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Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American musician who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American rock band from Gainesville, Florida. Formed in 1976, the band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer S ...
, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the late 1980s
supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...
the Traveling Wilburys, and had success as a solo artist. Petty had many hit records. Hit singles with the Heartbreakers include "
American Girl American Girl is an American line of dolls released on May 5, 1986, by Pleasant Company. The dolls portray eight- to fourteen-year-old boys and girls of a variety of ethnicities, faiths, and social classes from different time periods throughou ...
" (1976), " Don't Do Me Like That" (1979), "
Refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.
" (1980), " The Waiting" (1981), " Don't Come Around Here No More" (1985) and " Learning to Fly" (1991). Petty's solo hits include " I Won't Back Down" (1989), " Free Fallin'" (1989), and " You Don't Know How It Feels" (1994). Solo or with the Heartbreakers, he had hit albums from the 1970s through the 2010s and sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Petty and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
in 2002. Petty was honored as MusiCares Person of the Year in February 2017 for his contributions to music and for his philanthropy. He also had a minor acting career, most notably starring in a recurring role as the voice of Elroy "Lucky" Kleinschmidt in the animated comedy series '' King of the Hill'' from 2004 to the show's end in 2009. Petty died of an accidental drug overdose at the age of 66, one week after the end of the Heartbreakers' 40th Anniversary Tour in 2017.


Early life

Petty was born on October 20, 1950, in
Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gaine ...
, the first of two sons of Kitty Petty ( nee Avery), a local tax office worker, and Earl Petty, who was a traveling salesman. His brother Bruce was seven years younger. His interest in rock and roll music began at age ten when he met Elvis Presley. In the summer of 1961, his uncle was working on the set of Presley's film '' Follow That Dream'', in nearby Ocala, and invited Petty to watch the shoot. He instantly became a Presley fan, and when he returned that Saturday, he was greeted by his friend Keith Harben, and soon traded his Wham-O slingshot for a collection of Elvis 45s. Of that meeting with Presley, Petty said, "Elvis glowed." In a 2006 interview, Petty said he knew he wanted to be in a band the moment he saw the
Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...
on '' The Ed Sullivan Show''. "The minute I saw the Beatles on the ''Ed Sullivan Show''—and it's true of thousands of guys—there was the way out. There was the way to do it. You get your friends and you're a self-contained unit. And you make the music. And it looked like so much fun. It was something I identified with. I had never been hugely into sports. ... I had been a big fan of Elvis. But I really saw in the Beatles that here's something I could do. I knew I could do it. It wasn't long before there were groups springing up in garages all over the place." He dropped out of high school at age 17 to play bass with his newly formed band. In an interview with the CBC in 2014, Petty stated that the
Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
were "my punk music". He credited the group with inspiring him by demonstrating that he and musicians like him could make it in rock and roll. Don Felder, a fellow Gainesville resident who later joined the
Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
, claimed in his autobiography that he was one of Petty's first guitar teachers although Petty said that Felder taught him to play piano instead. As a young man, Petty worked briefly on the grounds crew of the University of Florida, but never attended as a student. An
Ogeechee lime tree ''Nyssa ogeche'', commonly referred to as Ogeechee tupelo, white tupelo, river lime, ogeechee lime tree, sour gum or wild lime is a deciduous tree. Growing to 15 m (~50 ft), it is in flower from March to May, and the seeds ripen from August to O ...
that he purportedly planted while employed at the university is now called the Tom Petty tree (Petty stated that he did not recall planting any trees). He also worked briefly as a gravedigger. Petty also overcame a difficult relationship with his father. According to Petty, his father found it difficult to accept that Petty was "a mild-mannered kid who was interested in the arts" and subjected him to verbal and physical abuse on a regular basis. Petty has described his father as a "wild, gambling drinker guy". Petty was close to his mother and remained close to his brother, Bruce.


