Gwinnett County Fairgrounds. "You don't want to shake my hand today," he told others. It let me not go, 'Holy s--t. My world is fallen apart.' (Photo by Martyn Atkins, courtesy of Warner Music & Petty Legacy, LLC. It is straight-up true music from a straight-up true guy, he says of Wildflowers and its depiction in the film. Even as his health was failing, the musician rocked on with vigor, and it was all for the people who loved his music. Email Kyle at, Louisville Public Media | He was such a classic Southern gentleman, says Wharton, who like Petty, grew up in northern Florida. As a teenager, Tench met another up-and-coming rocker, Tom Petty, at a local music store. He regularly covers the Oscars and the Emmys, goes to Comic-Con and Coachella, reviews pop music, and conducts interviews with authors and actors, musicians and directors, a little of this and a whole lot of that. 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.. Benmont played piano from an early age, and his first recital was at age 6. It says exactly what I want to say, the way I want to say it, he explained. [3], He attended Phillips Exeter Academy, and subsequently Tulane University in New Orleans. He's taught one or two classes a semester in the journalism and mass communications department at Cal State Long Beach since 2006. But Petty also hinted heavily that the tour might be his last, tellingRolling Stone,"I'm thinking it may be the last trip around the country," or at least the last big tour. At age 11, Tench met Tom Petty for the first time at a Gainesville music store. There are 115 days left in the year. 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.. I need to watch this show with you." 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. In addition, Tench worked as a session musician for artists like Bonnie Raitt, Neil Diamond, and Bob Dylan. Thanks for sticking with us through the storm." You appreciate them, but theyre always there. My only role in The Heartbreakers is to play the songs the best way I can. 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.. 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. 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. Take us to the moment when the light bulb went offthat you knew you wanted to play keyboards. (Photo by Robert Sebree, courtesy of Warner Music & Petty Legacy, LLC. The world was in a very sort of chaotic and kind of scary place, Wharton says. Stream ad-free or purchase CD's and MP3s now on Amazon. Therefore, Benmont Tench has an estimated net worth of $1.5 million. Its not a job. Petty and Tench played together as members of The Sundowners in 1964. 1.3mil was just the house he sold to Mike Campbell. Mention of Red Rocks and Tom Petty isn't complete without Stevie Nicks, who has played the famed amphitheater numerous times. The song was dedicated to keyboardist Benmont Tench. "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 [] "I'd hug every one of you if I could," Petty told his fans. [2] A garagem da famlia Tench era um local de prtica frequente para a banda noite, quando o pai de Tench no estava presente. Member Of. The thing to take away from the Beatles is the spirit in which it was done. 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. My world world is fallen apart. Tom was the last person in the band that I expected ever to go. Today is Saturday, Sept. 7, the 250th day of 2019. . Also, we shared a real love for each other., He addedthat "it isnt that Im in denial, but my world just changed. I just told someone, I sing like Chet Baker if he couldnt sing. [Laughs.]. Release Date. To this day, people say to me, Why dont you get another singer? Born on September 7, 1953, in Gainesville, Florida, Tench took up piano at an early age, playing recitals at the age of six. Search. (hoped he had more 'spare change' after such a full rock career) 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. [1], Tench played piano from an early age. Craftsman; Cuisinart; DeWalt; Dyson; Keurig; KitchenAid I played with him since I was 18 or 19. In 2015, the Watkins Family Hour released their debut album and went on . 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. [8] Tench penned one of the songs on the album, named "The Price," sung by Sara Watkins and himself. Home Benmont Tench Net Worth | Wife (Alice Carbone). [Laughs.] Born in Florida in 1950, Petty endured an abusive home life. The Gear of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Benmont Tench: A Heartbreaker Goes Soulful on Debut Solo Disc. 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. He had his friends that he would speak to about this, that, and the other, and speak to in a certain way. Stat News physician writer Lipi Royverified that surgery would have put Petty down for two months or more. Brewed in Florida, aged to perfection in LA, the genius of Tom Petty was at it's very best with the Heartbreakers. In the late evening of October 1, Tom Petty "was found unconscious, not breathing and in full cardiac arrest" at his home in Malibu, California, according toTMZ. Listen to the interview above and then check out the video below. Like the ultimate sideman he is, not just to Tom Petty with his 30-something year tenure as Heartbreakers' keyboardist, but dozens of other high profile stars . Benmont Tench - Artist Details. 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. 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. "@matthaig1 I suffer dreadfully from depression & anxiety. The crowd cheered as they watched the Heartbreakers perform for the first time since 2014. (Photo by Eva Mueller), Tom Petty with guitarist Mike Campbell and bassist Howie Epstein in the new documentary Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers, which debuts on YouTube on Thursday, Nov. 11, 2021. he wondered. All love. It didnt do that. Active. Benmont Tench first met Tom Petty in a Gainesville, Florida music shop. He was born on September 7, 1953, in Gainesville, Florida, USA. Get the latest news right in your inbox at 6 a.m. Five dead, thousands without power in Ky. following thunderstorms and high winds. [12] Eight years later, the couple divorced. eBay item number: 255988840913. . What kind of feel did you shoot for on Lucky? He said of Petty: Id known him since I was 17. I had to take care of my wife.". And the songs were kind of the touchstones, Wharton says. eBay item number: 125797211311. . [3] This record is the real thing.. 