Joe Denim

Joe Denim (born Joel Brentlinger on December 19, 1974) is an American comedian/singer/songwriter/personality/host who co-wrote the hit song "Pray for You" by Jaron & the Long Road to Love in 2009 which reached the Top 15 on the "Billboard" Hot Country Songs charts. In 2017, Denim’s Hillbilly Soap Opera record broke the Top 10 on Billboard, peaking at #6 on the Country Catalog Albums. He’s played keys for Jack Ingram (Martina McBride “The Waking Up Laughing” Tour, 2008), Jaron & Long Road to Love (Toby Keith “American Ride” Tour, 2010), Uncle Kracker (“Goin’ Coastal” Tour, 2011), Joe Diffie & Jerrod Niemann (“Road to Tree Town” Tour, 2014), Buddy Jewell (2003), Steve Holy (“Brand New Girlfriend” Tour, 2006-08) and Trent Tomlinson (“Country is My Rock” Tour, 2008-09).  
Early Life
Denim was born in Warsaw, Indiana and raised on a dairy farm in Vaughnsville, Ohio where he was home schooled through high school. He received his degree in marketing from the University of Northwestern Ohio. He started playing the piano at age nine and bought his first keyboard at Sweetwater Music in Indiana when he as 20. He was in two bands, Brass Monkey, (1993) and Mudcats (1996), while working landscaping during the day. He also joined the band Tulane Blacktop in 1999 for their opening spot on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Last DJ” Tour. He started a successful landscaping company, Marvin Gardens, before deciding to move to Nashville in 2003 to pursue his dream of being an entertainer.
Career
Early Career
Denim moved to Nashville on February 9, 2003, and later that year he made his Grand Ole Opry debut playing keys for Buddy Jewell. Denim honed his skills on Lower Broadway playing mainly at Legends, Fiddle & Steel and the iconic Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge until 2012 when the Joe Denim brand was born. 
Joe Denim
In 2014, Joe began hosting and performing at several festivals, including the Inaugural Tree Town Music Festival in Forest City, Iowa featuring Brad Paisley, Toby Keith, Brantley Gilbert, Chris Young and Scotty McCreery, the Buffalo Chip Stage at Sturgis and the Coors Light Christmas Party in Cedar Valley, Iowa.
Denim released his first record, Hillbilly Soap Opera, on May 13, 2014, which included the song “Cover of the Field and Stream” featuring platinum-selling recording artist, Rodney Carrington.
He continued his hosting and performing duties in 2015 by hitting the road in February with Joe Diffie and Jerrod Niemann for the Road To Tree Town to promote the upcoming festival, which stopped at the Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa and the 7 Flags Event Center in Clive, Iowa. Denim then hosted and performed at the Tree Town Music Festival for the second year in a row in May 2015 in Forest City, Iowa. When he hosted again in 2016, he also performed as part of “Rock Night” featuring Vince Neil of Motley Crue and Warrant.
Truck Buddies
On August 1, 2016, Denim secured a residency at Zanies Comedy Club in Nashville featuring his musical comedy act, Joe Denim’s Truck Buddies. This show told stories and songs that don’t always fit the mold of radio, so Joe brought several artists along to join in, including Ray Scott, Kristen Kelly and Shannon Lawson. They gave the audience an inside look into what it’s like after the stage lights went down and the bus pulls off to the next gig.
Denim hosted and performed at his fourth consecutive Tree Town Music Festival over Memorial Day Weekend in 2017 where he performed three nights, including opening up for Big & Rich, Thomas Rhett, Dwight Yoakam, Alan Jackson and more. He also performed at the inaugural Dellwood Country Fest in Minnesota, opened for Craig Morgan on the Family Matters Tour in Decatur, Alabama, and opened for Big & Rich in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
When he wasn’t traveling the country in 2017, Denim settled into his Summer residency on the first Friday of the month at Fontanel in Nashville, formerly owned by Barbara Mandrell. The Joe Denim & the Hillbilly Soap Opera’s Porch Party Series even included background vocals by Vanessa Mandrell, Irlene Mandrell’s daughter, who grew up in that house. Joe’s brother, Jim, is now married to Vanessa.
