Tom Petty - Is a constant heartbreaker!
Tom Petty was born on October 20, 1950 in Gainesville, Florida. He is a high school graduate who didn’t have any musical desires before seeing Elvis Presley in his hometown. Elvis gave him all the inspiration he needed to try his hand in the musical genre. His early bands names were called The Sundowners, The Epics and Mudcrutch. He finally got his break with his group called Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. Their rock ‘n roll type of music was to score a big hit with many. Their first self-titled debut album in 1976 broke onto the national music scene in a big way. It took a full year for the United States to catch up. Their second album was released in 1978, titled You’re Gonna Get It. Finally at this point, the United States was taking notice. By their 1979 album, Damn the Torpedoes is the album that finally took them from the nightclub scene to sold out arenas. The songs on this album finally gained them triple-platinum status. It included the song, “Refugee”.
Tom Petty’s release of the album You’re Gonna Get it, in 1978 proved very popular. It was the band’s first gold album, featuring the singles “Listen to Her Heart” and “I Need to Know”. This album caused a legal dispute with ABC Records. The dispute was caused because he was transferred to another record label without his consent. The dispute was settled later that year.
When Tom Petty finally released their fifth album, Long After Dark, they had some changeups in the bass player. Tom Petty at this time was experiencing overload and decided to slow things down. That had a comeback album in 1985. The album did have some problems but also had many successes.
Tom Petty is considered to have a sex symbol image by many. He has done many videos to help his music along. Tom Petty also has done many solo albums. His string of hits include, “Don’t Do Me Like That,” “Don’t Come Around Here No More,” “Into the Great Wide Open” and “Free Fallin’.
“Tom Petty continues to make music and has survived the years. His music appeals to every generation. He is definitely an artist that adapts to what his fans want. He has even appeared in movies - The Postman with Kevin Costner, and in The Simpsons and The King of the Hill, he lent his voice to different characters.