Career


1976–1987: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Shortly after embracing his musical aspirations, Petty started a band known as the Epics, which later evolved into Mudcrutch. The band included future Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench and was popular in Gainesville, but their recordings went unnoticed by a mainstream audience. They recorded at The Church Studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Their only single, "Depot Street", released in 1975 by Shelter Records, failed to chart. After Mudcrutch split up, Petty reluctantly agreed to pursue a solo career. Tench decided to form his own group, whose sound Petty appreciated. Eventually, Petty and Campbell collaborated with Tench, Ron Blair and Stan Lynch, forming the first lineup of the Heartbreakers. Their eponymous debut album gained minute popularity amongst American audiences, achieving greater success in Britain. The singles "
American Girl American Girl is an American line of dolls released on May 5, 1986, by Pleasant Company. The dolls portray eight- to fourteen-year-old boys and girls of a variety of ethnicities, faiths, and social classes from different time periods throughou ...
" and " Breakdown" (re-released in 1977) peaked at after the band toured in the United Kingdom in support of Nils Lofgren. The debut album was released by Shelter Records, which at that time was distributed by
ABC Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels befo ...
. Their second album, '' You're Gonna Get It!'', was the band's first Top 40 album, featuring the singles " I Need to Know" and " Listen to Her Heart". Their third album, '' Damn the Torpedoes'', quickly went platinum, selling nearly two million copies; it includes their breakthrough singles " Don't Do Me Like That", " Here Comes My Girl", " Even the Losers" and "
Refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.
". In September 1979,
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American rock band from Gainesville, Florida. Formed in 1976, the band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer S ...
performed at a Musicians United for Safe Energy concert at
Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...
in New York. Their rendition of " Cry to Me" was featured on the resulting album, ''
No Nukes Musicians United for Safe Energy, or MUSE, is an activist group founded in 1979 by Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, Bonnie Raitt, Harvey Wasserman and John Hall. The group advocates against the use of nuclear energy, forming shortly after the Thr ...
''. The 4th album '' Hard Promises'', released in 1981, became a top-ten hit, going platinum and spawning the hit single " The Waiting". The album also featured Petty's first duet, "Insider" with
Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasi ...
. Bass player Ron Blair quit the group and was replaced on the fifth album, '' Long After Dark'' (1982), by Howie Epstein; the resulting lineup lasted until 1994. The album contained the hit " You Got Lucky". In 1985, the band participated in
Live Aid Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 fami ...
, playing four songs at John F. Kennedy Stadium, in Philadelphia. '' Southern Accents'' was also released in 1985. This album included the hit single " Don't Come Around Here No More", which was produced by Dave Stewart. The song's video featured Petty dressed as the Mad Hatter, mocking and chasing Alice from the book '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'', then cutting and eating her as if she were a cake. The ensuing tour led to the live album '' Pack Up the Plantation: Live!'' and an invitation from Bob Dylan—Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers joined him on his
True Confessions Tour True Confessions Tour was a concert tour by Bob Dylan and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. A concert video, ''Hard to Handle'', filmed in Sydney, Australia on February 24 and 25 was directed by Gillian Armstrong. The HBO Special was released ...
. They also played some dates with the
Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...
in 1986 and 1987. Also in 1987, the group released '' Let Me Up (I've Had Enough)'' which includes " Jammin' Me" which Petty wrote with Dylan.


