Benmont Tench Went Further

Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty

Benmont Tench is so dedicated to this interview that he pulled himself over to the side of the road to dial the call. “I couldn’t get home in time. If you hear a car honking, it’s not me honking at you,” he insists. “Don’t take it personally.” A few errant honks aside, Tench — best known as a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers — is a warm and witty presence, just like the sounds that emoted from his keys as the band’s valve. Along...