Tench would drop out of college a few years later to join Petty in the group Mudcrutch. Enjoying his music right now! 4965 events. ), Tom Petty and producer Rick Rubin as seen in the new documentary Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers, which debuts on YouTube on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021. Benmont Tench - Artist Details. He was buried at Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisadeswith his parents. And that record is a prime example of that. Thank God my daughter came along and brought that alternate universe to me so that I wasnt floundering, I wasnt lost. Tench would drop out of college a few years. ), Benmont Tench performs with Mudcrutch, the band he and Tom Petty played in before Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, during a reunion tour date at the Riviera Theatre on Saturday, May 28, 2016, in Chicago. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Stevie Nicks - Trouble in Shangri-La - Stevie Nicks CD ELLN The Cheap Fast Free at the best online prices at eBay! He was such a classic Southern gentleman, says Wharton, who like Petty, grew up in northern Florida. He'd attended school with Petty and spent. My dad, who was a judge, played guitar and piano. [6], In addition to playing piano and Hammond organ with the Heartbreakers, Tench is also a session musician, having recorded with dozens of notable artists.[7]. "@matthaig1 I suffer dreadfully from depression & anxiety. One day my cousin was over; he was a good athlete and could do anything. huhhh??? Raitt nailed this staggeringly intimate ballad in one take. Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench was expecting a call about the next tour in early-October of 2017 when his phone rang with much worse news. "I'd hug every one of you if I could," Petty told his fans. "Petty stuck to a very safe and familiar set list, favoring the usual assortment of well-known pop-rock ditties despite telling Rolling Stone that he was looking at breaking out some long-neglected songs," he wrote. Any live gigs planned? (Photo by Robert Sebree, courtesy of Warner Music & Petty Legacy, LLC. For Recording at 7018 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California, the band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Next . [16], In 1991, Tench married Canadian model Courtney Taylor. (Photo by Rob Grabowski/Invision/AP), Tom Petty as seen in the new documentary Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers, which debuts on YouTube on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. Now that he is gone, I do look at things a little bit differently, Tench says. The only other person I ever wanted to make a record with was [Heartbreakers bassist] Howie Epstein, and he passed away in 2003. Benmont played piano from an early age, and his first recital was at age 6. Because I was a member of a band following the captain, and now Im just my own adult.. With the commemorative set coming out, Tom Petty made other plans, too. A few years later, she was working with a new hire at VH1 named Adria Petty, who only after Wharton started to piece together clues, acknowledged that Tom Petty was her father. Tench attended Phillips Exeter Academy and, subsequently, Tulane University in New Orleans. "Catherine came in December, Tom died in October," Tench recalled. (hoped he had more 'spare change' after such a full rock career) Watching the new film, and appearing in it either in archival footage shot during the recording of the 1994 Wildflowers album, or new interviews with director Mary Wharton, Tench felt regret for what on a very personal level might have been. 89.3 WFPL News | 90.5 WUOL Classical And to have one of the greatest songwriters in rock n roll history admit that hed never thought he was any good is jaw-dropping. Marc Maron on Underrated Albums and Interviewing Difficult Musicians (Photo by Robert Sebree, courtesy of Warner Music & Petty Legacy, LLC. 10. Early on, Petty had also gained the musical nation's respect when, according toNewsweek,he had the guts to take on record labels who habitually put their musicians into debt. ", The extensiveTom Petty and the Heartbreakers Live at the Fillmore (1997) box set arrived last month. Benmont Tench is an American keyboard player and multi-instrumentalist who was one of the founders of the band called Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.. Tom was the last person in the band that I expected ever to go. His first recital was at age six. My favorite is my Hammond C3 organ that I got in 1978. [] And then, of course, she turned into one of my great, great friends forever. On February 18, 2014, Tench released his first solo album, entitled "You Should Be So Lucky". How would you describe their impact on you? No rock critic could ever deign to critique the significance of Tom Petty any better than Benmont Tench, whose objectivity about the late superstar's creative prowess and personal appeal is not. He went on to describe life after the Heartbreakers as an "alternate universe." The band embarked on their American tour on May 26, 2016. Sometimes he played guitar. Release Date. Its a lovely way to record. ), Director Mary Whartons new YouTube Originals