Hot Country Knights

Nashville country troupe Hot Country Knights was formed in 2015 by Dierks Bentley and his band to both celebrate and satirize ’90s country music, fashion, and mullet-heavy hairdos. ∙ Although the band has a detailed (but fictional) backstory, they’re serious about their musicianship and have covered songs by Sawyer Brown, Marty Stuart, and Alan Jackson. ∙ One of their early gigs featured a guest appearance from Miranda Lambert, who adopted the stage name Shelby Shelton to sing a Shania Twain cover. ∙ At a Nashville concert in 2019, the band brought out Thomas Rhett to sing “That Ain’t My Truck”—a hit single originally by his dad, ’90s country star Rhett Akins. ∙ Hot Country Knights’ 2020 debut album, The K Is Silent, is a throwback to polished ’90s country, and it featured guest appearances from Travis Tritt and Terri Clark. ∙ In 2020, they made their late-night TV debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where they performed “Asphalt.” ∙ The band debuted at the Grand Ole Opry in 2020 and performed three songs, including the honky-tonk-inspired “Pick Her Up.”