1988–1991: Traveling Wilburys and solo career

In 1988, Petty, along with
George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
, Bob Dylan,
Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...
and Jeff Lynne, was a founding member of the Traveling Wilburys. The band's first song, "
Handle with Care A handle is a part of, or attachment to, an object that allows it to be grasped and object manipulation, manipulated by hand. The design of each type of handle involves substantial ergonomics, ergonomic issues, even where these are dealt wit ...
", was intended as a B-side of one of Harrison's singles, but was judged too good for that purpose and the group decided to record a full album, ''
Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 ''The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1'' is the debut studio album by the English-American supergroup Traveling Wilburys, comprising George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. It was released in October 1988 to commercial succ ...
''. A second Wilburys album, mischievously titled ''
Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 ''Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3'' is the second and final studio album by the Traveling Wilburys, a group consisting of George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty. It was released on October 29, 1990, as the follow-up to their 1988 debut, ...
'' and recorded without the recently deceased Orbison, followed in 1990. The album was named ''Vol. 3'' as a response to a series of bootlegged studio sessions being sold as ''Travelling Wilburys Vol. 2''. Petty incorporated Traveling Wilburys songs into his live shows, consistently playing "Handle with Care" in shows from 2003 to 2006, and for his 2008 tour adding "surprises" such as "
End of the Line End of the Line or The End of the Line may refer to: *In railway terminology, a train station at the end, or terminus, of a rail line Music * ''End of the Line'' (album), a box set by The Klinik * "End of the Line" (Honeyz song) * "End of ...
" to the set list. In 1989, Petty released '' Full Moon Fever'', which featured hits " I Won't Back Down", " Free Fallin'" and " Runnin' Down a Dream". It was nominally his first solo album, although several Heartbreakers and other well-known musicians participated: Mike Campbell co-produced the album with Petty and Jeff Lynne of
Electric Light Orchestra The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop, classical a ...
, and backing musicians included Campbell, Lynne, and fellow Wilburys Roy Orbison and George Harrison (
Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
appears on drums in the video for "I Won't Back Down", but they were actually performed by Phil Jones). Petty and the Heartbreakers reformed in 1991 and released ''
Into the Great Wide Open ''Into the Great Wide Open'' is the eighth studio album by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in July 1991. The album was the band's last with MCA Records. The album was the second Petty produced with Jeff Lynne after ...
'', which was co-produced by Lynne and included the hit singles " Learning To Fly" and "
Into the Great Wide Open ''Into the Great Wide Open'' is the eighth studio album by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in July 1991. The album was the band's last with MCA Records. The album was the second Petty produced with Jeff Lynne after ...
", the latter featuring
Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...
and Faye Dunaway in the music video. Before leaving MCA Records, Petty and the Heartbreakers got together to record, live in the studio, two new songs for a '' Greatest Hits'' package: " Mary Jane's Last Dance" and Thunderclap Newman's " Something in the Air". This was Stan Lynch's last recorded performance with the Heartbreakers. Petty commented "He left right after the session without really saying goodbye." The package went on to sell over ten million copies, therefore receiving diamond certification by the RIAA.