Hillbilly Soap Opera
On August 12, 2017, Denim’s Hillbilly Soap Opera record broke the Top 10 on Billboard, peaking at #6 on the Country Catalog Albums where he was sandwiched between Willie Nelson and Alabama.
Nashville House Concerts
The following month, Denim started the Nashville House Concert Series that ran from September 2017 – June 2018 where he co-hosted with SiriusXM radio personality, Storme Warren, who also served as the band leader for the shows. On the first Thursday of the month, fans came into what felt like a living room inside the landmark War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville to hear stories, jokes and songs from country superstars, as well as rising stars. Martina McBride kicked off the series in August 2017 with Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne and surprise guest, Jim Lauderdale. Guests that came through over the next year included stars like, Lady A, Tracy Lawrence, Charlie Daniels Band, Alison Krauss, Jamey Johnson, Love and Theft, Kristian Bush, and Billy Currington, as well as rising stars, Ashley McBryde, Adam Doleac and Waterloo Revival. At the October show, Earl Bud Lee, who wrote “Friends in Low Places” surprised the audience when he stopped by to lead everyone in singing this famous song that ended with a standing ovation. Denim and the artists were backed by his It Is What It Is Band that made up of Dink Harrell on bass (Toby Keith), Mica Roberts (Toby Keith) and Marty Slayton (George Strait) on background vocals, Sean Paddock (Kenny Chesney), Mike Durham and Rich Eckhardt (Toby Keith).
Charity
Another busy Summer in 2018 had Denim opening for Joe Nichols and Uncle Kracker in Lake Ozarks, Missouri, as well as performing at Lewis Brice’s annual benefit concert to kick of CMA Fest Week, the Ray Scott Benefit concert and LakeFest in Storm Lake, Iowa. He also returned to the Dellwood Music Festival in Minnesota opening for Jimmie Allen and the MillCreek Music Festival opening for Easton Corbin.
Blue Dizzy at the Wildhorse Saloon
After taking a year off to re-launch the Nashville House Concert Series with a new name and location, Denim announced the Blue Dizzy variety show at the Wildhorse Saloon in downtown Nashville that was co-hosted by Evan Farmer best known for his role on MTV’s 2Gether and HGTV’s While You Were Out. The first show in March 2019 featured Jerrod Niemann, Brice, American Young and Kalie Shorr. Over the next eight months, Denim hosted notable country artists like, Darryl Worley, Mark Wills, Love and Theft, Chuck Wicks, Craig Campbell, Ira Dean, Andy Griggs, Jamie O’Neal and Colt Ford, as well as comedians like, Tom Mabe and Martin Urbano. You could also find country superstars hanging out in the audience, including Grammy award-winner, Randy Travis.
CMA Fest
Denim made another appearance as a host and performer at Brice’s annual benefit to kickoff CMA Fest Week in 2019 and went on to host the CMA Fest Riverfront Stage for two of the four days.  He also performed for radio and TV executives at the BMI Tennessee Broadcaster Association conference in Nashville.
Career Pivot in 2020
Despite a global pandemic in 2020, Denim set up a residency at The Scoreboard in Nashville featuring the best musicians in his Hillbilly Band and special surprise guests, like Easton Corbin.
With live music and the concert industry on pause in 2020, touring professionals needed an income to support their families, so Denim used his past experience as a landscape architect to launch Backstage Backyards, a landscaping and exterior design company. Backstage Backyards, based in Nashville TN, employs out of work touring professionals including set designers, carpenters, riggers and more, all who have a background in carpentry/construction. The new company not only provides high-quality craftsmanship and results for clients, it put musicians and their crews back to work.