Dierks Bentley today premieres the music video for his spirited cover of Tom Petty’s “American Girl” with CMT. The video for the lead single from Big Machine Records’ forthcoming tribute album, PETTY COUNTRY: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty, opens with Bentley strapping on Petty’s own signature Rickenbacker guitar that was flownin from his archives in California for the shoot.
Shot at Nashville venue Clementine, the performance-forward video focuses on musicianship as Bentley and his band (which includes Charlie Worsham) circle up at golden hour with light pouring into the room, offering up a sense of sanctification and celebrating the fellowship, joy of playing and spirit that defined Tom Petty and his seminal band the Heartbreakers. Directed by Wes Edwards, the clip focuses on Bentley’s rugged features, the appropriate solos and chemistry between road-honed musicians. Their seemingly clubhouse jam is interpolated with Americana images, forward travel and other articles from Petty’s archive, including cases and concert memorabilia.
“Holding an instrument that carries so much musical history and significance was surreal, you could almost feel the stories resonate from it as I played it,” Bentley shared. “Tom Petty’s lyrics and delivery were a huge part of what made his music so impactful.”
The video airs every hour today during CMT’s music video hours and will run in full on the Paramount billboard in Times Square at 12:00pm and 5:00pm EST today, in addition to appearing throughout the day on the CMT Music channel. It will also be available on all streaming platforms today at 4:00pm CST HERE.
Long a Bluegrass-forward artist with a commitment to playing for the people and creating music that merges high spirits with the reality of living in today’s America, Bentley’s take on this classic hit (produced by multiple GRAMMY® winner Jon Randall) delivers the grit and authenticity of the 15-time GRAMMY nominee and Rock & Roll Hall inductee, Tom Petty. The song, out on Country radio now, landed at No. 25 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart in its second week, has been hailed for its “spright banjo, mandolin and guitar fusions” that “meld perfectly with Bentley’s own grainy, Rock-leaning vocal” (Billboard) and has garnered more than 3.4 million streams.
The official track list and release date for PETTY COUNTRY: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty will be announced in the coming weeks.