On October 20, 1950, Thomas Earl Petty was born in Gainesville, Florida - the musician who would later turn the ordinary rock and roll story into songs for entire generations. He died on October 2, 2017 at the age of 66, but his voice continues to sound in songs like “American Girl“, “Free Fallin’“ and “I Won’t Back Down“.
From Mudcrutch to Heartbreakers
Petty began his musical journey with the band Mudcrutch, formed in his hometown. In 1976, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released their debut album, "Breakdown" and "American Girl," songs that quickly revealed his signature style: tight guitars, stripped-down melodies, and lyrics about freedom, movement, and uncertainty.
The big break came with 1979's "Damn the Torpedoes." Albums like "Hard Promises," "Southern Accents," "Into the Great Wide Open," and "Echo" followed. Petty's most well-known compositions include "Refugee," "The Waiting," "Learning to Fly," and "Mary Jane's Last Dance." He did not aim for a complex pose, but for songs that could be sung by an audience gathered in front of a stage or around a radio.
Petty and The Traveling Wilburys
In 1988, he joined The Traveling Wilburys – an unusual supergroup featuring Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne. Their first album, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, became an international success, and the song “Handle with Care“ remains one of the band's iconic recordings. The album won a “Grammy“ for best rock performance by a duo or group.
Petty also participated in the second album – Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3, released in 1990. In the group, he found a place between generations: young enough to bring the energy of American rock of the 70s and 80s, but also established enough to stand on an equal footing with Dylan, Harrison and Orbison.
Solo successes and songs that remain
In 1989, his first solo album Full Moon Fever was released, recorded with the participation of Jeff Lynne and Mike Campbell. It included “Free Fallin’“, “Runnin’ Down a Dream“ and “I Won’t Back Down“. Of the latter song, Petty told NPR, "I'm glad I wrote it, and I'm kind of proud of it now," noting that it meant a lot to the listeners.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. Petty has won three Grammy Awards, and his albums have topped the U.S. charts for five decades. In 2014, Hypnotic Eye became the band's first album to top the Billboard 200.
Tom Petty leaves behind a catalog in which rock sounds both big and close. His songs don't rely on distance or inaccessible mythology – they begin with a guitar, a short phrase, and the feeling that one must move forward, even when the path is not clear.
Sources: washingtonpost.com, freshairarchive.org, time.com