Tom Petty, Ringo Starr, Gillian Welch Groove On Benmont Tench’s “Blonde Girl, Blue Dress”

Say you’re Benmont Tench, longtime keyboard player for Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, and you want to get people hyped for your debut solo album. What do you do? If you guessed selecting a song with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings on harmony, Ringo Starr on tambourine, and Tom Petty slapping the bass for your lead single, you have some pretty good instincts.

That’s the case with “Blonde Girl, Blue Dress,” the first track to surface off You Should Be So Lucky, out February 18. Other guests on the record include Ryan Adams and Joel Jerome.  Producers Don Was and Ethan Johns serve as band members throughout, while Tench handles lead vocals and keyboard duties.

 “Benmont is the most enigmatic, mystical and delightful musician I know,” says Was. “He never plays the same notes twice yet the notes he plays are always perfect and loaded with soul. His artistry is utterly uncategorizable . . . musicians from all walks of life hold him in the highest esteem and love to play with him. His presence on a session or stage elevates everyone’s performance to new heights.”
Enough hype, let’s listen to the song!