Brothers Osborne Will Cover An Anthem On Tom Petty Tribute

Brothers Osborne will cover an anthem on Tom Petty tribute album, Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty, which is slated for release June 21.

In an interview last week (4/10), John Osborne told us about being a part of the project. He told us, "Tom Petty is such a big part of the fabric of American rock music. He and Bruce Springsteen have helped define that classic American guitar rock music."

John continued, "It's something that we've always listened to our whole lives. The music just feels good; it goes down smooth, and then you grow up and understand how great it is and how hard it was to do what they were doing. And not only how great Tom Petty was, but how good the Heartbreakers were as a band."

"It's timeless; there is nothing about any of those songs that have aged. They still feel appropriate for any setting or any era."

Tom Petty playing guitar performing on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno in 2003.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images 

Osborne noted about getting the invite and the song they got to cover: "We were asked to be part of this project, and it seemed fitting in terms of how we are as people. Our M.O. is about always being us and doing things our own way. Whatever the trend was, we never decided to change ourselves for it, good or bad. So, the idea of 'I Won't Back Down' just seemed really fitting for our philosophy as people and as creators."

The Tom Petty tribute will also feature country superstars like Lainey Wilson, Chris Stapleton, George Strait, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Wynonna Judd, and Dierks Bentley.

John Osborne's life has changed in many ways since he became a father of twins last year (2023). In a recent interview, John told us that he feels calm when he's with his children.

He told us, "When I'm with those kids, I have no anxiety. They teach me every day about being present and being just the simple things in life, you know? When I look at them and see them smile, I don't think about how much the bus is going to cost this year, this budget, where our song is on the radio, and what's happening. I don't care. I'm like, this is the most amazing thing ever. So, it is honestly the greatest thing that's ever happened to me. Period."

The proud papa feels very protective over the time spent with son Arthur and daughter Maybelle. He said, "I will say having kids makes me a little less patient with other people now than I used to be because I feel protective, and every decision now is going to affect them. Having kids is the most eye-opening thing in the world because you realize that you've been working for yourself for so long, for your own good."

He concluded, "Now, everything I think of is how to provide better for them. How do I make sure their lives are great? It completely flips. Your brain goes that way. You're a provider now."

As Halloween quickly approaches, we look at five of country music's creepiest songs over the years. From Johnny Cash to Eric Church, it can get downright scary at times when country stars look to the dark side for a song or two.

A country classic by the Man In Black. "An old cowboy went riding out / One dark and windy day / Upon a ridge, he rested / As he went along his way / When all at once a mighty herd / Of red eyed cows he saw / Plowin' through the ragged skies / And up the cloudy draw / Their brands were still on fire / And their hooves were made of steel / Their horns were black and shiny / And their hot breath he could feel."

A fun and a creepy song about hiding who you are. This whole album,"Skeletons," is just right for Halloween. The title song, "Skeletons," plays with ominous music, and the lyric video features the duo as skeletons; they even bring out massive 14-foot skeletons on stage with them when they sing it live. "You got skeletons in your closet / It's written all over your face / Every little lie stacked so high / Can't keep your story straight / I don't know oh oh / How they got there, it's getting under my skin / You got skeletons in your closet / And I got bones to pick with them, oh."

A murder song where Church's character gets buried in the creepy as-hell music video. "Hey buddy, hey buddy, ain't that Mississippi muddy / In this town, well, yeah, she takes what you give her / So tonight I lay me down to sleep / And pray my soul and my secret to keep / Between you, me and the river."

Another country classic that has played heavily at Halloween since its release in 1980. The song about an angry ghost. The lyrics of the song begin, "If you ever go back into Wooly Swamp son you better not go at night / There's things out there in the middle of them woods / That'd make a strong man die from fright / There's things that crawl and things that fly / And things that creep around on the ground / And they say the ghost of Lucias Clay gets up and it walks around."

The title says it all about a love that will not go away. Even the melody is creepy. "You shot out of hell like a bullet from a gun, / A flip of a switch, A thief on the run, / And since the day you left me Baby, / I can feel the lonely, I can hear the crazy. / Just a Creepin' / Creepin' / Just a Creepin' / Creepin.'"