documentary, Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free, arrives on YouTube on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. Petty's family further explained (viathe Tom Petty website)that on the day he died, Petty was told that his fractured hip was now broken. About This Deal. He's a rock 'n' roll rarity: an artist who was consistent until the very end. Mixed by Andy Wallace (Nirvana, Jeff Buckley, White Zombie), the album kicks off with the visceral Halo Of Ashes, driven by Garry Lee . You appreciate them, but theyre always there. Ill also do a few nights at Largo in L.A. from Feb. 20-22. Submit Corrections. So I started monkeying around on the piano. "I listened to a lot of The Band growing up," Goldsmith said. The piano I play at home I got 7 or 8 years ago, and Nicky Hopkins played it at his house. On the eve of its Feb. 18 release, Tench talked to Reverb about the new effort, his favorite gear, his time with Tom Petty, and his love of a Liverpool band that changed his life. Never forget the dog. 2898 events. Do the Heartbreakers record live as well? Benmont and Petty played together as members of the Sundowners in 1964. Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench was expecting a call about the next tour in early-October of 2017 when his phone rang with much worse news. In his entire career, Petty sold over 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. By then, the whole world knew that Nicks and Petty were longtime friends. Although the stance was somewhat typical of Petty in concert, there was definitely more to it that night. I have no bloody idea! Several minutes later, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers took the stage once more. Even as Tom Petty and his band rocked the house, however, the last two songs on the final night (via Slate),September 25, show Petty visibly lumbering across the stage and limping off after signing a few autographs. In a way, thats similar to Tenchs response when asked what he thinks and hopes the film will leave viewers with. Neither knew it was the last time they would see Petty sing. In 2015, Tench married his second wife, author Alice Carbone Tench. [1], Tench played piano from an early age. I have one in my house, but this was the first Hammond I ever owned and its been on every Heartbreakers record but the first two, and on every tour weve ever done since 78. To me tape feels better, and I can sink my teeth into it. I really loved that it caught things like him pretending to play the French horn that are goofy and silly and funny because he had a side that was really off the cuff. Welcome, Doyle Bramhall's third effort, continues to blur the lines between rock and blues, but he doesn't always achieve success with this tactic. It was magical. In 1976, he formed a new band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. "Better safe than sorry, I guess," Petty told the audience. So saying, Twain joined Nicks at the side of the stage and watched Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers perform, and the two sang along "at the top of [their] lungs." Thanks for sticking with us through the storm." In 2014, Benmont released his first solo album, called You Should Be So Lucky.. Tench has also played with countless others as a top shelf session man over the past four decades. Afterwards, he sat in with the band on several different sessions, then went back to school. Speaking with Rolling Stone, Tench juxtaposed the agony of Tom's death with the joy that came a few weeks later when his daughter was born. Tench has received two ASCAP songwriting awards: in 1995 for "Stay Forever" (performed by Hal Ketchum) and in 2001 for "Unbreakable Heart" (performed by Jessica Andrews). Well, he goes over to our piano, and he did that thing with the black keyswhere you roll them with your knuckles, back and forthand I was intrigued. Producer Glyn Johns' famous drum mic technique. But his version of American Girl is out of this world. The song was dedicated to keyboardist Benmont Tench. Benmont Tench Net Worth | Wife (Alice Carbone), https://www.bostonglobe.com/tench-songs-from-recording-career-tom-petty-and-heartbreakers, https://variety.com/benmont-tench-wildflowers-tom-petty-heartbreakers-all-rest-interview, https://www.grammy.com/grammysits-hard-and-its-still-hard-heartbreakers-keyboardist-benmont, Harry Knowles Net Worth | Wife (Patricia Cho Jones), Phoebe Combes Net Worth | Biography & Age. I quit school at 19 to play with him full-time. He had been in the Traveling Wilburys with George Harrison and Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne, a pretty elite group to be in.. The surviving members continue to forge new paths. Tom also recorded a number of hit singles as a solo artist as well as with the Heartbreakers. Concerts. Mention of Red Rocks and Tom Petty isn't complete without Stevie Nicks, who has played the famed amphitheater numerous times. My parents had an ivory chess set they got in the 1940s and it was breathtaking because it had so much soul. And he had his friends in the band, and we had our own relationship, our own kind of language.. His father was born and raised in the city of Gainesville, and served as a circuit court judge. Petty was indeed humbled, telling the audience, "Twenty