Its not a job. Tench also reunited with Mudcrutch to record the band's second album, Mudcrutch 2. But as a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Tenchs keyboards are indelibly etched on a slew of hits, from Refugee and Jammin Me to the Heartbreakers-backed hit for Stevie Nicks, Stop Draggin My Heart Around. Johnny Cash, Elvis Costello, Green Day: theyve all tapped Tench to lend his sublime keyboard sorcery to their songs. Benmont played piano from an early age, and his first recital was at age 6. The tour was announced in December and would consist of all of the old Heartbreakers favorites. Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench said the birth of his daughter two months after the death of Tom Petty had prevented him from falling apart. I think it's important to make the distinction between those who are ill, and we all agree that it's illness, in a way that poses a threat to others, and those whose form of mental illness does not pose a threat." Enjoying his music right now! Benjamin Montmorency "Benmont" Tench III is an American keyboardist best known as a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It says exactly what I want to say, the way I want to say it, he explained. (Photo by Robert Sebree, courtesy of Warner Music & Petty Legacy, LLC. A guy named Bill Beer modified it, and he was secretive. [5], Mudcrutch eventually evolved into Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. 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. "I have a granddaughter now I'd like to see as much as I can." Previous image. But because I had a daughter coming, I had to take care of my wife.. Top Brands. There is no way.. The Heartbreakers' last stop on the tour was a three-day stint at the Hollywood Bowl in September. He released his debut solo album, You Should Be So Lucky, in . In addition, Tench worked as a session musician for artists like Bonnie Raitt, Neil Diamond, and Bob Dylan. Stevie Nicks told Peoplethat Petty was visibly unwell. 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. Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing. Hes very interactive with his fans. As a teenager, Tench met another up-and-coming rocker, Tom Petty, at a local music store. I looked at the songs as the tentpoles that were holding up the story.. And maybe he was talking about it because [he] was ill. 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. [3] The crowd cheered as they watched the Heartbreakers perform for the first time since 2014. Benmont Tench admin January 2, 2022 Biography Leave a comment Best known seeing that the longtime pianist and key pad participant for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Benmont Tench is among rock's esteemed instrumentalists, seeing that he's guested in countless recordings various other artists. 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. For Recording at 7018 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California, the band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. That band eventually became Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, in which Tench was a member until Pettys 2017 death. In 2016, Benmont reunited with Mudcrutch to record the bands 2nd album, titled Mudcrutch 2. In the same year, Tench played the Fleetwood Mac tribute at the Fonda Theater in LA. 10. When famed rocker Tom Petty died, he was called "dynamic and iconoclastic" by Rolling Stone. Watch Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit Cover I Wont Back Down, 40 Years Ago: ELO Prompts Tom Pettys Change of Heart, Win a Signed Tom Petty Live at the Fillmore 1997 Vinyl Set, Watch New Unseen Clips of Tom Pettys Fillmore Residency, 25 Years Ago: Why Tom Petty Was Grateful for Role in The Postman, Benmont Tench Doesnt Want to Play Another Heartbreakers Show, Joe Walsh, Blake Shelton Cover Tom Pettys I Wont Back Down, Win a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Fillmore Vinyl Box Set, Next: The Most Underrated Tom Petty Songs. After a few years of not much happening, they dissolved. [3] In 2009, Tench frequently appeared with the Watkins Family Hour at Largo at the Coronet in Los Angeles. As is typical of Colorado in spring, a wicked thunderstorm struck on the second night at Red Rocks, forcing the band backstage as fans (bedecked in "Petty" ponchos), scrambled to take cover. Its just a beautiful sounding instrument and its the favorite thing that I play. I dont know. To me, that was kind of the most surprising, and at the same time, the most lovely thing I discovered.. " But Harrington apparently didn't see what Peter Wolf of the J. Geils Band, who opened the concert, saw. The . Most poignant was Stevie Nicks' reaction to Petty's death. So its like the maiden voyage of the Titanic, and the goal is not to hit the iceberg. (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. And thats all the live shows I have planned for now; I hope it doesnt give me panic attacks or that people walk out bored en masse. Trisha Yearwood, Lee Roy Parnell, Paul