Dierks Bentley has released a refreshing rendition of Tom Petty‘s 1976 hit “American Girl.” Bentley’s bluegrass version will appear on the forthcoming tribute album Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty, out in 2024.
“Petty’s southern roots shined through across his songwriting and storytelling,” said Bentley in a statement. “He might not have ever been considered as Country but you can’t go into a bar in Nashville without hearing this song. It is one of the greatest songs in a life’s work of great American songs.”
Bentley added, “The spirit of this woman, the idea of such relentless hope—and disappointment—ignites such a spark. Jon Randall and I were driven to make that feeling of American roots stand tall.”
The banjo-forward rendition is filled in with organ, mandolin, and fiddles, all highlighted during the pre-bridge breakdown. Produced by Jon Randall, who also plays guitar on the track, Bentley is joined by guitarist Rob McNelley, bassist Craig Young, drummer Chad Cromwell, and Jimmy Wallace on piano and B-3, along with Chris Eldridge on acoustic guitar, banjoist Noam Pikelny, and Andy Leftwich on fiddle and mandolin.
Videos by American Songwriter
When released on Tom Petty & the Heartbreaker’s self-titled debut in 1976, “American Girl” never charted in the U.S. but became one of the band’s most iconic hits and a classic rock staple. Petter rereleased the song on a Greatest Hits compilation in 1994, and it peaked at No. 68 in the Billboard Cash Box Top 100 chart.
[RELATED: 7 Songs You Didn’t Know Tom Petty Wrote for Other Artists]
Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty, released by Big Machine in partnership with the Tom Petty Estate in spring 2024, features a collection of country and Americana artists reimagining Petty classics.
The album also includes contributions from Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, George Strait, Chris Stapleton, Marty Stuart, Lady A, Thomas Rhett, and more, along with former Heartbreakers, Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, who appear on the new covers of “Don’t Come Around Here No More” and “Ways to Be Wicked.”
Photo: Erika Goldring/Getty Images for ACM