1991–2017: Move to Warner Bros. Records

In 1989, while still under contract to MCA, Petty secretly signed a lucrative deal with Warner Bros. Records, to which the Traveling Wilburys had been signed. His first album on his new label, 1994's '' Wildflowers'' (Petty's second of three solo albums), included the highly beloved title track, as well as the singles " You Don't Know How It Feels", "You Wreck Me", "It's Good to Be King", and "A Higher Place". The album, produced by Rick Rubin, sold over three million copies in the United States. In 1996, Petty, with the Heartbreakers, released a soundtrack to the movie '' She's the One'', starring Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Aniston (see '' Songs and Music from "She's the One"''). The album's singles were "Walls (Circus)" (featuring Lindsey Buckingham), "Climb that Hill", and a song written by Lucinda Williams, " Change the Locks". The album also included a cover of "Asshole", a song by
Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...
. The same year, the band accompanied
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...
on '' Unchained'' (provisionally titled "Petty Cash"), for which Cash would win a
Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
for Best Country Album (Cash would later cover Petty's " I Won't Back Down" on '' American III: Solitary Man''). In 1999, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released their last album with Rubin at the helm, '' Echo''. Two songs were released as singles in the U.S., "Room at the Top" and "Free Girl Now". The album reached number 10 in the U.S. album charts. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers played " I Won't Back Down" at the America: A Tribute to Heroes benefit concert for victims of the
September 11, 2001 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...
. The following year, they played " Taxman", "
I Need You I Need You or I Need U may refer to: Films * ''I Need You'' (film), a 1944 German film Music Albums * ''I Need You'' (album), by LeAnn Rimes, 2001 * ''I Need You'' (Bestie EP) (reissue of ''Hot Baby'') or the title song, 2014 * ''I Need Y ...
" and "
Handle with Care A handle is a part of, or attachment to, an object that allows it to be grasped and object manipulation, manipulated by hand. The design of each type of handle involves substantial ergonomics, ergonomic issues, even where these are dealt wit ...
" (joined for the last by Jeff Lynne, Dhani Harrison, and Jim Keltner) at the '' Concert for George'' in honor of Petty's friend and former bandmate
George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
. Petty's 2002 release, '' The Last DJ'', was an album-length critique of the practices within the music industry. The title track, inspired by Los Angeles radio personality Jim Ladd, bemoaned the end of the freedom that radio DJs once had to personally select songs for their station's playlists. The album peaked at number nine on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart in the United States. In 2005, Petty began hosting his own show "Buried Treasure" on XM Satellite Radio, on which he shared selections from his personal record collection. In 2006, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers headlined the fifth annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival as part of their "30th Anniversary Tour". Special guests included
Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasi ...
,
Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...
, the Allman Brothers Band, Trey Anastasio, the Derek Trucks Band, and the Black Crowes. Nicks joined Petty and the Heartbreakers on stage for "a selection of songs" including "
Stop Draggin' My Heart Around "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" is a song recorded by Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and released as the first single from Nicks' debut solo album '' Bella Donna'' (1981). The track is the album's only song that was neither writ ...
". In July 2006, Petty released a solo album titled '' Highway Companion'', which included the hit " Saving Grace". It debuted at number four on the ''Billboard'' 200, which was Petty's highest chart position since the introduction of the
Nielsen SoundScan Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...
system for tracking album sales in 1991. ''Highway Companion'' was briefly promoted on the tour with the Heartbreakers in 2006, with performances of "Saving Grace", " Square One", "Down South" and "Flirting with Time". During the summer of 2007, Petty reunited with his old bandmates Tom Leadon and Randall Marsh along with Heartbreakers Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell to reform his pre-Heartbreakers band Mudcrutch. The quintet recorded an album of 14 songs that was released on April 29, 2008 (on
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, an additional song "Special Place" was available if the album was pre-ordered). The band supported the album with a brief tour of California in the spring of 2008. In 2007, Petty and the Heartbreakers’ contributed a cover of " I'm Walkin'" to the album '' Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino''. The album's sales helped buy instruments for students in New Orleans public schools and they contributed to the building of a community center in the city's
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
-damaged Ninth Ward. On February 3, 2008, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performed during the halftime-show of
Super Bowl XLII Super Bowl XLII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
at the University of Phoenix Stadium. They played "
American Girl American Girl is an American line of dolls released on May 5, 1986, by Pleasant Company. The dolls portray eight- to fourteen-year-old boys and girls of a variety of ethnicities, faiths, and social classes from different time periods throughou ...
", " I Won't Back Down", " Free Fallin'" and " Runnin' Down a Dream". That summer, the band toured North America with
Steve Winwood Stephen Lawrence Winwood (born 12 May 1948) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter whose genres include blue-eyed soul, rhythm and blues, blues rock, and pop rock. Though primarily a keyboard player and vocalist prominent for his disti ...
as the opening act. Winwood joined Petty and the Heartbreakers on stage at select shows and performed his Spencer Davis Group hit " Gimme Some Lovin'", and occasionally he performed his Blind Faith hit "
Can't Find My Way Home "Can't Find My Way Home" is a song written by Steve Winwood that was first released by Blind Faith on their 1969 album ''Blind Faith''. ''Rolling Stone'', in a review of the album, noted that the song featured "Ginger Baker's highly innovative ...
". In November 2009 the boxed set '' The Live Anthology'', a compilation of live recordings from 1978 to 2006, was released. The band's twelfth album '' Mojo'' was released on June 15, 2010, and reached number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart. Petty described the album as "Blues-based. Some of the tunes are longer, more jam-y kind of music. A couple of tracks really sound like the Allman Brothers—not the songs but the atmosphere of the band." To promote the record, the band appeared as the musical guests on '' Saturday Night Live'' on May 15, 2010. The release of ''Mojo'' was followed by a North American summer tour. Prior to the tour, five of the band's guitars, including two owned by Petty, were stolen from their practice space in
Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most d ...
in April 2010. The items were recovered by Los Angeles police the next week. In 2012, the band went on a world tour that included their first European dates in 20 years and their first ever concerts in the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. On July 28, 2014,
Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...
released Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' thirteenth studio album, '' Hypnotic Eye''. The album debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, becoming the first Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album to ever top the chart. On November 20, 2015, the Tom Petty Radio channel debuted on SiriusXM. In 2017, the Heartbreakers embarked on a 40th Anniversary Tour of the United States. The tour began on April 20 in Oklahoma City and ended on September 25 with a performance at the
Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018. The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...
in Hollywood, California. The Hollywood Bowl concert, which would ultimately be the Heartbreakers' final show, ended with a performance of "
American Girl American Girl is an American line of dolls released on May 5, 1986, by Pleasant Company. The dolls portray eight- to fourteen-year-old boys and girls of a variety of ethnicities, faiths, and social classes from different time periods throughou ...
". On September 28, 2018,
Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...
released '' An American Treasure'', a 60-track career-spanning box set featuring dozens of previously unreleased recordings, alternate versions of classic songs, rarities, historic live performances and deep tracks. The box set was preceded by the first single, "Keep A Little Soul", in July 2018. The song is an unreleased outtake originally recorded in 1982 during the ''Long After Dark'' sessions.