Shaffer, Benmont Tench, Duke Levine, Beausoleil, Shawn Colvin, Matt Rollings. In early December, the upcoming tour was announced onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, with Petty appearing in a comical sketch about it via his studio. This film is part and parcel of the same thing, Tench says. He was born on September 7, 1953, in Gainesville, Florida, USA. Trisha Yearwood, Lee Roy Parnell, Paul Shaffer, Benmont Tench, Duke Levine, Beausoleil, Shawn Colvin, Matt Rollings. A me de Tench gostava de ter os meninos l, mas conversava com os vizinhos para garantir que a msica no os estivesse perturbando. Ive always liked to record as live as possible, and Ive always loved tape machines. The article gave further updates throughout the following early afternoon, including a report that EMTs were able to get a pulse before taking the singer to UCLA's Santa Monica Hospital. Tench was born in Gainesville, Florida, the second child of Benjamin Montmorency Tench Jr. and Mary Catherine McInnis Tench. 9. Tench grew up in Gainesville, Florida, as the son of Mary Catherine McInnis Tench and Benjamin Montmorency Tench, Jr., a circuit court judge. Freedom (B-Side of Butterfly)Dust emerged in July 1996, featuring guest spots from Benmont Tench, on loan from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and Pearl Jam's Mike McCready. He's taught one or two classes a semester in the journalism and mass communications department at Cal State Long Beach since 2006. It didnt give me something to push aside my grief or my acknowledgement of what was lost. 1970s - 2010s. But it was an extraordinary experience. No. It was magical. (Photo by Martyn Atkins, courtesy of Warner Music & Petty Legacy, LLC. He was a pretty amazing guy, and I think it caught it all, Tench says. Former Tom Petty keyboardist Benmont Tench isn't interested in playing again as the Heartbreakers. . Benmont Tench was born in Gainesville, Florida, USA on Monday, September 7, 1953 (Baby Boomers Generation). Benjamin Montmorency "Benmont" Tench III (born September 7, 1953) is an American keyboardist best known as a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. (Photo by Robert Sebree, courtesy of Warner Music & Petty Legacy, LLC. "Plus, it took me a minute to recover from how sad it was." With Bruce Hornsby on piano and Benmont Tench of the Heartbreakers on organ, she created an unexpected pop standard, performed [] 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.. Willman did note that Tom Petty "spends a lot of the night hunched over his guitar, as if he means to creep up on us." 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 by other artists. For his work with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch, see, [benmont-phil-lesh-friends-march-1801016], The Man with the Blue Post-Modern Fragmented Neo-Traditionalist Guitar, "Memories of Petty: How singer found way in area", "Tom Petty returns to his roots with Mudcrutch", "From Side Player to Frontman: Benmont Tench on Solo Debut, Playing With Tom Petty and Bob Dylan", "Heartbreakers, Imposters, Nickel Creekers Make The Scrolls", "Ten songs with prolific sideman Benmont Tench", "Watkins Family Hour - Debut Album out July 24th, 2015", "Wilco, R.E.M. ), Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers, is a new documentary from director Mary Wharton. "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. So when I hear him talking, and explaining what was in his head, that was educational for me, Tench says. Stream ad-free or purchase CD's and MP3s now on Amazon. And I really wish there was a way. A lot of it is simply that his passing freed me and made me more of an adult. 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. Considering you played a key role in forming it, where do you think The Heartbreakers sound comes from? If you ask him on Instagram, hell likely answer you. Keyboardist Benmont Tench also uses his time to work with other classic rock artists. 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. On February 18, 2014, Tench released his first solo album, entitled "You Should Be So Lucky". The post further explained that Petty could not be revived, dying peacefully in the presence of his family, bandmates, and friends. 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.. He had his friends that he would speak to about this, that, and the other, and speak to in a certain way. Marc Maron on Underrated Albums and Interviewing Difficult Musicians Next: The Stories Behind the 36 Covers from Tom Petty's 'Fillmore' Box, 40 Years Ago: ELO Prompts Tom Pettys Change of Heart, Win a Signed Tom Petty Live at the Fillmore 1997 Vinyl Set, Watch New Unseen Clips of Tom Pettys Fillmore Residency, Win a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Fillmore Vinyl Box Set, The Stories Behind the 36 Songs Tom Petty Covers on Fillmore LP, Hear Tom Petty Cover Call Me the Breeze at 1997 Fillmore Show, Watch Never-Before-Seen Clip of Tom Petty at the Fillmore in 1997, Original Tom Petty Drummer Nearly Refused Mike