Country stars have joined up to honour Tom Petty with tribute album

Country’s most notable legends and current hitmakers have honoured late rocker Tom Petty with a long-awaited tribute album.

The historic, 20-track album includes iconic hits throughout the singer-songwriter’s decades-long career, curated by many of his closest friends and collaborators.

Chris Stapleton, Dolly Parton, Luke Combs, Lady A, Wynonna Judd, Lainey Wilson, Willie Nelson, Lukas Nelson, George Strait and many others deliver renditions of Tom's songs on Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty.

"There’s a saying in Nashville ‘it all begins with a song’," Bluegrass pioneer Marty Stuart said in a statement. "Well, in this case, it begins with the song and the songwriter. I don’t think anybody can challenge Tom Petty when it comes to songwriting.

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He touched the American heart—critics, fans, the musicians, everyone agrees on Tom’s songs. There’s just a special magic about him. …It’s incredibly rare to find musicians who can navigate and completely understand the intersection of Rock & Roll, Country, Gospel and Folk. That’s what Tom (Petty) & The Heartbreakers did so well. They’re America’s greatest Rock & Roll band."

Dierks Bentley was the first to release a single from the tribute album earlier this year, followed by several others in recent months. Dierks performs the late 1970s classic American Girl. He borrowed Tom's guitar when he filmed a music video that premiered earlier this year, calling the experience "surreal."

Other artists, including Dolly, were "fortunate enough to know Tom over the years," she noted with her rendition of the mid-80s track, Southern Accents.

Earlier this month, ahead of the tribute album’s debut, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum unveiled a display that details Tom's southern roots and his influence on artists in the country genre.

Tom Petty: Where I Come From includes the late singer-songwriter’s guitar, stage wear, handwritten song manuscript for Southern Accents, and other artefacts.

Watch the story behind the album here, and see the full tracklist below.

1. I Should Have Known It - Chris Stapleton
2. Wildflowers - Thomas Rhett
3. Runnin’ Down A Dream - Luke Combs
4. Southern Accents - Dolly Parton
5. Here Comes My Girl - Justin Moore
6. American Girl - Dierks Bentley
7. Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around - Lady A
8. I Forgive It All - Jamey Johnson
9. I Won’t Back Down - Brothers Osborne
10. Refugee - Wynonna Judd & Lainey Wilson
11. Angel Dream No.2 - Willie Nelson & Lukas Nelson
12. Learning To Fly - Eli Young Band
13. Breakdown - Ryan Hurd feat. Carly Pearce
14. Yer So Bad - Steve Earle
15. Ways To Be Wicked - Margo Price feat. Mike Campbell
16. Mary Jane’s Last Dance - Midland
17. Free Fallin’ - The Cadillac Three feat. Breland
18. I Need To Know - Marty Stuart And His The Fabulous Superlatives
19. Don’t Come Around Here No More - Rhiannon Giddens feat. Silkraod Ensemble and Benmont Tench
20. You Wreck Me (Live) - George Strait

- iHeartRadio and republished with edits and permission