Tom Petty Gone Country? Not Really, But A Ton Of Country Artists Did A Cool Tribute To Tom.

Courtesy of Big Machine Records + Tom Petty Estate

By Ethan

Tom Petty’s music is cross-generational, and crosses genres too. We Petty fans know his music is loved by fans of all stripes. So while I was surprised to see a country tribute to Tom, I was also surprised to hear some pretty decent country versions of his songs. But Tom was always a fan of country music:

According to Tom’s website: ‘The Tom Petty Estate is thrilled to officially announce Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty, out June 21 via Big Machine Records. The album is a country music tribute to Tom lovingly curated by some of his closest friends and collaborators, including great friend and GRAMMY® Award-winner George Drakoulias and Tom’s esteemed colleague Randall Poster.

Some of the most lauded voices in country music explore the extensive Petty catalog and put their own personal touches on some of his greatest hits.’

Nothing will compare to his originals, obviously, but some of these are worth a listen, especially if you’re a Petty and country music fan. Some of the tracks I especially dig are the Dierks Bentley American Girl:

Eli Young Band doing Learning To Fly:

And even though I feel the original shouldn’t be touched, this version of Don’t Come Around Here No More is actually such a departure from the original, that its found its own groove. Plus it features Benmont Tench so it has extra cred. Check out Rhiannon Giddens feat. Silkroad Ensemble and Benmont Tench:

Here’s the track and artist listing:

  • “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 feat. 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