It’s been nearly a decade since the music world lost a legend with the passing of Tom Petty in 2017.
On Wednesday, September 16, the songs he left behind were revived by the members of his former band, the Hearbreakers, during the Americana Honors & Awards gala in Nashville’s famed Ryman Auditorium.
Taking Petty’s place was one of the late rocker’s most ardent — and, arguably, most famous — fans: country music sensation Chris Stapleton.
Chris Stapleton and the Heartbreakers
As People reports, Stapleton filled in for the late rock icon for performances of three beloved hits, fronting the band on “Breakdown,” “American Girl” and “You Wreck Me.”
The first two songs featured the original historic lineup of the Heartbreakers, including guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer Stan Lynch and bassist Ron Blair.
That marked the first time that particular iteration of the band has performed together since Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ induction in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame back in 2002; Lynch exited the band in 1994, while Blair left in 1982, only to return in 2002 after a 20-year absence following the death of his replacement, bassist Howie Epstein.
A Historic Reunion
That OG lineup backed up Stapleton on “American Girl” and “Breakdown.”
For “You Wreck Me,” however, the song featured the addition of drummer Steve Ferrone (who joined in 1994 as a replacement for Lynch) and multi-instrumentalist Scott Thurston, who officially joined the band in 1991.
A Posthumous Honor for Petty
During the award show, Stapleton also presented a posthumous award to Petty and the band.
“It transcends genre, it transcends Americana,” Stapleton said of Petty’s music.
“It heals and makes you feel good and makes you want to drive too fast,” he added. “And it makes you want to play music, that’s what it did for me. So, tonight, it’s my honor and I’m proud to present the Americana Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.”
The award was accepted by Petty’s daughter, Adria Petty.
“It’s so cool for dad and the band,” she gushed.
“There would be a thousand-watt smile on his face. My dad achieved a lot in his short 66 years… He was a standard bearer for decency and integrity in business practices… He was one in a billion,” she added.
During the evening, other award recipients included Dolly Parton and former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, both of whom were presented with Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Parton, who passed away August 25 at age 80, accepted her award posthumously with a video she recorded prior to her death.
“It’s Dolly. I’m honored to be receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association,” Parton said in the video, which was shown to the audience.
Proclaiming her love of Americana roots music, she added, “It’s that same music that drew me back to East Tennessee in 1997 to write and record my album, ‘Hungry Again.’ And that project really opened the door to a series of bluegrass and acoustic albums that changed the course of my career in so many ways.”
She concluded her posthumous remarks by stating: “Now, new fans discovered these albums, new Americana music communities embraced them, and now looking back at it all, I see this era of my career as a musical renaissance of sorts. I want to thank everyone at the AMA for recognizing me with this award. It’s a great honor truly, and just know that I will always love you.”
