background | solo_singer |
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birth name | Thomas Earl Petty |
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alias | Charlie T. Wilbury, JrMuddy Wilbury |
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birth date | October 20, 1950 |
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origin | Gainesville, Florida, U.S. |
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instrument | Guitar, vocals, harmonica, piano, percussion, bass, organ, harpsichord, drums |
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genre | Rock and roll, roots rock, heartland rock, Southern rock, blues-rock, country |
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occupation | Singer-songwriter, musician |
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years active | 1976–present |
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label | Shelter, Backstreet, MCA, Warner Bros., American, Reprise Records |
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associated acts | Mudcrutch, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Traveling Wilburys, Stevie Nicks, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Grateful Dead |
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website | |
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notable instruments | Rickenbacker 660/12Vox Mark IIIGibson DoveFender Stratocaster
}} |
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Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty (born October 20, 1950) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T. Wilbury, Jr. and Muddy Wilbury.
He has recorded a number of hit singles with the Heartbreakers and as a solo artist, many of which remain heavily played on adult contemporary and classic rock radio.
His music, notably his hits, has become popular among younger generations as he continues to host sold-out shows. Throughout his career, Petty and his collaborators have sold 60 million albums.
Childhood and early life
Tom Petty was born and raised in
Gainesville, Florida, and attended
Gainesville High School. His interest in
rock and roll music began at age 10 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, Florida and invited Petty to come down and watch the shoot. He instantly became an Elvis Presley fan and soon traded his
Wham-O slingshot for a box of Elvis
45s. In a 2006 interview on the
National Public Radio program ''
Fresh Air'', Petty said that he knew he wanted to be in a band the moment he saw The Beatles on ''
The Ed Sullivan Show''. One of his first guitar teachers was
Don Felder, a fellow
Gainesville resident, who would later join the
Eagles. As a young man, Petty worked briefly on the grounds crew for the
University of Florida, but never attended as a student. An
Ogeechee lime tree that he planted while employed at the University is now called the Tom Petty tree.
Petty also overcame a difficult relationship with his father, who found it hard to accept that his son was "a mild-mannered kid who was interested in the arts" and subjected him to verbal and physical abuse on a regular basis. Petty was extremely close to his mother, and remains close to his brother Bruce.
Recording career
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1976–Present)
Shortly after forming 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, although their only single, "Depot Street", remains popular amongst fans. The original
Mudcrutch included guitarist Danny Roberts who was later replaced by bass guitarist
Charlie Souza.
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 line-up of the Heartbreakers. Their first album, simply titled ''Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers'', gained minute popularity amongst American audiences, achieving more success in Britain. The single "Breakdown" was re-released in 1977 and peaked at #40 in early 1978 after the band toured in the United Kingdom in support of Nils Lofgren. The debut album was released by Shelter Records, which at that time was distributed by ABC Records.
Their second album, ''You're Gonna Get It!'', marked the band's first Top 40 album and featured the singles "I Need to Know" and "Listen To Her Heart". Their third album, ''Damn the Torpedoes'', quickly went platinum, selling nearly two million copies; it includes their breakthrough singles "Don't Do Me Like That", "Here Comes My Girl" and "Refugee".
In September 1979, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performed at a Musicians United for Safe Energy concert at Madison Square Garden in New York. Their rendition of "Cry To Me" was featured on the resulting No Nukes album.
1981's ''Hard Promises'' became a top-ten hit, going platinum and spawning the hit single "The Waiting". The album also featured Petty's first duet, "Insider" with Stevie Nicks.
Bass player Ron Blair quit the group, and was replaced on the fifth album (1982's ''Long After Dark'') by Howie Epstein; the resulting line-up would last until 1994. In 1985, the band participated in Live Aid, playing four songs at Philadelphia's John F. Kennedy Stadium. ''Southern Accents'' was also released in 1985. This album included the hit single "Don't Come Around Here No More", which was produced by Dave Stewart. The song's video featured Petty dressed as the Mad Hatter, mocking and chasing Alice from the book ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'', then cutting and eating her as if she were a cake. The ensuing tour led to the live album ''Pack Up the Plantation: Live!'' and to an invitation from Bob Dylan; Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers joined him on his True Confessions tour and also played some dates with the Grateful Dead in 1986 and 1987. Also in 1987, the group released ''Let Me Up (I've Had Enough)'' which includes "Jammin' Me" which Petty wrote with Dylan.
Traveling Wilburys, solo career, and "return" to the Heartbreakers (1988–1991)
In 1988, Petty became a founding member of the
Traveling Wilburys, along with
Bob Dylan,
George Harrison,
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, incongruously 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. In recent years, Petty has begun to incorporate Travelling Wilburys songs into his live shows, consistently playing "Handle With Care" in shows from 2003–2006, and for his 2008 tour making "
End of the Line" a staple of the setlist.
