Country star Dierks Bentley recruited bluegrass luminaries and certified American girls Sierra Hull, Molly Tuttle, and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes to close out last night’s 58th annual CMA Awards with a performance of “American Girl” in tribute to Tom Petty.
Bentley, who previously made a foray into the world of bluegrass with his 2010 album Up on the Ridge, recorded a cover of the tune for the tribute album Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty, which came out earlier this year. Last night’s version of the 1977 American anthem stepped things up with help from three of the top female talents in contemporary bluegrass, making it a fitting finale for Country Music’s Biggest Night.
The ceremony took place at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN and aired live on ABC. Hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning along with last year’s Entertainer of the Year winner Lainey Wilson, who took home the awards for Female Vocalist of the Year and Music Video of the Year for “Wildflowers and Wild Horses”, the evening saw victories for Morgan Wallen (Entertainer of the Year), Chris Stapleton (Single of the Year for “White Horse”), Cody Johnson (Album of the Year for Leather), and more. The entire show is available to stream on Hulu.
Watch Hull, Tuttle, and Keith-Hynes join Dierks Bentley and his band to close out the 2024 CMA Awards with “American Girl” by Tom Petty below, and scroll down to watch them discuss the collaboration.
Dierks Bentley, Sierra Hull, Molly Tuttle, & Bronwyn Keith-Hynes – “American Girl” (Tom Petty)
Dierks Bentley, Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes CMA Awards Interview