Campbells Reunion Offer. [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. "I hope it comes out because I think it's cool," Tench said, "but there's even more. After discovering the music of The Beatles, he ended his classical piano lessons and focused on rock and roll. Other articles where Benmont Tench is discussed: Tom Petty: former members, Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, joined Ron Blair and Stan Lynch to form Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. There are 115 days left in the year. 13 Concerts. Here he was in his middle age, and hes opening up his heart and showing it to you, and thats a beautiful thing, Wharton says. 19990000. To Stevie Nicks especially, Petty's MusiCares award was well-deserved. Keep in mind that we grew up in the same area, Gainesville, Fla., and listened to the same radio stations. They divorced in late 1999. The documentary seemed to him almost the other half of that, he says. Two decades later in early 2020, not long after the pandemic sent the world into lockdown, Adria Petty called Wharton, whod just finished the documentary Jimmy Carter: Rock and Roll President, and asked what she was working on. Thank God my daughter came along and brought that alternate universe to me so that I wasnt floundering, I wasnt lost. It didnt do that. And then it was like this box of sunshine had dropped out of the sky into my arms. Speaking to Billboard about the rocker's legacy, Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench elaborated on losing his friend and how he continues to cope with the sudden loss (Petty died of cardiac arrest). In 2008, Benmont became part of a group named The Scrolls. The group is composed of: Currently, they are officially known as Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.).. He had a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame and had been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Three long months later, Rolling Stone reported that the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner had found numerous drugs in Petty's system. "TOM PETTY. He was such a classic Southern gentleman, says Wharton, who like Petty, grew up in northern Florida. "I mean, you can't imagine someone hitting a child like that," he said. Thanks for your music! The single was released only in Australia, [1] where it peaked at No. 99 in October 1986. Just two weeks after Hyde Park, according tothe Tom Petty website,keyboardist Benmont Tench came down with a cold. Former Tom Petty keyboardist Benmont Tench isn't interested in playing again as the Heartbreakers. "Tom & The Heartbreakers sincerely apologizes for any and all inconvenience and disappointment this has caused," said the post. Tench singing with the Heartbreakers at Hollywood Bowl. By then, the whole world knew that Nicks and Petty were longtime friends. Tench was only 11 when he first met Tom Petty at a Gainesville, Florida music store. About Benmont Tench. Later that day, a chaplain was summoned to Petty's hospital room as his family reeled from the early reports that he was already dead. Its blood. Tench has worked extensively with other musicians, playing keyboards on hundreds of songs on albums such as Stevie Nicks' Bella Donna, Bob Dylan's Shot of Love, along with other musical greats such as Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Alanis Morissette, Eurythmics, Fiona Apple, U2, X (American band) among many more. He says there are also"one or two really great songs" that were recorded in 1973 three years before the band's debut album in Tench's parents' living room, "completely live to two track.". 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. Eight years later, the couple divorced. 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. (Photo by Martyn Atkins, courtesy of Warner Music & Petty Legacy, LLC. Theres not a false thing on the record, on the whole thing, Tench says. 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. Afterwards, he sat in with the band on several different sessions, then went back to school. As he continued touring with Mudcrutch, Petty furthered his plans for the Heartbreakers, and himself. 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 . With The Beatles, its like the first time someone saw an electric light or a motion picture. And I think some people who see the film will get an insight from it, too., The story Wharton and her team wove together felt true when Tench watched the film, which includes such classic songs as Its Good to Be King, You Wreck Me, and You Dont Know How It Feels.. Eddie Vedder has unveiled a new single The Long Way - the first to be taken from his forthcoming solo album, Earthling. But you also catch how thoughtful he was about the record-making process and about the songwriting process.. 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.. 