Join Insider Sign In. Nicks also later expressed her concern about Petty that night. 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. 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. Benmont Tench - Wikipedia Thanks for your music! Neutral. Pop/Rock. I have always been a Tom Petty fan, and only recently have discovered how wonderful a lyricist and singer Benmont is (in addition to his more renowned Piano/keyboard skills). Ive always liked to record as live as possible, and Ive always loved tape machines. And they were four friends having fun and playing music. While Tench's career also brought him gigs with other legends like Stevie Nicks, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and Cyndi Lauper, his main priority was always Tom and the Heartbreakers. [17] Their daughter Catherine Gabriella Winter was born on December 16, 2017.[18]. And he had his friends in the band, and we had our own relationship, our own kind of language.. You describe an old-school approach, and the record has an old-school intimacy to itlike something cut 20 or 30 years ago. All love. 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. When Keyboard Worlds Collide: Steve Nieve & Benmont Tench in - Variety Petty and Tench played together as members of The Sundowners in 1964. 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. 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. [13][14], In March 2019, Tench played three shows with Phil Lesh & Friends at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. Producers: Jim Scott, Benmont Tench, Doyle Bramhall II. "@matthaig1 I suffer dreadfully from depression & anxiety. Later, singer Shania Twain showed up, according toRolling Stone, and told Nicks, "I'm going to be greedy right now. Tench emphasized that he was only speaking for himself, not his bandmates. ), 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. "The loss of Tom Petty has just about broken my heart," she told a crowd at Radio City Music Hall that month, according toPeople. "You don't want to shake my hand today," he told others. If they had access to AutoTune, it wouldnt have sounded as human. Wed love to see you hit the road in support of your album. 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). This film is part and parcel of the same thing, Tench says. Its very much live in the studio. In 2014, Tench released his first solo album, titled You Should Be So Lucky. Graduated from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Ore. with degrees in English and Communications. In 2002, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Pettys death from an accidental overdose changed all that. Benmont Tench Concert Setlists | setlist.fm : Benjamin Montmorency Tench, III : American keyboardist and singer, born September 7, 1953 in Gainesville, Florida, USA. Happy Birthday! Benmont Tench | 93.7 The River | Jeff K Benjamin Montmorency "Benmont" Tench III is an American musician and singer, best known as a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. "[T]hat was my singer," Tench said of Tom. Nothing felt at all manipulated or edited to be a certain version of a story. REVIEW: Tom Petty, coming to Allentown's PPL Center tonight, still Keyboardist Benmont Tench told Rolling Stone's Andy Greene that at the jam, "We mainly did cover songs. Thanks for sticking with us through the storm." The world was in a very sort of chaotic and kind of scary place, Wharton says. It brought a vital center to my life., Tench said he was now nearing completion of a solo album featuring a tiny, compact band as a result of the pandemic. 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. Also, we shared a real love for each other., He addedthat "it isnt that Im in denial, but my world just changed. Just two weeks after Hyde Park, according tothe Tom Petty website,keyboardist Benmont Tench came down with a cold. Watkins Family Hour is a bluegrass musical collaborative led by Sean and Sara Watkins. 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! In 2015, the Watkins Family Hour released their debut album and went on a national tour.[10]. Several minutes later, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers took the stage once more. 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. For Wharton, theres a moment in the film that she still thinks about months later. How would you describe their impact on you? My mothers mother had been a piano teacher, and both my parents played music. Marc Maron on Underrated Albums and Interviewing Difficult Musicians The post further explained that Petty could not be revived, dying peacefully in the presence of his family, bandmates, and friends. Theres a 14-song version of the album on vinyl. 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. Benjamin Montmorency Tench, III Profile: American keyboardist and singer, born September 7, 1953 in Gainesville, Florida, USA. 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. 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. I did learn from things Tom said because he would never say, Hey Ben, come here, I want to tell you whats on my mind while Im making the album.. "I look back on that and what a magical moment that was," Nicks remembered. "Should the Bowl just get them on the books now?" There was no time to really deal with it, since the tour was kicking off soon, and Petty, ever mindful of his fans, did not want to disappoint anyone. 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.).. "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. 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). And the fact we loved the way Tom wrote gave us a vision and a focus. Born on September 7, 1953, in Gainesville, Florida, Tench took up piano at an early age, playing recitals at the age of six. At age 11, Tench met Tom Petty for the first time at a Gainesville music store. (Photo by Martyn Atkins, courtesy of Warner Music & Petty Legacy, LLC. I just told someone, I sing like Chet Baker if he couldnt sing. [Laughs.]. He was such a classic Southern gentleman, says Wharton, who like Petty, grew up in northern Florida. In 1991, Benmont Tench married Courtney Taylor, a Canadian-born fashion model. Oops, looks like you forgot something. 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. Benmont Tench's Live Rig Keyboard - November 2009 "Benmont's had the same Hammond C-3 organ for 35 years," longtime keyboard tech Kevin Brown tells me. 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. What it told her was that Petty was never one to rest of his laurels. ), Benmonth Tench and Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 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. benmont tench III on Twitter: "I suffer dreadfully from depression Keyboardist Benmont Tench also uses his time to work with other classic rock artists. The Gear of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Benmont Tench: A Heartbreaker Goes Soulful on Debut Solo Disc. "Why not?" It's only natural that the two greatest band keyboard players in the annals of rock would have formed a mutual admiration society. Email Kyle at, Louisville Public Media | Joe Walsh kicked things off before the band opened with an old favorite, "Rockin' Around (With You)," from their debut album so many years ago. 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 Amitri's Justin Currie. The Mad Hatters: A Tribute to Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Tom Petty was an American actor, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter, who died one week after the completion of the Heartbreakers 40th-anniversary tour at the age of 66 (October 2, 2017) due to an accidental overuse of prescription drugs. Nicks shouted to the crowd after being introduced. My dad, who was a judge, played guitar and piano. Petty was left "covered in raised welts." [2] The song was co-written by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell. He also wrote songs for Kimmie Rhodes ("Play Me A Memory") and Lone Justice ("Sweet, Sweet Baby (I'm Falling)").