years ago, I would have been way too cynical to do this, but I'm 66 now.". Petty fondly remembered, "We jammed for a few days and had the amps up loud," according toHear and Now. Heres a guy who at that point had gold records all over his wall, and Grammys and hit records, Wharton says. To me, that was kind of the most surprising, and at the same time, the most lovely thing I discovered.. Baby Health & Safety Shop All . There are 115 days left in the year. (Photo by Robert Sebree, courtesy of Warner Music & Petty Legacy, LLC. "I look back on that and what a magical moment that was," Nicks remembered. Vintage Cocktail Hour Playlist: Women's History Month Edition, Louisville ranks 3rd in U.S. for most premature deaths from coal-fired power pollution. And maybe he was talking about it because [he] was ill. He has also appeared at the Largo and at the Fillmore in San Francisco as a special guest with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, and accompanied the Dave Rawlings Machine on part of their west coast tour in spring 2010. Genre. Adria Petty and producer Peter Afterman told her that theyd recently unearthed an archive of film shot in the mid-90s as Petty was working on Wildflowers, most of which had never before been seen, and asked Wharton if she wanted to shape it into a documentary film. ), Tom Petty as seen in the new documentary Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers, which debuts on YouTube Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. He grew up, in order, in California, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oregon. In addition, Tom was a member of the late 1980s supergroup called Traveling Wilburys.. And when it goes to vinyl I can sink my teeth into it even more. [4] While on a college break, Tench went to a concert by Mudcrutch, Petty's band, with an opening act from nearby Jacksonville, Lynyrd Skynyrd. Sat Apr 01 2023 at 10:00 am 2023 Pekingese Club of GA Specialty Show. As confused friends and fans dug for the truth, Petty did die that evening at 8:40 PM. The meeting "kicked off my love of music," according to Petty, who would later say that "I'd never thought much about rock n' roll until that moment." It's only natural that the two greatest band keyboard players in the annals of rock would have formed a mutual admiration society. -Cheers, Benmont Tench!! Benjamin Montmorency Tench, III Profile: American keyboardist and singer, born September 7, 1953 in Gainesville, Florida, USA. Previous image. What kind of feel did you shoot for on Lucky? Keyboardist Benmont Tench told Rolling Stone's Andy Greene that at the jam, "We mainly did cover songs. "So Tom," she said, "I know you're standing next to me 'cause you always have been for so many years. What is Benmont Tenchs net worth? In 2009, Tench frequently appeared with the Watkins Family Hour at Largo at the Coronet in Los Angeles. Petty's manager, Tony Dimitriades, later said, "I don't think he even knew when it happened," but the rocker's hip was certainly bothering him. After the MusiCares gala, according toPeople,Nicks said Petty was " talking to me about how important it was to him. They did a wonderful job, he says. Its a Mason and Hamlin 1928 grand piano. [3], He attended Phillips Exeter Academy, and subsequently Tulane University in New Orleans. Especially pleasing to fans was an acoustic sing-along of "Learnin' to Fly," with the audience singing out the chorus like "an eerily beautiful choral society" as a crescent moon shone brightly in the night sky and the night lights of Denver glowed far away. Benmont released his solo album, You Should Be So Lucky, in 2014. Tom was pronounced dead a day later. I think its a real piece of work. A go-to ace for the Stones, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Elvis Costello, Fiona Apple and a ridiculous number of others, Benmont Tench earned his crown via his day job with Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker "I mean, you can't imagine someone hitting a child like that," he said. Godspeed to her. In March 2019, Benmont played three shows with Phil Lesh & Friends (an American rock band) at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY. Dana said her husband "insisted on keeping his commitment to his fans." 1970s - 2010s. This was also recorded by Carlene Carter in the early 1990s. First no. How are you going to do that? So when I hear him talking, and explaining what was in his head, that was educational for me, Tench says. "If there was something that makes sense to me as a real reason to do it, but I don't really feel it right now. He says he's open to the idea of playing with the others in various groupings, but that things simply aren't the same without Petty. It was the mid-'60s and Tench was 11 or 12, Petty three years older. In 2015, the Watkins Family Hour released their debut album and went on a national tour.