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." Produced by Glyn Johns (The Who, Eric Clapton, Eagles, The Beatles), Lucky spotlights Tench as smart songwriter, and a more-than-capable vocalist in the vein of Mark Knopfler, Bob Dylan and Del Amitris Justin Currie. Hey! I was like, Nothing, me and the rest of America are in our sweatpants with nothing to do, Wharton says. Mention of Red Rocks and Tom Petty isn't complete without Stevie Nicks, who has played the famed amphitheater numerous times. His doctor advised him to take time off, resulting in upcoming performances in Sacramento and Berkeley, California, being rescheduled. Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench said the birth of his daughter two months after the death of Tom Petty had prevented him from falling apart. Warm thoughts of health and happiness. It would last several months. 4965 events. In addition to Tench, musicians who collaborated with Watkins Family Hour include: Tench earned most of his wealth from being part of the band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. (Photo by Robert Sebree, courtesy of Warner Music & Petty Legacy, LLC. According toThe Sound, Petty would later recall that when Nicks first befriended him, "We were a little wary of Stevie. I love Benmont Tenchs skills as a keyboardist. Release Date. We connected and we stayed in touch.. Contents Early years Education Music career Other bands and solo career Personal life Discography Solo Session References External Links Early years When Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers honored their 2017 dates at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley a few days later, Harrington seemed unimpressed. Tench attended Phillips Exeter Academy and, subsequently, Tulane University in New Orleans. 593 Tench Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images Images Images Creative Editorial Video Creative Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO 593 Tench Premium High Res Photos Browse 593 tench stock photos and images available or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. We were shaking off the rust.". "Shania got to stand there with me and watch my boys.". "You don't want to shake my hand today," he told others. "He should've canceled," she said later, "and he should've just gone home and gone to the hospital. The thing to take away from the Beatles is the spirit in which it was done. In 2016, he played the Fleetwood Mac tribute at the Fonda Theater, in Los Angeles; he performed the song "Silver Springs" with Courtney Love. Tench isn't sure if there are any plans release further vault material, since "the cat who knows where everything is buried." Based on your location, we've changed your settings: By clicking Subscribe, I agree to receive exclusive offers & promotions, news & reviews, and personalized tips for buying and selling on Reverb. And I said, Im going to do something better than my cousin, dammit! [Laughs.] Mixed by Andy Wallace (Nirvana, Jeff Buckley, White Zombie), the album kicks off with the visceral Halo Of Ashes, driven by Garry Lee . [16], In 1991, Tench married Canadian model Courtney Taylor. Nicks shouted to the crowd after being introduced. He was buried at Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisadeswith his parents. . You describe an old-school approach, and the record has an old-school intimacy to itlike something cut 20 or 30 years ago. I need to watch this show with you." I played with him since I was 18 or 19. Best known as a founding member of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers . [12] 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. About This Deal. ", That day at Hyde Park, Nicks remembered rehearsing "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" with the band in the dressing room. His first recital was at age six. Take us to the moment when the light bulb went offthat you knew you wanted to play keyboards. "I just have to learn to rest a little bit, like everyone's telling me," he said. And they were four friends having fun and playing music. Petty e Tench tocaram juntos como membros do The Sundowners em 1964. In the years following, the two often performed together and were known to make special appearances at one another's concerts. 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). Even as his health was failing, the musician rocked on with vigor, and it was all for the people who loved his music. I quit school at 19 to play with him full-time. His wife hosts the podcast Coffee with Alice.. In a new interview with Rolling Stone, he noted that hed been expecting a call about another tour instead of the call he received saying Petty was in the hospital in 2017. (Photo by Robert Sebree, courtesy of Warner Music & Petty Legacy, LLC. Tom was the last person in the band that I expected ever to go. Despite the decades spent together on vans and buses and planes, the days and nights in cheap lodgings and fancy hotels, and the thousands of hours in recording studios and on stage, Tench says the new documentary Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free, which arrives on YouTube on Thursday, Nov. 11, showed him more of Petty than he knew.