Acting

Petty's first appearance in film took place in 1978, when he had a cameo in '' FM''. He later had a small part in 1987's '' Made in Heaven'' and appeared in several episodes of '' It's Garry Shandling's Show'' between 1987 and 1990, playing himself as one of
Garry Shandling Garry Emmanuel Shandling (November 29, 1949 – March 24, 2016) was an American actor, comedian, writer, director, and producer. Shandling began his career writing for sitcoms, such as '' Sanford and Son'' and ''Welcome Back, Kotter''. He made ...
's neighbors. Petty was also featured in Shandling's other show, '' The Larry Sanders Show'', as one of the
Story within a story A story within a story, also referred to as an embedded narrative, is a literary device in which a character within a story becomes the narrator of a second story (within the first one). Multiple layers of stories within stories are sometimes c ...
final guests. In the episode, Petty gets bumped from the show and nearly comes to blows with Greg Kinnear. Petty appeared in the 1997 film '' The Postman'', directed by and starring Kevin Costner, as the Bridge City Mayor (from the dialogue it is implied that he is playing a future history version of himself). In 2002, he appeared on '' The Simpsons'' in the episode "
How I Spent My Strummer Vacation "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation" is the second episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 10, 2002. It was intended to be the ...
", along with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards,
Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. His style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop and folk. Kravitz won the Grammy Award for Best Male Roc ...
,
Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...
, and Brian Setzer. In it, Petty spoofed himself as a tutor to
Homer Simpson Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of his family, in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' short "G ...
on the art of lyric writing, composing a brief song about a drunk girl driving down the road while concerned with the state of public schools. Later in the episode, he loses a toe during a riot. Petty had a recurring role as the voice of Elroy "Lucky" Kleinschmidt in the animated comedy series '' King of the Hill'' from 2004 to 2009. In 2010, Petty made a five-second cameo appearance with comedian Andy Samberg in a musical video titled "Great Day" featured on the bonus DVD as part of The Lonely Island's new album '' Turtleneck & Chain''.


Views on artistic control

Petty was known as a staunch guardian of his artistic control and artistic freedom. In 1979, he was involved in a legal dispute when
ABC Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels befo ...
was sold to MCA Records. He refused to be transferred to another record label without his consent. In May 1979, he filed for bankruptcy and was signed to the new MCA subsidiary
Backstreet Records Backstreet Records was an MCA Records subsidiary label founded in 1979 by Danny Bramson, who was executive director of MCA's Universal Amphitheatre. The name was derived from the Bruce Springsteen song "Backstreets". The label's first releases ...
. In early 1981, the upcoming Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album, which would become '' Hard Promises'', was slated to be the next MCA release with the new list price of $9.98, following
Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Initially the band had a stable lineup, but in 1974, Becker and Fagen retired from live ...
's '' Gaucho'' and the Olivia Newton-John/
Electric Light Orchestra The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop, classical a ...
''
Xanadu Xanadu may refer to: * Shangdu, the ancient summer capital of Kublai Khan's empire in China * a metaphor for opulence or an idyllic place, based upon Coleridge's description of Shangdu in his poem ''Kubla Khan'' Other places * Xanadu (Titan), ...
'' soundtrack. This so-called "superstar pricing" was $1.00 more than the usual list price of $8.98. Petty voiced his objections to the price hike in the press and the issue became a popular cause among music fans. Non-delivery of the album and naming it ''Eight Ninety-Eight'' were considered, but eventually MCA decided against the price increase. In 1987, Petty sued tire company B.F. Goodrich for $1 million for using a song very similar to his song "Mary's New Car" in a TV commercial. The ad agency that produced the commercial had previously sought permission to use Petty's song but was refused. A judge issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting further use of the ad and the suit was later settled out of court. Petty also disallowed George W. Bush from using " I Won't Back Down" for his 2000 presidential campaign. His family would do the same for Donald Trump in 2020, stating "Tom Petty would never want a song of his used for a campaign of hate." Some outlets have claimed that the Red Hot Chili Peppers single " Dani California", released in May 2006, bears a close musical similarity to Petty's " Mary Jane's Last Dance". Petty told '' Rolling Stone'', "I seriously doubt that there is any negative intent there. And a lot of rock 'n' roll songs sound alike. Ask Chuck Berry. The Strokes took '
American Girl American Girl is an American line of dolls released on May 5, 1986, by Pleasant Company. The dolls portray eight- to fourteen-year-old boys and girls of a variety of ethnicities, faiths, and social classes from different time periods throughou ...
' for their song ' Last Nite', and I saw an interview with them where they actually admitted it. That made me laugh out loud. I was like, 'OK, good for you' ... If someone took my song note for note and stole it maliciously, then maybe
'd sue A contraction is a shortened version of the spoken and written forms of a word, syllable, or word group, created by omission of internal letters and sounds. In linguistic analysis, contractions should not be confused with crasis, abbreviations ...
/nowiki>. But I don't believe in lawsuits much. I think there are enough frivolous lawsuits in this country without people fighting over pop songs." In January 2015, it was revealed that Petty and Jeff Lynne would receive royalties from Sam Smith's song "
Stay with Me Stay with Me may refer to: Film and television * ''Stay with Me'' (2004 film), an Italian film * ''Stay with Me'' (2010 film), a Canadian drama film * ''Stay with Me'' (2018 film), a South Korean romantic drama film * ''Stay with Me'' (TV series), ...
" after its writers acknowledged similarities between it and " I Won't Back Down". Petty and co-composer Lynne were each awarded 12.5% of the royalties from "Stay with Me", and their names were added to the
ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
song credit. Petty clarified that he did not believe Smith plagiarized him, saying, "All my years of songwriting have shown me these things can happen. Most times you catch it before it gets out the studio door but in this case it got by. Sam's people were very understanding of our predicament and we easily came to an agreement".


