Today we’d like to introduce you to Corbin Bentley.
Hi Corbin, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I think my story isn’t much different from some others around here. I grew up in a house filled with music. My parents would constantly have some CD playing whether it was in the living room stereo, in the car, on our way to school. I think the first album I can remember listening to was The Beatles #1s compilation album. For the first few years of my life, my favorite song was Yellow Submarine. As I got older, I explored more and more music. Artists like Santana, Rolling Stones, Linda Ronstadt, were always playing because of my dad and then you have the female country artists like Sheryl Crow, Faith Hill, The Chicks from my mom. My music taste grew and grew, I’d listen to pop, rock, metal, country, r&b, rap, anything I could get my hands on. My brother and I would do songs for my family at Christmas. When I was 10, I entered my first talent show and I sang a Frank Sinatra song. Kids my age were singing pop chart stuff. I think that’s the same show where 5 different people sang Jesus Take the Wheel.
Off and on, I’ve been on stage behind a microphone. Recently, I started writing my own songs. I’m really inspired by some local songwriters that talk about how they grew up in the mountains. I wrote a song about an old discount retail store me and my mom would go to. It’s called Magic Mart. It was a staple store in my little tri state area. The store isn’t around anymore and neither is my mom. It’s a moment in time where it was all so simple, but means so much more to me now. I think that’s sort of the story of the song. What started out as a happy sounding, joke song, turned into a song that people around me wanted to hear and I think it’s because everyone has a Magic Mart.
I’m playing solo and with my band, TheDrift. We’re writing and recording all the time. It’s honestly the most fun I’ve had playing music in a long time. We’re writing all the time. Ashton, Landon, Braxton, and Dalton are all great players. We’ve recorded a few songs, but we’re really shooting for a full album. I can’t wait for it to drop.
I have a big musical family. My brother plays in Lexington. My sister was a singer and dancer. My mom was a singer. My dad was in the Full House Band. They played every club in East KY and beyond. If you say Full House Band to a certain demographic of people around here, they will tell you it was the best show they ever saw. My cousin is 1/2 of Sundy Best. My other cousin makes dubstep. Everyone in my family does something musically. It’s kinda insane actually.
Doing music around here feels like a family. I have lucked into more gigs than I have actively booked them. I’ve met and shared the stage with so many people that have gone on to be big stars in the industry like Tyler Childers. I’ve played with people like Laid Back Country Picker. I sold a ukulele to Marty Stuart. People come into your life and then it’s like “Oh that’s so and so’s boy. Good kid.” And it’s normal. I think that’s the unique thing about the scene here. Everyone knows someone that plays. People say that “there’s nothing to do around here so they all play music” or “something must be in the water down here”, but you look around this area and you see all kinds of artists. Sculptors, poets, songwriters, directors, actors, authors, this area is rich with talent. I look at what the younger kids around here are doing and I know with the right eyes, they’d go anywhere. Joshua Slone is doing big things right now. I knew him when he was like 10 years old and his guitar was bigger than he was. Zoe Howard is someone I tell everyone “get on the hype train now”. I’ve literally watched her write a song in front of me with my own eyes. Best part is there are kids younger than both of them that are doing big things as well. The talent is multi generational.
I started teaching music in Hindman, KY with their Pick and Bow program. I teach ukulele and my one student is already better than I was in one semester than I was in a year.
I’m happy to have music in my life. Thank god that I was born in East KY in this music scene.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I lost my mom when I turned 20. It affected me really bad. I didn’t enjoy music for a long time after that. I wanted to give up pursuing it. I had been in bands and they fell through for one reason or another. I didn’t feel like I was a good enough person to play on my own. But when you’re in it for so long, it kinda becomes the one thing that can get you out of it.
I work at the Mountain Arts Center in Prestonsburg, KY. It’s been my second home for nearly my entire life. The people I work with are second to none. Top to bottom. I found a lot of comfort in working behind the scenes for shows. I like being the support.
After college, I still didn’t want any spotlight on me, but I wanted to at least make music again. So I’d do fill in gigs here and there. Keyboards? I can do that. Percussion? I can do that. Guitar? I can kinda do that. At my job, they have an open mic occasionally in the summer. But I was always the guy that would just play along with whoever or whatever was going on. Then I finally got to play a song. I hadn’t been on stage playing music in a long time. I played “We Just Disagree”, the Dave Mason tune. Again, it’s a song that no one my age is playing. My dad, the guy I first heard play this song, looked at me and said “I never pegged you for a Dave Mason fan…” and I turned to him and said “You made me one.”
I lost my dad back at the end of April. Real sudden. Once again, music pulls you through a lot of the darkness. His visitation was filled with great musicians from around the area. One of my friends said it was bordering on a Kentucky Music Hall of Fame crowd. That kinda goes back to music being like a family around here. All these people that my dad played with know me or my brother or my sisters. I consider them to be like my uncles or aunts or cousins. My dad left behind a wealth of musical knowledge and people he impacted one way or another. I can only hope that I can do the same.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As I said before, I work at the Mountain Arts Center. I’m part monitor engineer, part emcee, part archivist. I truly enjoy my job and what I do there. Learning about the musicians that walked across the stage before me, helping the talent that walks across it right now, and leading the next generation to play on it. It’s the building’s 30th anniversary this year and I can’t imagine what my life would look like if the building shut down or never opened. I joke about the MAC being my second home, but in all reality it kinda is. The walls have seen me grow up. As much as it’s changed, I’ve changed with it. My dad was the original tech director and I’d come with him when I could. The executive director now was working under his crew when I was a kid. It’s kinda funny how cyclical life can be. When I’m not there, I’m usually at an open mic or just jamming with some friends. I haven’t been able to record or put out much of my own music just because I’m so dedicated to the MAC. But maybe in the next year, I’ll surprise release an LP of the 5 songs I’ve written.
Away from that, I do a lot of things. I’m a writer. I’ve been an actor on stage and in short YouTube videos. I’m a musician that plays a lot of instruments. If I play all of them well is a different question. I’m a singer. I’m a photographer. I’m a painter, visual artist, graphic designer. Long story short, I’m just a creative person.
Any big plans?
I’m focused on being the best person I can be. I want my friends to be happy and my family to be taken care of. That’s what brings me joy. I’ve struggled a lot with my mental health and my self image. I turned 30 this year, which is double the amount of what I thought I’d be. I’m in the gym trying to get into the best shape I can be. I’m getting a lot of my thoughts out. I’m in a decluttering phase of my life right now.
I want to continue to uplift the music community around me. There’s a wealth of talented folks around here. I want to get TheDrift up and running. Not just for me, but the rest of the boys. I’d love to have an album out by this time next year. Maybe play a big gig before then as well. We’re doing some really fun stuff and I think people would really enjoy it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedrift_official
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19B1B4ARZC/
