 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Rock - in - Peace....
| | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950 – October 2, 2017) was an American rock musician, singer,
songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. Petty served as the lead singer of Tom Petty and
the Heartbreakers. He was also a member and co-founder of the late 1980s supergroup the Traveling
Wilburys, and his early band Mudcrutch.
Petty recorded a number of hit singles with the Heartbreakers and as a solo artist. In his career, he sold
more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In
2002, Petty was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Petty was born October 20, 1950, in Gainesville, Florida, the first of two sons of Kitty (Avery) and Earl
Petty. 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 come down and watch the shoot.[8] He instantly became an Elvis 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.
In a 2006 interview, Petty said that he knew he wanted to be in a band the moment he saw the Beatles 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."
Shortly after embracing his musical aspirations, Petty started a band known as the Epics, later to evolve
into Mudcrutch. Although the band, which featured future Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont
Tench, were popular in Gainesville, their recordings went unnoticed by a mainstream audience. Their only
single, "Depot Street", was released in 1975 by Shelter Records, but 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 and
fellow members Ron Blair and Stan Lynch, resulting in the first lineup of the Heartbreakers. Their
eponymous debut album gained minute popularity amongst American audiences, achieving greater
success in Britain. The single "Breakdown" was re-released in 1977, and peaked at No. 40 in early 1978
after the band toured in the United Kingdom in support of Nils Lofgren.
In 1988, Petty joined George Harrison's group, the Traveling Wilburys, which also included Bob Dylan,
Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne. The band's first song, "Handle with Care", 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. A second Wilburys album, mischievously titled Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3
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" to the set list
Petty was found unconscious at his home, not breathing and in full cardiac arrest, early in the morning of
Monday, October 2, 2017. He was taken to the UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, California, where
he died at 8:40 pm PDT that evening. He leaves behind a wife, two daugthers and a stepson.
songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. Petty served as the lead singer of Tom Petty and
the Heartbreakers. He was also a member and co-founder of the late 1980s supergroup the Traveling
Wilburys, and his early band Mudcrutch.
Petty recorded a number of hit singles with the Heartbreakers and as a solo artist. In his career, he sold
more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. In
2002, Petty was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Petty was born October 20, 1950, in Gainesville, Florida, the first of two sons of Kitty (Avery) and Earl
Petty. 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 come down and watch the shoot.[8] He instantly became an Elvis 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.
In a 2006 interview, Petty said that he knew he wanted to be in a band the moment he saw the Beatles 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."
Shortly after embracing his musical aspirations, Petty started a band known as the Epics, later to evolve
into Mudcrutch. Although the band, which featured future Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont
Tench, were popular in Gainesville, their recordings went unnoticed by a mainstream audience. Their only
single, "Depot Street", was released in 1975 by Shelter Records, but 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 and
fellow members Ron Blair and Stan Lynch, resulting in the first lineup of the Heartbreakers. Their
eponymous debut album gained minute popularity amongst American audiences, achieving greater
success in Britain. The single "Breakdown" was re-released in 1977, and peaked at No. 40 in early 1978
after the band toured in the United Kingdom in support of Nils Lofgren.
In 1988, Petty joined George Harrison's group, the Traveling Wilburys, which also included Bob Dylan,
Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne. The band's first song, "Handle with Care", 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. A second Wilburys album, mischievously titled Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3
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" to the set list
Petty was found unconscious at his home, not breathing and in full cardiac arrest, early in the morning of
Monday, October 2, 2017. He was taken to the UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, California, where
he died at 8:40 pm PDT that evening. He leaves behind a wife, two daugthers and a stepson.
