Tom Petty
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers were one of the most influential bands during their storied run. Tom Petty was born on October 20th, 1950, in Gainesville, Florida. Petty would get into music by visiting an uncle who was working on the film Follow That Dream.There he would meet Elvis Presley. The 11 year old Petty recalls the moment saying,“Elvis seemed to glow and walk above the ground. It was like nothing I’d ever seen in my life…that’s what kicked off my love of music”. [1] He would form several bands following this encounter in his adolescent years. The Sun Downers, Epics, and Mudcrutch would not amount to much with Mudcrutch lasting the longest from 1970-1975. They would all precede the band he is most known for. In 1975, he formed Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers with two former members of Mudcrutch, Mike Campbell on guitar and Benmont Tench playing the keyboard. Stan Lynch would be the drummer and Ron Blair on bass would also join. The band would release their self-titled album the following year but it wasn’t until 1978 when one of their songs from the debut album gained popularity and brought attention to the band. They would release 3 more albums over the next 4 years, cementing their position as one the elite bands during their era.
An important moment for the band was their performance at the inaugural Farm Aid of 1985. Organized by Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, and Neil Young to raise money for farmers in need of support during the farming crisis of the 1980s. Petty’s motivations in playing the concert can be pointed to a variety of things. First, he was undoubtedly raised around agriculture as he was born and raised in rural Florida. On his song “Southern Accents”, he even states “Think I might go work Orlando, if those orange groves don’t freeze”. Also, Petty might have wanted the ability to be around and work with such great artists that would be performing. The great Bob Dylan noted that he needed a band in order to perform at Farm Aid and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers swooped in to fill the job.
Before performing together on stage, Petty and his band would play “Bye Bye Johnny” (Chuck Berry cover), “Don't Bring Me Down” (The Animals cover), “Straight Into Darkness”, and “Refugee”. Farm Aid was the first time Dylan and Petty would perform together but certainly not the last. They would go on tour afterwards and even be in the same band: The Traveling Wilburys. It was the start of a beautiful friendship. When asked about Farm Aid, Petty was quoted as saying “you never see a show with country acts and rock acts, but there’s not all that much difference between the two. The thing that interests me is how easily the audience accepts it”. Farm Aid was a momentous occasion for the farming crisis as well as the career of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Their music was displayed to a whole nation and their popularity would only grow.
Following the concert, much to the disappointment of the other group members, Tom Petty would start to release solo albums as well as form a supergroup called the Traveling Wilburys with Dylan among others notable members. However, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers would regroup in the early 1990s and continue to release major hits. When looking at their entire work, they can be categorized as rock & roll as well as southern and country rock. Tom Petty would die of an accidental drug overdose on October 2, 2018. His music will live on for generations.
1. Eric Meisfjord, “The Tragic Childhood of Tom Petty,” Grunge, June 18, 2020, https://www.grunge.com/219061/the-tragic-childhood-of-tom-petty/
2. “Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Full Set at Farm Aid 1985 (Broadcast) + Trust Yourself w/Bob Dylan”, Youtube, filmed September 22, 1985 at Farm Aid, Champaign, IL, video, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRABxYOYo2U
3. Robert Hilburn, "Farm Aid's Cornucopia of Music: Backstage at Farm Aid," Los Angeles Times, September 29, 1985