The cover appears on the forthcoming country tribute to the late star
Chris Stapleton’s take on Tom Petty’s “I Should Have Known It,” from the forthcoming Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty, available June 21st via Big Machine Records, debuts with an accompanying audio video that features vintage photos of Petty. “I Should Have Known It” will impact Rock, AAA, and Americana radio immediately.
The new track follows the recent release of “Southern Accents,” by Petty’s friend and fellow Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Dolly Parton. The beautifully intimate version of what Petty considered to be one of the best songs he ever wrote has taken on a new life in the world of country music. The video features home videos and professional footage of Petty. Dierks Bentley’s take on the classic, “American Girl,” premiered as Bentley’s highest charting single upon launch. The track is currently climbing through the Top 35 on country radio.
Executive produced by Petty’s close confidant, two-time Grammy Award-winner George Drakoulias (Barbie, The Black Crowes, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers), with two-time Grammy Award-winner Randall Poster (Killers of the Flower Moon, Skyfall, Wes Anderson) and Big Machine’s Scott Borchetta, the country tribute album lovingly curated by some of the late Petty’s closest friends and collaborators, finds some of the most lauded voices in country and Americana music exploring the extensive Petty catalog and putting their personal touches on some of his greatest hits.
Albeit known for his rocker grit and California anthems, Petty is often credited as contemporary country music’s biggest rock influence, as the south’s influence was a constant throughout the Gainesville, Florida native’s songwriting. The region’s influence can be heard throughout Petty’s extensive discography, with lyrics about growing up in the South paired with rough vocal character—which also 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 greats, including Carl Perkins (Petty inducted Perkins into the Rock & Roll Hall 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.