In 1989, Petty released ''Full Moon Fever'', which featured hits "I Won't Back Down", "Free Fallin'" and "Runnin' Down a Dream". It was nominally his first solo album, although several Heartbreakers and other well-known musicians participated: Mike Campbell co-produced the album with Petty and Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra, and backing musicians included Campbell, Lynne, and fellow Wilburys Roy Orbison and George Harrison (Ringo Starr appears on drums in the video for "I Won't Back Down", but they were actually performed by Phil Jones). Since all the original Traveling Wilburys except Bob Dylan participated on the album, it is sometimes considered the unofficial Traveling Wilbury's "Volume Two".
Petty & the Heartbreakers reformed in 1991 and released ''Into the Great Wide Open'', which was co-produced by Lynne and included the hit singles "Learning To Fly" and "Into The Great Wide Open", the latter featuring Johnny Depp, Gabrielle Anwar, Faye Dunaway, and Matt LeBlanc in the video.
Before leaving MCA Records, Tom and the Heartbreakers got together to record, live in the studio, two new songs for a "Greatest Hits" package. "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and Thunderclap Newman's "Something in the Air". This was Stan Lynch's last recorded performance with The Heartbreakers. Tom commented "He left right after the session without really saying goodbye." The package went on to sell over ten million copies, therefore receiving diamond certification by the RIAA.
Move to Warner Bros. Records (1991–present)
In 1989, while still under contract to MCA, Petty secretly signed a lucrative deal with
Warner Bros. Records, to which the Traveling Wilburys had been signed. His first album on his new label, 1994's ''
Wildflowers'' (Petty's 2nd of 3 solo albums), included the singles "
You Don't Know How It Feels", "You Wreck Me," "It's Good to Be King" and "A Higher Place". The album, produced by
Rick Rubin, sold over three million copies in the U.S.
In 1996, Petty, with the Heartbreakers, released a soundtrack to the movie ''She's the One'', starring Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Aniston (see ''Songs and Music from "She's the One"''). The album's singles were "Walls (Circus)" (featuring Lindsey Buckingham), "Climb that Hill" and a song written by Lucinda Williams, "Change the Locks." The album also included a cover of "Asshole," a song by Beck. The same year, the band accompanied Johnny Cash on ''Unchained'', for which Cash would win a Grammy for Best Country Album (Cash would later cover Petty's "I Won't Back Down" on ''American III: Solitary Man'').
thumb|left|Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performing live in Indianapolis, June 23, 2006.In 1999, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers released their last album with Rubin at the helm, ''Echo''. Two songs were released as singles in the U.S., "Room at the Top" and "Free Girl Now". The album reached number 10 in the U.S. album charts.
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers played "I Won't Back Down" at the America: A Tribute to Heroes benefit concert for victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The following year, they played "Taxman", "I Need You", and "Handle With Care" (joined for the last by Jeff Lynne, Dhani Harrison, and Jim Keltner) at the ''Concert for George'' in honor of Petty's friend and former bandmate George Harrison.
2002's ''The Last DJ'' included several attacks on the music industry, criticizing it for greed, watering down music, and releasing pop music made by scantily-clad young women and reached number 9 on the U.S. charts. Tom has commented though that he didn't like being called "bitter" by the media and that ''The Last DJ'' is full of hope, if you look for it.
In 2005, Petty began hosting his own show "Buried Treasure" on XM Radio, on which he shares selections from his personal record collection.
In February 2006, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers agreed to be the headline act at the fifth annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. Following that announcement came the itinerary for Tom & the Heartbreakers' "30th Anniversary Tour". Special guests included Stevie Nicks, Pearl Jam, The Allman Brothers, Trey Anastasio, The Derek Trucks Band, and The Black Crowes (who also opened for Petty on their 2005 Summer Tour). Stevie Nicks would join Tom and the Heartbreakers on stage for renditions of "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" and "Insider," and "I Need to Know" where Nicks took the lead vocal spot. Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam also joined Tom and the Heartbreakers on stage at some shows where Vedder sang the lead on "The Waiting" (which is available on the ''Runnin' Down a Dream'' package: bonus features) and a verse in the concert-closer "American Girl".
In July 2006, Petty released a new solo album titled ''Highway Companion'', which included the hit "Saving Grace". It debuted at number 4 on the ''Billboard 200'', becoming Petty's highest chart position since the introduction of the Nielsen SoundScan system for tracking album sales in 1991. ''Highway Companion'' was briefly promoted on the "30th Anniversary Tour" with the Heartbreakers in 2006 with performances of "Saving Grace", "Square One", "Down South," and "Flirting with Time".
In 2006, the American Broadcasting Company hired Petty to do the music for its National Basketball Association playoffs coverage.
During the summer of 2007, Petty reunited with his old bandmates Tom Leadon and Randall Marsh along with Heartbreakers Benmont Tench & Mike Campbell to reform his pre-Heartbreakers band Mudcrutch. The band originally formed in 1967 in Gainesville, Florida before relocating to California where they released one single in 1974 before breaking up. The quintet recorded this self titled new album of fourteen songs that was released on April 29, 2008 (on iTunes, an additional song "Special Place" was available if the album was pre-ordered). The band supported the album with a brief tour of California in the spring of 2008.
