PETTY COUNTRY: A COUNTRY MUSIC CELEBRATION OF TOM PETTY
OUT JUNE 21
TRIBUTE ALBUM’S OFFICIAL TRACK LIST REVEALED TODAY– FEATURES GEORGE STRAIT, LUKE COMBS, WILLIE NELSON, LAINEY WILSON, CHRIS STAPLETON, HEARTBREAKERS’ MIKE CAMPBELL & BENMONT TENCH AND MORE
Album artwork; “Southern Accents” video still
“The sound and style of Petty reverberates irrepressibly throughout country music, where he holds more sway than any other rocker.”
April 5, 2024—Dolly Parton’s reimagined version of her friend and fellow Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Tom Petty’s “Southern Accents,” from the forthcoming Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty, is out today alongside a premiere of the music video on CBS Mornings as part of the show’s “What to Watch” segment. “I was fortunate enough to get to know Tom over the years,” reflects Parton. “He’s such an iconic artist and important songwriter. I’m so honored to be a part of this special album and to be able to share my version of one of Tom’s best songs, ‘Southern Accents’.”The beloved song—a Petty classic and considered by Petty to be one of the best he ever wrote—takes on new life in the world of country music as Parton’s beautifully intimate version arrives with a new video directed by Trey Fanjoy, featuring poignant home videos and professional footage of Petty throughout his life—watch/share HERE.
“Southern Accents” comes ahead of Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty, the country tribute album lovingly curated by some of the late rocker’s closest friends and collaborators. The album is officially set to be released on June 21 (via Big Machine Records in partnership with the Tom Petty Estate) and is available to pre-order now HERE.
Executive produced by Petty’s close confidant, GRAMMY® Award-winner George Drakoulias (Barbie, The Black Crowes, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers), with Randall Poster (Killers of the Flower Moon, Skyfall, Wes Anderson) and Scott Borchetta (Big Machine Label Group) Petty Country finds some of the most lauded voices in country music exploring the extensive Petty catalog and putting their own personal touches on some of his greatest hits. Highlights include a handful of songs by Petty’s longtime friends and collaborators, such as George Strait, Steve Earle, Willie Nelson with Lukas Nelson, bluegrass pioneer Marty Stuart and The Heartbreakers’ Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench. Contemporary country superstars Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton, Wynonna Judd, Carly Pearce, Lady A, Margo Price, Rhiannon Giddens—who most recently played banjo and viola on Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em”— Thomas Rhett and Lainey Wilson pay tribute to the late rocker with their own spin on fan favorites. See below for a complete track list for Petty Country.
“Southern Accents” follows the release of Dierks Bentley’s take on the all-time classic, “American Girl,” Bentley’s highest charting single which raced up the charts upon launch at Country radio and is currently climbing through the Top 40. Praised for “spright banjo, mandolin and guitar fusions” that “meld perfectly with Bentley’s own grainy, Rock-leaning vocal" (Billboard), the track has garnered more than 3.4 million streams. Listen to “American Girl” HERE and watch the video HERE.
Tom Petty, albeit widely known for his rocker grit and California anthems, is often credited as contemporary country music’s biggest rock influence. A Gainesville, Florida native, Petty straddled the American coasts, leaving his native Florida for his adopted home of Los Angeles, while keeping one foot firmly rooted in the south. The region’s influence can be heard throughout Petty’s discography, with lyrics about growing up in the south paired with his famous airtight melodies and rough vocal character that defines the state of country music today.
Petty’s deep roots in country music saw collaborations and long-lasting friendships with a number of the genre’s greatest artists, including Carl Perkins (Petty inducted Perkins into the Rock Walk of Fame), Johnny Cash (The Heartbreakers were the backing band on Cash’s Unchained), June Carter Cash, Marty Stuart, John Prine, Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, George Strait, Hank Williams Jr. and Willie Nelson included. Today, country songwriters consistently reference their love and admiration for Petty, and in many ways, how Petty’s influence shaped their own sound.