[10]. Godspeed to her. It really wasnt. Best known as a founding member of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers . I love playing with the Heartbreakers but with them, I can just play piano and hide behind it. Considering you played a key role in forming it, where do you think The Heartbreakers sound comes from? Additional Details ----- Format: import. For Wharton, the key to making the film was to look at what she had, all that beautiful archival film, and what she didnt need to repeat such going over the same ground as 2007s Runnin Down a Dream, a four-hour-long documentary by director Peter Bogdanovich. It was the mid-60s and Tench was 11 or 12, Petty three years older. This film is part and parcel of the same thing, Tench says. In his book, Petty: The Biography, Warren Zanes of Rolling Stonequoted Petty as remembering being savagely beaten by his father around the age of four (viaThe Delite). : benmonttench.com, Facebook, Twitter, instagram.com, Wikipedia, musicianbio.org, famousbirthdays.com, geni.com : Benmont Tench was born in the middle of Baby Boomers Generation. He is 69 years old and is a Virgo. By. Best known as a founding member of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers . And then it was like this box of sunshine had dropped out of the sky into my arms. That he was always going to be striving for different ways to express himself. Benjamin Montmorency "Benmont" Tench III (born September 7, 1953) is an American musician and singer, and a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. I was like, Nothing, me and the rest of America are in our sweatpants with nothing to do, Wharton says. Members Team for Big Star Tribute Concert", "Tom Petty's Original Band MUDCRUTCH Is Coming Back", "The Who Announce Their New Album 'Who' Plus UK Tour Dates", "Benmont & Alice Carbone married yesterday", "Catherine Gabriella Winter Tench, born 8:09 pm December 16th, 2017. I had always been a fan of his music, but I really fell in love with him as a person.. Tom would want you to do that. Well, I dont want to do that. But I wasnt very good nonetheless, I enjoyed it, but I like the instant gratification of playing something on the piano and having the melody available to my ears., I prefer the way we play the Full Moon Fever songs live to the way they sound on the record, but the 7 million people that bought Full Moon Fever might disagree., You cant draw comparisons that somebody is as good as this, or they arent as good as that, everybody is really different., I loved Mal Evans holding one note down on You Wont See Me from Rubber Soul., There was a period when you were getting signed just because you were in a famous band; you made a record and, maybe, you didnt have anything to say., I got to play on a couple of records with the Rolling Stones, and that was really special to me., Im definitely a better musician than I was when I was 26, but I have to try to keep the mental freshness and naivet that I had then, and put in something of what Ive learned since., I try to find little things that you can do to move the song along and things that serve the song., Some people can clearly write character songs, but there is always an aspect of them in the character they are writing about., Working with Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson takes you up another level.. Nicks also later expressed her concern about Petty that night. 13 Concerts. Reunited after 30 years! Rolling Stoneverifiesthat Fleetwood Mac's lead crooner and accomplished songwriter first met Petty back in 1978 and sang alongside him on the song "Insider" for his 1981 album Hard Promises. For Petty, whose marriage to his first wife was on shaky ground during the making of the album, the songs became some of his most personal and autobiographical of his career, even though he didnt always realize it at the time. It saved me, having my daughter. When I started doing demos for this album and sent them to Glyn Johns, he said, You need to start singing every day and practicing everyday, and so I did. CNN published an alleged Instagram postfrom Petty's daughter, AnnaKim Petty. Id rather go watch The Lion King! sherlyholmes @ www.instagram.com/p/Bc20QBMlxPI/", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benmont_Tench&oldid=1116239232, Works Progress Administration (band) members, Articles with dead external links from February 2021, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox musical artist with associated acts, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 15 October 2022, at 15:15. "By the time we got to work with . Steve Winwood is a wild musical story. [3] At this point its absolutely blood. Oops, looks like you forgot something. "It isn't the Heartbreakers without hell, our rhythm guitar player and occasional lead guitar player. The records with the outtakes give you a certain picture of the way it went deeper, but the film, especially because you get to hear Tom talk so much, the film takes you further.. He was born on September 7, 1953, in Gainesville, Florida, USA. At age 11, he met Tom Petty for the first time at a Gainesville music store. A true gentleman. These kinds of things set up a dynamic, Tench, now 68, says. Jeff Lynne and Dave Ste. Heartbreakers Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell perform a special stripped down version of "American Girl" at the band's legendary recording and rehearsal space, The Clubhouse, in honor of the. Nicks didn't make an appearance at Petty's Red Rocks gig, but she did play alongside him in July at London's Hyde Park. "TOM PETTY. Songs written by Tench and recorded by other