Kentucky country music stars Chris Stapleton, Wynonna Judd, Carly Peace featured on Tom Petty tribute album

(WOWK) — A Tom Petty tribute album full of country artists features some of Kentucky’s biggest names.

“Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty” was released on June 21 through Big Machine Records. The 20-track record features some of Petty’s biggest hits done in a country way, including “American Girl,” “I Won’t Back Down,” and “Free Fallin’,” among others.

Kentucky country stars Chris Stapleton, Wynonna Judd, and Carly Peace are all featured on the record, with Stapleton sitting down with CBS News Reporter Anthony Mason to discuss the influence Petty had on his career and all other country artists and bands.

“Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is an influence on every country act that has existed since they were a band,” Stapleton told CBS News Reporter Anthony Mason.

Stapleton, influenced by Petty’s solo record, “Wildflowers,” sings along the fuzzy riffs and Led Zeppelin-inspired composition of “I Should Have Known It” in his style.

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Longtime Heartbreakers bandmate Mike Campbell — who produced, wrote and played on the 2010 original — said Petty sang the song in an “understated” way. He said Stapleton “stepped up and belted out, and it just took a whole new life.”

While a country tribute to rock legend Petty may strike some as weird, Campbell brought up the notable twang in the singer’s voice as well as some of the country acts that inspired them: George Jones, Loretta Lynn, and Dolly Parton. Parton covers “Southern Accents” on the tribute album.

“A great song is a great song, no matter what kind of instrumentation you put around it,” Stapleton said on CBS.

Petty is also known as a key player in the heartland rock genre, alongside Bruce Springsteen. The genre uses elements of folk rock and other styles influenced and inspired by country and blues music, like roots rock.

The singer has been covered by plenty of major artists from across hundreds and thousands of genres. Some of these artists and bands include Stevie Nicks, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, The Killers, Phoebe Bridgers, Bleachers, Grace Jones, and many, many more.

Petty passed away at the age of 66 in 2017, according to NPR’s reporting at the time .

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