Over his 40-year career, Tom Petty became one of the biggest cultural icons in the world. In addition to the 13 studio albums he made with the Heartbreakers, Petty recorded three solo albums, including the acclaimed Full Moon Fever and Wildflowers. Petty was also a member of the supergroup, Traveling Wilburys, alongside George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison & Jeff Lynne; and in the pre-Heartbreakers band, Mudcrutch. Hailed as one of the greatest rock artists of all time, Petty’s list of achievements included: multiple Grammy Award winner, performing to over 140 million fans and selling over 85 million records, Super Bowl halftime performer, Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee. Tom Petty passed away in 2017 shortly after completing his 40th anniversary tour, but his music continues to reach fans, both new and old, around the world today.
PETTY COUNTRY—TRACK LIST
- “I Should Have Known It” by Chris Stapleton
- “Wildflowers” by Thomas Rhett
- “Runnin’ Down A Dream” by Luke Combs
- “Southern Accents” by Dolly Parton
- “Here Comes My Girl” by Justin Moore
- “American Girl” by Dierks Bentley
- “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” by Lady A
- “I Forgive It All” by Jamey Johnson
- “I Won’t Back Down” by Brothers Osborne
- “Refugee” by Wynonna Judd & Lainey Wilson
- “Angel Dream No. 2” by Willie Nelson & Lukas Nelson
- “Learning To Fly” by Eli Young Band
- “Breakdown” by Ryan Hurd feat. Carly Pearce
- “Yer So Bad” by Steve Earle
- “Ways To Be Wicked” by Margo Price feat. Mike Campbell
- “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” by Midland
- “Free Fallin’” by The Cadillac Three feat. Breland
- “I Need To Know” by Marty Stuart And His Fabulous Superlatives
- “Don’t Come Around Here No More” by Rhiannon Giddens feat. Silkroad Ensemble and Benmont Tench
- “You Wreck Me (Live)” by George Strait
For more information, please contact
Krista Williams or Carla Sacks at Sacks & Co., 212.741.1000, krista@sacksco.com or carla@sacksco.com.
Quinn Kaemmer at Big Machine Label Group; quinn.kaemmer@bmlg.net
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ROLLING STONE
Dolly Parton Turns Tom Petty’s ‘Southern Accents’ Into a Stunning Country Ballad
Petty’s original “Southern Accents” is a classic Heartbreakers jam, full of restless, ragged rock and roll energy, which gives a defiant edge to the song’s celebration of Southern roots, as well as its story about a down-on-his luck Florida orange-picker. Parton takes a completely different path, turning the song in a soaring country ballad, and juicing the poignancy further with a music video filled with old archival footage of Petty.
PITCHFORK: Dolly Parton Covers Tom Petty’s “Southern Accents”: Watch
https://pitchfork.com/news/dolly-parton-covers-tom-petty-southern-accents-watch/
CONSEQUENCE
Dolly Parton Shares Emotional Cover of Tom Petty’s “Southern Accents”: Stream
Dolly Parton then provides an emotional, stirring rendition of the song, kept at the same balladeer tempo as Petty’s original.