Personal life

Petty married Jane Benyo in 1974, and they divorced in 1996. Petty and Benyo had two daughters: Adria, a director, and Annakim, an artist. Benyo once told mutual friend
Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and producer known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasi ...
that she had met Petty at "the age of seventeen". Nicks misheard Benyo's North Florida accent, inspiring the title of her song " Edge of Seventeen". In May 1987, an arsonist set fire to Petty's house in Encino, California. Firefighters were able to salvage the basement recording studio and the original tapes stored there, as well as his
Gibson Dove The Gibson Dove is a flattop steel-string acoustic guitar made by the Gibson Guitar Corporation since 1962. History The Dove was Gibson's second square-shouldered dreadnought, after the introduction of the Hummingbird in 1960. First made in ...
acoustic guitar. His signature gray top hat, however, was destroyed. The perpetrator was never caught. Petty struggled with heroin addiction from roughly 1996 through 1999. He blamed the emotional pain from the dissolution of his marriage to Benyo as a major contributing cause.''Petty: The Biography'' by Warren Zanes, p. 269. He later said that "using heroin went against my grain. I didn't want to be enslaved to anything."'' People Magazine'' article
How Tom Petty Overcame an Abusive Childhood, Heartbreaking Divorce and Heroin Addiction to Find True Love
".
He eventually went to a treatment center, and was able to successfully treat his addiction before the tour for ''Echo'' in mid-1999.''The Fix'' article
Rock Legend Tom Petty Dies at 66
.
''Petty: The Biography'' by Warren Zanes, p. 270. On June 3, 2001, Petty married Dana York, who had a son, Dylan, from an earlier marriage. Petty spoke in 2014 of the benefits from his practice of Transcendental Meditation.


