Jim Bentley was born and raised in St. Louis Mo.   After high school he got a job at a boutique mom and pop new/used guitar store .   Before the days of  chain stores  and DSP amp modelers he had the opportunity to spend endless hours with all of times worth of guitar gear…from Matchless amps to Super Beatles.  One of the telecasters Jim set up was bought by Bob Dylan.   Jim was active in the underground noise rock scene that was growing all over the country.   Fueled by fanzines and mixtapes…DIY rock was  getting big. 

After realizing working at a guitar store is not very cool down the road say at  age 50 he headed to Chicago.  He wanted to learn how to make records.  He had heard that Malcom Chisolm taught classes at a tricked out studio in Chicago.  The school was Columbia  College and the studio was the old Zenith db studio.  Zenith db was a facility that had been around since the sixties and had been updated over the years to keep up with the times.  There  he learned the art and craft of making records.  Jim booked all the time he could to record local bands.  The director of the studios approached him one day and asked if hed be interested in building a studio on the west side of Chicago in a 6000 square foot loft that would host both a studio and a movie theater.  He said yes of course.  At the same time he beagan working at Shure Inc.  The microphone company.  This was a huge learning phase for Jim…making records at his studio and learning the business side of a microphone company in  the music rich Chicago  of the mid and late 90’s.  After 7 years in Chicago it was time to take a bite out of the Big Apple.  In the winter of 2003 The Fort is born. 

Discography available upon request.