, but will also make a significant impact on MHA’s mission to heal the music.

Entirely funded through grants and individual and corporate donations, financial support from the music community is critical to continue Music Health Alliance’s advocacy and free services. 86% of all dollars donated go directly to MHA’s programs and services - for every $1 donation, MHA is able to provide $30 in life-saving healthcare resources to Heal The Music.

As the non-profit enters its tenth year of healing the music, MHA is launching The Visionary Circle, an annual giving society to recognize generous friends who are invested in the ongoing success and future vision of Music Health Alliance. The future of MHA lies in the belief that no member of our music industry family should ever have to face a healthcare crisis alone, and The Visionary Circle will make an immediate impact on the scope of MHA’s work and ensure it can continue to heal the music for generations to come. Find additional information here. 

MHA fights so those in our industry never have to feel alone in a health crisis and removes obstacles so patients can receive lifesaving care. MHA continues to advocate on behalf of songwriters, producers, audio engineers, musicians, recording artists, publishers and more across the country. Thanks to the direct efforts of MHA, over 20,000 members of the music community across the country have gained access to lifesaving transplants, medicine, mental health resources, end of life care and many other necessary services. Its services are free to any person who has worked in the music industry for two or more years or who has credited contributions to 4 commercially released recordings or videos. Spouses, partners, and children of qualifying individuals may also receive access to the non-profit’s services from birth to end of life.

To learn more about Music Health Alliance’s free services and resources, contact MHA at 615-200-6896 or info@musichealthalliance.com

Donate to Music Health Alliance at: MusicHealthAlliance.com/donate-to-heal

Elle King to Release BTS Look at "Worth A Shot" Music Video with Dierks Bentley

The CMA Fest Co-Host is Savoring the Summer with Hit New Single and Tour with Chris Stapleton

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Elle King is living her best life and having a blast along the way. As “Worth A Shot,” her new single and music video is rising the charts and continuing to garner massive streaming support, King is set to release a behind the scenes peak on set at the recent video shoot. Fans can watch below.

Collaborating with her longtime friend Dierks Bentley, “Worth A Shot,” is about a song about a relationship that is on the rocks but is ‘worth a shot’ at saving. Of the song, Wide Open Country noted, “The song is full of wordplay and lyrics regarding shots and alcohol while still telling the story about the struggling couple.”

The concept for the music video was created and written by King who collaborated with directors Stephen Kinigopoulos and Alexa Stone (Running Bear Films). Filmed in Murfreesboro, TN, the video flashes back to the Wild West in the late 1800s where King and Bentley star as husband-and-wife outlaws. With wanted signs, a liquor-filled saloon, and a shot for shot duel, the cinematic video is an unexpected take on the “highly engaging” (MusicRow) tune.

Last week King and Bentley hosted the CMA Fest primetime special on ABC which won the nightly ratings in total viewers. Filmed from Nissan Stadium in Nashville, TN during the 49th CMA Fest in June, the television special features 30 of music’s hottest stars as they take the stage during the four-day festival. In addition to hosting, King had several performances in the special including her smash hit Ex’s & Oh’s” where she was joined by her friend Ashley McBryde for a performance that Music Mayhem Magazine said “Stun With a One-Of-A-Kind Collaboration.”

Fans who didn’t have a chance to tune-in to the CMA Fest Special can catch King on the road with multi-Grammy winning artist Chris Stapleton and his “All American Road Show” Tour. Her set includes “Ex’s & Oh’s, “Worth A Shot,” and version of her massive hit “Drunk (And I Don’t Want To Go Home) with Miranda Lambert. The song recently topped the charts making it the first woman-woman collaboration to reach the top spot on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart since Reba McEntire and Linda Davis’ “Does He Love Me” in 1993 which was also the only one on the 1990 launched airplay chart.

“Let me tell you, if anyone is having more fun than me this summer, I want to come join your party too,” laughed King. “I honestly couldn’t be more grateful to the fans and everyone playing, streaming and enjoying my music. This is what I’ve dreamed of and worked for since I was a teenager. I can’t believe this is my job and I get paid for it!”