Chris Stapleton Shares Tribute To His “Ever Present” Musical Influence, The Great Tom Petty

Tom Petty, Chris Stapleton posing for a picture

This past Tuesday would’ve been the 70th birthday of the rock icon Tom Petty.

Tom’s influence on the country music world has been well-documented, and just quick look through some previous articles will prove that. We’ve seen Ryan Bingham, The Steel Woods, and Jamey Johnson all cover “Southern Accents,” we’ve saw Jason Aldean cover “I Won’t Back Down” after tragedy struck Route 91 Harvest Festival, Brent Cobb, Ronnie Dunn and more have covered him, Kip Moore cites him as a huge influence… the list goes on and on.

And then you have Chris Stapleton. Chris opened up for tom Petty at Wrigley Field here in Chicago, and has written and recorded with Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell for this upcoming record. There is no bigger musical influence for Chris than that of Tom Petty.

Today, ahead of Tom’s 70th Birthday Bash tribute concert, Chris shared these emotional words:

“Tuesday would have been Tom Petty’s 70th birthday. I can safely say that no other musical influence is as ever present in my mind. The words that I choose and the notes that I play and sing are firmly rooted in listening to his records. I’m forever grateful for the moments our musical paths crossed.”

Tomorrow, Chris will join artists like Brandi Carlile, Eddie Vedder, Foo Fighters, Gary Clark Jr., Margo Price, Post Malone, and more for a virtual tribute concert honoring Tom’s musical legacy.

“Join me and celebrate his life and music on the 70th Birthday Bash Stream, Friday October 23rd.  Streaming at 7pm ET.”

Watch Chris perform “Learning To Fly”

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