Death

Petty was found unconscious at his home, not breathing and in cardiac arrest, in the early morning hours of October 2, 2017. He was resuscitated and taken to the UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, California, where he died at 8:40p.m. PDT after premature reports of his death throughout the day. A memorial service was held at the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, on October 16, 2017, four days before what would have been his 67th birthday. Hours prior to Petty's death, the Las Vegas shooting occurred, which became the deadliest mass shooting committed by an individual in United States history. This led to initial confusion over Petty's state; his death was incorrectly announced, and several celebrities (including Courtney Love,
Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock (also known as Bobby Shazam), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. His style alternates between rock, hip hop, country, and metal. A self-taught musician, ...
, Cyndi Lauper and Lin-Manuel Miranda) made statements expressing their sadness. The announcement of his death was soon retracted, only to be then confirmed again—although this time correctly. On January 19, 2018, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner announced that Petty had died of "multisystem organ failure due to resuscitated cardiopulmonary arrest due to mixed drug toxicity", which was reported by '' Rolling Stone'' as an "accidental overdose", a combination of fentanyl, oxycodone,
acetylfentanyl Acetylfentanyl (acetyl fentanyl) is an opioid analgesic drug that is an analog of fentanyl. Studies have estimated acetylfentanyl to be fifteen times more potent than morphine, which would mean that despite being somewhat weaker than fentanyl, i ...
and despropionyl fentanyl (all
opioids Opioids are substances that act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects. Medically they are primarily used for pain relief, including anesthesia. Other medical uses include suppression of diarrhea, replacement therapy for opioid use ...
); temazepam and alprazolam (both sedatives); and citalopram (an antidepressant). In a statement on his website, Petty's wife and daughter said he had a number of medical problems, including
emphysema Emphysema, or pulmonary emphysema, is a lower respiratory tract disease, characterised by air-filled spaces ( pneumatoses) in the lungs, that can vary in size and may be very large. The spaces are caused by the breakdown of the walls of the alve ...
, knee difficulties "and most significantly a fractured hip". He was prescribed pain medication for these problems and informed on the day of his death that his hip injury had worsened. The statement read, " tis our feeling that the pain was simply unbearable and was the cause for his overuse of medication. .We feel confident that this was, as the coroner found, an unfortunate accident." On September 28, 2018, Petty's widow Dana gave an interview to ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' saying that Petty put off hip surgery his doctors had recommended for some time. "He'd had it in mind it was his last tour and he owed it to his long-time crew, from decades some of them, and his fans." Dana said that Petty was in a good mood the day before his death: "He had those three shows in L.A. Never had he been so proud of himself, so happy, so looking forward to the future—and then he's gone."


Equipment

Petty owned and used a number of guitars over the years. From 1976 to 1982, his main instrument was a sunburst 1964 Fender Stratocaster. He also used Rickenbacker guitars from 1979 onwards. The Rickenbacker 660/12TP neck was designed by Petty and featured his signature from 1991 to 1997. He also extensively played several Fender Telecasters. As a bassist, Petty played a
Fender Jazz Bass The Fender Jazz Bass (often shortened to ''J-Bass'') is the second model of Bass guitar, electric bass created by Leo Fender. It is distinct from the Fender Precision Bass, Precision Bass in that its tone is brighter and richer in the midrange a ...
, Rickenbacker 4003, Höfner Club Bass and Danelectro Longhorn. For acoustic guitars, Petty had a signature C.F. Martin HD-40, and wrote virtually all of his songs on a
Gibson Dove The Gibson Dove is a flattop steel-string acoustic guitar made by the Gibson Guitar Corporation since 1962. History The Dove was Gibson's second square-shouldered dreadnought, after the introduction of the Hummingbird in 1960. First made in ...
acoustic saved from his 1987 house fire. He also used a
Gibson J-200 The Gibson J-200 (formerly the Gibson SJ-200 or Super Jumbo 200), is an acoustic guitar model produced by the Gibson Guitar Corporation. History Gibson entered into production of this model in 1937 as its top-of-the-line flat top guitar A flat ...
in a natural finish and a late 1970s Guild D25 12-string acoustic. Petty's later amplifier setup featured two Fender Vibro-King 60-watt combos.