https://consequence.net/2024/04/dolly-parton-southern-accents-tom-petty-cover/
STEREOGUM
Dolly Parton – “Southern Accents” (Tom Petty Cover)
https://www.stereogum.com/2258309/dolly-parton-southern-accents-tom-petty-cover/music/
AMERICAN SONGWRITER
Tom Petty Tribute Album To Include a Tweaked Dolly Parton Cover of “Southern Accents”
BROOKLYN VEGAN
16 New Songs Out Today
https://www.brooklynvegan.com/16-new-songs-out-today-42/
SPIN
Dolly, Chris, Luke, Willie Put Country Spins On Tom Petty Tunes
https://www.spin.com/2024/04/tom-petty-country-tribute-album/
JAM BASE: Tom Petty’s “Southern Accents” covered by Dolly Parton for upcoming tribute album
https://www.jambase.com/article/dolly-parton-tom-petty-cover-southern-accents-tribute-album
LIVE FOR LIVE MUSIC
Dolly Parton Transforms Tom Petty’s “Southern Accents” For Country Tribute Album [Watch]
Parton instead turns it into a soaring country ballad. The country icon’s trademark confidence carries her rendition from the comical opening stanza to the closing crescendo
https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/dolly-parton-tom-petty-southern-accents-country-tribute/
JAM BROADCASTING
Tom Petty’s “Southern Accents” covered by Dolly Parton for upcoming tribute album
WHISKEY RIFF
Dolly Parton Covers Tom Petty’s “Southern Accents” For Tribute Album, ‘Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty’
ROCK CELLAR MAGAZINE
‘Petty Country’: Tom Petty Country Tribute Album June 21; Preview with Dierks Bentley, Dolly Parton Covers (Pre-Order)
https://rockcellarmagazine.com/tom-petty-country-tribute-album-preview-dolly-parton-dierks-bentley/
BEST CLASSIC BANDS
‘Petty Country’ All-Star Tribute Album Features Parton, Nelson, Stapleton
GRATEFUL WEB: DOLLY PARTON’S VERSION OF TOM PETTY’S “SOUTHERN ACCENTS” DEBUTS TODAY W/NEW VIDEO IN ADVANCE OF NEW PETTY COUNTRY ALBUM!
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BILLBOARD
5 Must-Hear New Country Songs: Bailey Zimmerman, Camille Parker, Dierks Bentley & More
Spry banjo, mandolin and guitar fusions lead this jaunty number, which melds perfectly with Bentley’s own grainy, rock-leaning vocal.
AMERICAN SONGWRITER
Tom Petty Fans React to Dierks Bentley’s New “American Girl” Spin: “Big Shoes to Fill There Dierks!”
"fans of both Dierks Bentley and Tom Petty are thrilled at this cover"
AMERICAN SONGWRITER
Tom Petty Tribute Album Will Feature Dolly Parton, Wynonna Judd, Chris Stapleton, and More Stars
AMERICAN SONGWRITER
Dierks Bentley Turns Tom Petty’s “American Girl” Bluegrass on Forthcoming Tribute Album
"a refreshing rendition"
SIRIUS XM
Dierks Bentley Premieres His Cover of Tom Petty’s ‘American Girl’ Exclusively on Tom Petty Radio
https://blog.siriusxm.com/dierks-bentley-american-girl-tom-petty
TASTE OF COUNTRY
George Strait, Luke Combs + More Pay Tribute to Tom Petty with ‘Petty Country’ Album
SAVING COUNTRY MUSIC
Dierks Bentley's 'American Girl' Previews All-Star Tom Petty Tribute Album: Everything to Know
https://www.wideopencountry.com/tom-petty-tribute-album-everything-to-know/
LIVE FOR LIVE MUSIC
Tom Petty Country Tribute Album To Feature Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Chris Stapleton, More [Listen]
https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/tom-petty-country-tribute-album/
ULTIMATE CLASSIC ROCK
Tom Petty Tribute Album, ‘Petty Country,’ Coming This Spring
IHEART COUNTRY
Dierks Bentley Just Covered 'One Of The Greatest Rock Songs Of All Time'
The newly-released cover smooths the edges of the familiar, gritty rock beat while simultaneously paying perfect homage to the melody.
GRATEFUL WEB
HEAR DIERKS BENTLEY'S TAKE ON “AMERICAN GIRL” – OUT NOW
https://www.gratefulweb.com/articles/hear-dierks-bentleys-take-american-girl-out-now
WHISKEY RIFF
Dierks Bentley Releases Teaser For His Take On Tom Petty’s 1976 Hit “American Girl”
WHISKEY RIFF
George Strait, Chris Stapleton, Luke Combs & More To Be Featured On Tom Petty Tribute Album, ‘Petty Country’