Remembering Tom Petty

Thomas Earl Petty was born October 20, 1950 in Gainesville, Florida. His parents, Kitty and Earl owned an alligator farm. Tom worked on the farm, feeding the gators and often appeared in the tourist shows. Young Tom would wrestle the alligators and put his head in their mouth. He was never bitten. 

Tom developed a love for music when he met Elvis Presley. In the summer of 1961, Elvis was filming “Follow That Dream” in Ocala, Florida. Petty’s Uncle Cletus was working on the set as a “Piss Boy”. Cletus would follow Elvis around with a bucket and be on the ready whenever Elvis needed to relieve himself. One day Cletus invited young Tom to the set with him. After relieving himself, Elvis shook young Tom’s hand and threw a quarter into the “Piss Bucket” as a tip for the boy. Tom was instantly an Elvis fan and the next day he traded his Wham-O sling shot for a bunch of Elvis 45’s. 

Don Felder

When Petty saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, he immediately wanted to be in a band and started taking lessons from his neighbor, Don Felder. Felder, of course would later become a member of The Eagles. 

Petty recorded a number of hit singles with the Heartbreakers and as a solo artist. “Don’t Do Me Like That”, “Refugee”, “The Waiting”, “Don’t Come Around Here No More”, “Learning to Fly”, “I Won’t Back Down”, “Free Fallin’”, “You Don’t Know How It Feels” and many more. In his career, he 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 in 2002.

8.98

Petty always believed in standing up to the man and in 1991, he fought MCA records because they wanted to raise the list price of his album to $9.98. He fought and won. The man backed down. 

Tom passed away in 2017, way too soon. He was an incredible musician and songwriter. “It’s sad that he’s gone,” Bruce Springsteen says of Petty, “but it was nice to be alive in his lifetime. And the work remains. Good songs stay written. Good records stay made. They are always filled with the promise and hope and life essence of their creator. Tom made a lot of great songs to carry us forward.”

Related Stories: Stevie Nicks Sick From Eating Gas Station Sushi!