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. 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. Trisha Yearwood, Lee Roy Parnell, Paul Shaffer, Benmont Tench, Duke Levine, Beausoleil, Shawn Colvin, Matt Rollings. No. After discovering the music of The Beatles, he ended his classical piano lessons and focused on rock and roll. I cant do that now. Recorded at Cello Studios, Los Angeles, California. Warm thoughts of health and happiness. At the start of her career when she was working at the VH1 music channel, she flew to Los Angeles to interview Petty for a short documentary on Wildflowers, a solo record though it included all but one of the Heartbreakers in the band Petty and producer Rick Rubin put together. When the band started, everyone was together day and night, Tench says. Just two weeks after Hyde Park, according tothe Tom Petty website,keyboardist Benmont Tench came down with a cold. And when it goes to vinyl I can sink my teeth into it even more. How are you going to do that? Tench grew up in Gainesville, Florida, as the son of Mary Catherine McInnis Tench and Benjamin Montmorency Tench, Jr., a circuit court judge. " But Harrington apparently didn't see what Peter Wolf of the J. Geils Band, who opened the concert, saw. 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). I love playing with the Heartbreakers but with them, I can just play piano and hide behind it. You describe an old-school approach, and the record has an old-school intimacy to itlike something cut 20 or 30 years ago. (Photo by Robert Sebree, courtesy of Warner Music & Petty Legacy, LLC. [2] The song was co-written by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell. There is no way.. CNN published an alleged Instagram postfrom Petty's daughter, AnnaKim Petty. It let me not go, Holy shit. "I'm not gonna get to make that sound. I'd rather go watch The Lion King! "You know that Tom Petty is my favorite rock star!" Godspeed to her. 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. In turn, Petty and Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell penned "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," which Nicks sang with Petty. ", The extensiveTom Petty and the Heartbreakers Live at the Fillmore (1997) box set arrived last month. But he was far more than just a. Vintage Cocktail Hour Playlist: Women's History Month Edition, Louisville ranks 3rd in U.S. for most premature deaths from coal-fired power pollution. Your purchases also help protect forests, including trees traditionally used to make instruments. In a way, thats similar to Tenchs response when asked what he thinks and hopes the film will leave viewers with. 99 in October 1986. 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 . My dad, who was a judge, played guitar and piano. Tom would want you to do that. Well, I dont want to do that. huhhh??? Thankfully, he has his family to ground him, he said. That he was always going to be striving for different ways to express himself. 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. He is 69 years old and is a Virgo. 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. These would be Steve Nieve, of Elvis Costello & the Attractions. found in his home unconscious, not breathing. 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 and Petty played together as members of the Sundowners in 1964. Early on its me and [drummer] Stan Lynch singing the background vocals on I Need to Know, The Waiting and Refugee. But I dont think I sing on anything else. The set came in two volumes, each featuring seven albums on a dozen vinyl records, and was released between November and December. Benmont Tench first met Tom Petty in a Gainesville, Florida music shop. Neutral. 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. At age 11, he met Tom Petty for the first time at a Gainesville music store. 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. 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. He was born in Gainesville, Florida (September . 4965 events. 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. Jeff Lynne and Dave Ste. "We always recorded more than what we put out, but we always put out what we thought was the very best," he told Meredith, "but fairly often, I would wonder why a song had been left off the record. "Nothing Is Wrong" also includes the talents of Tom Petty keyboard player Benmont Tench. Keyboardist Benmont Tench also uses his time to work with other classic rock artists. 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. As ticket-holders reset their calendars for the new dates, the Mercury News'Jim Harrington "bet my copy of Damn the Torpedos" that the band would be back to play other northern California venues in the future. "Without Tom, it's like, are the Rolling Stones going to play without Keith [Richards]? "Tom & The Heartbreakers sincerely apologizes for any and all inconvenience and disappointment this has caused," said the post. When he passed away I went to have it serviced, but Bill had wiped out a lot of the serial numbers and disguised the parts, so you couldnt quite trace what he did to it. ", What The Final 12 Months Of Tom Petty's Life Was Like. His songwriting has popped out on two albums from Mudcrutch, a band he played in with fellow Heartbreakers Petty and Mike Campbell in the early 1970s then reunited in 2008, and his outstanding solo record, You Should Be So Lucky Ron DeSantis presidential prospects, Taft football coach Jeff Kearin steps down in support of school faculty member, Baram and Tioumentsev win World Junior title hours after their coach, Todd Sand, suffers heart attack, Snow collapses roof of Goodwin and Sons, Crestlines only grocery store, Gracie Abrams behind Good Riddance message in Los Angeles sky, Tax filing deadline moves to mid-October for most Californians, Alpine Village shopkeepers get confirmation: theyre being evicted, $31 million goes to San Fernando Valley light-rail line and to engage community, Ex-sheriffs deputy gets 100 hours of community service for shooting hoax, New crew from US, Russia and UAE arrives at space station but not without docking glitch, As Adderall shortage continues, DEA plans to limit some telemedicine prescriptions, House where JonBenet Ramsey was found dead listed for sale for almost $7M, Columbia University permanently drops SAT, ACT admissions requirement, The Waterbed Doctor: California retailer lays claim to retro bed with nearly 40 years of service, sales, Felonious Florida podcast: Missing teenage girl leads to several cases of child sex trafficking, Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. He's a rock 'n' roll rarity: an artist who was consistent until the very end. Everyone who plays on the album is a friend of mine, and almost everyone has been to my house. Welcome to Hell Wobbles Corrina, Corrina Dogwood You Should Be So Lucky Why Don't You Quit Leaving Me Alone Pledge China Doll Producers: Jim Scott, Benmont Tench, Doyle Bramhall II. The only other person I ever wanted to make a record with was [Heartbreakers bassist] Howie Epstein, and he passed away in 2003. In 2014, Tench released his first solo album, titled You Should Be So Lucky. I had always been a fan of his music, but I really fell in love with him as a person.. Benmont Tench talks with Kyle Meredith about Live at The Fillmore 1997, the new Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers box set that collects highlights from the bands infamous 20 night sold out run. Sep 7, 2022 Born on this day in 1953, Benjamin Montmorency " Benmont" Tench III, the American musician and singer, best known as keyboardist and a founding member of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, turns 69. Benmont Tench III has helped create the musical fabric of hundreds of records, both as a founding member and piano/organ player of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and a session musician on . It didnt give me something to push aside my grief or my acknowledgement of what was lost. ), 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. "Shania got to stand there with me and watch my boys.". Earned his first newspaper paycheck at the Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat, fled the Midwest for Los Angeles Daily News and finally ended up at the Orange County Register. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Does anyone know if there is a story behind "The Day I Took her Picture Down" and where I would find it. Indeed, in his last interview, with Randy Lewis of the Los Angeles Times, Petty remained dedicated to doing even more. Tench has also played with countless others as a top shelf session man over the past four decades. Join Insider Sign In. In the years following, the two often performed together and were known to make special appearances at one another's concerts. He grew up, in order, in California, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oregon. I'm hoping she recovers from her illness and is back on tour again soon. "We're all on the backside of our sixties," he said. Includes Tom Petty originals plus covers recorded completely live in the studio over 10 days. The documentary seemed to him almost the other half of that, he says. Benmont Tench was born in the middle of Baby Boomers Generation. At age 11, Tench met Tom Petty for the first time at a Gainesville music store. He was buried at Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisadeswith his parents. [2] The Tench family's garage was a frequent practice site for the band. 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. He was a pretty amazing guy, and I think it caught it all, Tench says. Hed attended school with Petty and spent most of his life making music with the band leader. "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. I think it was much later that even Tom realized, by talking with a therapist, that Wildflowers, the title track, is him talking to himself, and giving himself permission to feel free and to be free creatively and in his personal life. "The friendship between Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks was plain to see when the latter came on stage," theIndependentreported. : benmonttench.com, Facebook, Twitter, instagram.com, Wikipedia, musicianbio.org, famousbirthdays.com, geni.com : 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. September 7, 1953 in Gainesville, FL. It's only natural that the two greatest band keyboard players in the annals of rock would have formed a mutual admiration society. 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. ), Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers, is a new documentary from director Mary Wharton. Nicks was so concerned about Petty that she felt he should have canceled the tour. 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. I'm hoping she recovers from her illness and is back on tour again soon. If they had access to AutoTune, it wouldnt have sounded as human. Benmont Tench was a Florida-born boy who never forgot his southern roots, even while playing keyboards in one of the hottest bands of the 1980s, The Heartbreakers. Its changed to kind of an alternate universe. 1970s - 2010s. But it was an extraordinary experience. He was also someone I looked up to enormously. Pop/Rock. True to Stevie Nicks' comments about Tom Petty at MusicCares, the musician was indeed suffering from a hairline fracture in his left hip, according toDavid Fricke of Rolling Stone. "So Tom," she said, "I know you're standing next to me 'cause you always have been for so many years. ", In the meantime, Tench confirmed that there's still material in the vault that could potentially be released at some point. 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. You sing all the lead vocals on You Should Be So Lucky. Did you ever sing in The Heartbreakers? 10. Are you going to get a guy that has that swing in his rhythm? As time passed, their world divided into band life, which orbited around Petty as singer and songwriter, and their own lives with wives and children, side projects and outside interests. Tench singing with the Heartbreakers at Hollywood Bowl. [] And then, of course, she turned into one of my great, great friends forever. Petty responded, "I'll do it in a chair if I have to." Tom was pronounced dead a day later. Tench also reunited with Mudcrutch to record the band's second album, Mudcrutch 2. Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing. He'd attended school with Petty and spent. I was like, Nothing, me and the rest of America are in our sweatpants with nothing to do, Wharton says. Release Date. 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.