artists include "You Little Thief", a top 5 UK and Australian hit for Feargal Sharkey in 1985, and "Never Be You" (co-written with Petty), which became a #1 US Country hit for Rosanne Cash, also in 1985. Tench also appears on the bill for a tribute to the band Big Star that took place in Los Angeles, California, in April 2016 (together with members of R.E.M, Wilco and Semisonic). The band's eponymous debut album, released in 1976, initially caused little stir in the United States, but the single "Breakdown" was a smash in Britain, and, when it was re-released The band is composed of Tench, Sean Watkins (guitar), Sara Watkins (fiddle), Glen Phillips (guitar, vocals), Luke Bulla (fiddle), Greg Leisz (various), Pete Thomas (drums), and Davey Faragher (bass). "I'd watch him coming down from the stage. It let me not go, Holy shit. Best known as the longtime pianist and keyboard player for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Benmont Tench is one of rock's most respected instrumentalists, as he's guested on countless recordings other artists. And I really wish there was a way. 1 at 17 with Spencer Davis Group, considered a boy wonder who could play every instrument, joins a super group with Clapton, falls into obscurity, nearly forgotten, then comes roaring back in the 80s to dominate the charts . In a way, the director Wharton had been preparing for this film all of her working life. His collaborator and bandmate of over 40 years, Tom Petty, was in the hospital, after being found in his home unconscious, not breathing and in full cardiac arrest. He had also played at the Super Bowl, went solo for a bit, joined up with other famous musicians to form the Traveling Wilburys, and resurrected Mudcrutch. Get the latest news right in your inbox at 6 a.m. Five dead, thousands without power in Ky. following thunderstorms and high winds. Variety reports that the new song features Red Hot Chilli Peppers' guitarist Josh Klinghoffer and drummer Chad Smith, alongside Hammond organ by Benmont Tench, of The Heartbreakers-fame. It was not the circle-of-life lesson that I wanted. : Benjamin Montmorency Tench, III : American keyboardist and singer, born September 7, 1953 in Gainesville, Florida, USA. I played with him since I was 18 or 19. [12] Benmont Tench at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2, New York, NY, USA Artist: Benmont Tench , Venue: Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 , New York, NY, USA The Groom's Still Waiting at the Altar Love Will Tear Us Apart Back in the U.S.A. " Imperial Hotel " is a single released by American singer Stevie Nicks from her album Rock a Little. Peter Larsen has been the Pop Culture Reporter for the Orange County Register since 2004, finally achieving the neat trick of getting paid to report and write about the stuff he's obsessed about pretty much all his life. Earned a master's degree at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. "Should the Bowl just get them on the books now?" One just doesn't find a lead guitarist like Mike Campbell in a friend's back room or a keyboardist like Benmont Tench, the son of a Florida judge who had to fight to be a musician. Thats the difference between what The Beatles did and the cutting edge of technology today. In November 2016, he regrouped with the Heartbreakers (pictured in 1977) at their rehearsal space near Los Angeles to contemplate their upcoming 40th Anniversary Tour. Brown, currently on tour with Phish, has been Tench's keyboard tech for 31 of these years, but has remarkably seen little change in the vintage-minded keyboardist's live rig during that time. I just told someone, I sing like Chet Baker if he couldnt sing. [Laughs.]. He did many of those great records from 20 or 30 years ago, and I love the way he thinks and hears. In 2014, Tench released his first solo album, titled You Should Be So Lucky. News; Watch Live; Local News; Traffic; National; World; Entertainment It really wasn't. They released a self-titled album in September 2009. He was not well." The fact we knew and loved that music gave us a common musical language. [2] Benmont Tench 03.08.14 13 12 Wks 03.08.14 2 View full chart history Sign Up. His first recital was at age six. Benmont Tench's birth flower is Aster/Myosotis. What anti-LGBTQ bills are moving forward at the midpoint of Indianas legislative session? Tench and his wife welcomed their first daughter, named Catherine Gabriella Winter, on December 16, 2017. Then I started lessons at age 7 and right from the start, I wanted to be a composer or a songwriter. It would last several months. And here you are full circle, living out that childhood dream. In 1991, Benmont Tench married Courtney Taylor, a Canadian-born fashion model. [9], In 2009, Tench frequently appeared with the Watkins Family Hour at Largo at the Coronet in Los Angeles. It saved me, having my daughter. I dont know. There, he lingered on life support, while certain news sources (including CBS News and Rolling Stone, via iHeart Radio) jumped the gun and reported that Petty had died. Top sources. Benmont Tench, who was the keyboardist for the Heartbreakers from their inception in the 1970s through Petty's death in 2017, and Ryan Ulyate, Petty's producer in his latter era and the keeper .