Awards and honors

In 1994, ''You Got Lucky'', a Petty tribute album featuring such bands as Everclear and
Silkworm The domestic silk moth (''Bombyx mori''), is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of ''Bombyx mandarina'', the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is an economically imp ...
was released. In April 1996, Petty received UCLA's George Gershwin and
Ira Gershwin Ira Gershwin (born Israel Gershovitz; December 6, 1896 – August 17, 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs in the English language of the 2 ...
Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement. The next month, Petty won the
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
' Golden Note Award. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers received a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...
in 1999, for their contribution to the recording industry. In December 2001, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
, which further honored Petty with an exhibit of his items from July 2006 until 2007. He is ranked 91st on ''
Rolling Stone's Rolling is a type of motion that combines rotation (commonly, of an axially symmetric object) and translation of that object with respect to a surface (either one or the other moves), such that, if ideal conditions exist, the two are in contact ...
'' list of the Greatest Artists of All Time. Petty received the ''Billboard'' Century Award, the organization's highest honor for creative achievement on December 6, 2005. In September 2006, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers received the
keys to the city The Freedom of the City (or Borough in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected ...
of
Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gaine ...
, where he and his bandmates either lived or grew up. Peter Bogdanovich's documentary film on Petty's career titled '' Runnin' Down a Dream'' premiered at the New York Film Festival in October 2007. Petty was honored as MusiCares Person of the Year in February 2017 for his contributions to music and for his philanthropy. A week after his death in 2017, a tribute to Petty was painted on Gainesville's Southwest
34th Street Wall The 34th Street Wall is a 1,120-foot-long retaining wall along SW 34th Street (Florida State Road 121) in Gainesville, Florida. It was constructed in 1979 by the Florida Department of Transportation to prevent erosion on the adjoining University of ...
. It reads "Love you always, Gainesville No. 1 Son, Thanks, Tommy". In October 2018, on what would have been the singer's 68th birthday, the city of Gainesville renamed the former Northeast Park, a park where a young Petty had often visited, as Tom Petty Park. In December 2021, the University of Florida board of trustees unanimously voted to posthumously award Petty with an honorary Ph.D. from the school. He has three albums, '' Wildflowers'' (No. 214), '' Damn the Torpedoes'' (No. 231), and '' Full Moon Fever'' (No. 298) on Rolling Stone magazine's
500 Greatest Albums of All Time * Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time * NME's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a 2013 special issue of British magazine '' NME'', available digitally or in newsstands on October 23. The li ...
list. He has two songs on the same magazine's
500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...
list. "
American Girl American Girl is an American line of dolls released on May 5, 1986, by Pleasant Company. The dolls portray eight- to fourteen-year-old boys and girls of a variety of ethnicities, faiths, and social classes from different time periods throughou ...
" (No. 169), and " Free Fallin'" (No. 219).


Discography


With the Heartbreakers

* ''
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American rock band from Gainesville, Florida. Formed in 1976, the band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer S ...
'' (1976) * '' You're Gonna Get It!'' (1978) * '' Damn the Torpedoes'' (1979) * '' Hard Promises'' (1981) * '' Long After Dark'' (1982) * '' Southern Accents'' (1985) * '' Let Me Up (I've Had Enough)'' (1987) * ''
Into the Great Wide Open ''Into the Great Wide Open'' is the eighth studio album by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in July 1991. The album was the band's last with MCA Records. The album was the second Petty produced with Jeff Lynne after ...
'' (1991) * '' Songs and Music from "She's the One"'' (1996) * '' Echo'' (1999) * '' The Last DJ'' (2002) * '' Mojo'' (2010) * '' Hypnotic Eye'' (2014)


With the Traveling Wilburys

* ''
Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 ''The Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1'' is the debut studio album by the English-American supergroup Traveling Wilburys, comprising George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty. It was released in October 1988 to commercial succ ...
'' (1988) * ''
Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 ''Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3'' is the second and final studio album by the Traveling Wilburys, a group consisting of George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan and Tom Petty. It was released on October 29, 1990, as the follow-up to their 1988 debut, ...
'' (1990)


Solo

* '' Full Moon Fever'' (1989) * '' Wildflowers'' (1994) * '' Highway Companion'' (2006)


With Mudcrutch

* '' Mudcrutch'' (2008) * '' 2'' (2016)


Posthumously

* '' An American Treasure'' (2018) * '' The Best of Everything'' (2019) * ''
Wildflowers & All the Rest ''Wildflowers'' is the second solo studio album by American musician Tom Petty, released on November 1, 1994. The album was the first released by Petty after signing a contract with Warner Bros. Records (where he had recorded as part of the Trav ...
'' (2020) * '' Finding Wildflowers: Alternate Versions'' (2021) * '' Angel Dream (Songs and Music from the Motion Picture 'She's the One')'' (2021)


Filmography


See also

* List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Petty, Tom 1950 births 2017 deaths 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American singers 20th-century American writers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American writers Accidental deaths in California American male singer-songwriters American rock guitarists American male guitarists American Recordings (record label) artists American rock singers American rock songwriters Drug-related deaths in California Gainesville High School (Florida) alumni Grammy Award winners Guitarists from Florida MCA Records artists Mudcrutch members Musicians from Gainesville, Florida Reprise Records artists Rhythm guitarists Singer-songwriters from Florida Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers members Traveling Wilburys members Warner Records artists Writers from Florida