In 2007, artists as diverse as Willie Nelson, Lucinda Williams, Norah Jones, Lenny Kravitz and Paul McCartney paid tribute to Fats Domino on the double-CD covers set ''Goin’ Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino''. The album's sales helped buy instruments for students in New Orleans public schools and they contributed to the building of a community center in the city’s Hurricane Katrina-damaged Ninth Ward. Tom and the Heartbreakers’ contributed a critically acclaimed cover of “I'm Walkin'" to the package.
In January 2008, it was announced that the band would be embarking on a North American Tour which was set to start on May 30 following the appearance at Super Bowl XLII. Steve Winwood served as the opening act, who joined Petty and the Heartbreakers on stage at select shows, starting on June 6, 2008 in Philadelphia, PA. Winwood's Spencer Davis Group hit "Gimme Some Loving" was performed and occasionally his Blind Faith hit "Can't Find My Way Home" was performed before it.
On February 3, 2008, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers performed during the halftime-show of Super Bowl XLII at the University of Phoenix Stadium. During the halftime-show they played "American Girl", "I Won't Back Down", "Free Fallin'", and "Runnin' Down a Dream", in that order. 'I Won't Back Down' was used in the closing credits of the coverage on BBC2.
''The Live Anthology'' is the most-recently announced project of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Its announcement comes nearly a year after Petty's last record, ''Extended Play Live'', by Mudcrutch.
In November 2009, Petty told ''Rolling Stone'' that he is working on a new album with the Heartbreakers, saying "It's blues-based. Some of the tunes are longer, more jam-y kind of music. A couple of tracks really sound like the Allman Brothers — not the songs but the atmosphere of the band." In February 2010, Petty announced a new Heartbreakers Album, ''Mojo'' to be released on June 15, 2010. This will be followed by a North American Summer Tour beginning on June 1, 2010. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers also appeared as musical guests on the season finale of Saturday Night Live on May 15, 2010.
Petty and his band the Heartbreakers celebrated their 30th anniversary with a tour in 2006, though Petty has occasionally released solo work, such as 2006's ''Highway Companion'', on which he performed most of the backing instrumentation. Members of the Heartbreakers have played on each of his solo albums and the band has always backed him when touring in support of those albums. He has also toured with Mudcrutch in order to promote their debut album.
Petty has been managed by Tony Dimitriades since 1976. On February 3, 2008, Petty and the Heartbreakers performed at the Super Bowl XLII Halftime show.
Acting
Petty's first appearance in film took place in 1978, when he had a cameo in ''
FM''. He later had a small part in 1987's ''
Made in Heaven'', and appeared in several episodes of ''
It's Garry Shandling's Show'' between 1987 and 1990, playing himself as one of
Garry Shandling's neighbors. Petty was also featured in Shandling's other show, ''
The Larry Sanders Show'', as one of the show-within-the-show's final guests. In the episode, Petty gets bumped from the show and nearly comes to blows with
Greg Kinnear.
Petty appeared in the 1997 movie ''The Postman'', directed by and starring Kevin Costner, as The Bridge City Mayor (from the dialogue it is implied that he is playing a future version of himself).
In 2002, he appeared on ''The Simpsons'' in the episode "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation". In it, he spoofed himself as a "tutor" to Homer Simpson on the art of lyric writing, composing a brief song about a drunk girl driving down the road while concerned with the state of public schools. Later in the episode, he loses a toe during a riot.
Petty had a recurring role as the voice of Elroy "Lucky" Kleinschmidt in the animated show ''King of the Hill''.
In 2008, Petty made a guest appearance as himself in the Comedy Central show Lil Bush's season 2 finale. He is asked to write a song for Bush and his cronies. At the end, he is shown riding off into the sunset in a flying car alongside Iggy Pop, who is a regular voice actor on the series. Petty thus joined various musical guest stars on the show, including Iggy, Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters, and Anthony Kiedis and Flea of The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Awards and accolades
In 1994, ''You Got Lucky'', a Tom Petty
tribute album featuring such bands as
Everclear and
Silkworm was released.
In April 1996, Petty received the UCLA's George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement. The next month, Petty won the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers' Golden Note Award.
In 1999 Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their contribution to the recording industry.
In 2002, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On December 6, 2005, Petty received the Billboard Century Award for his lifetime achievements. The same year, ''Conversations with Tom Petty'', an oral history/biography composed of interviews conducted in 2004 and 2005 with Petty by music journalist Paul Zollo, was published (ISBN 1-84449-815-8).
On September 21, 2006, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers received the keys to the city of Gainesville, Florida, where he and his bandmates either lived or grew up. From July 2006 until 2007 the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio featured an exhibit of Tom Petty items. Much of the content was donated by Petty himself during a visit to his home by some of the Hall's curatorial staff.
Peter Bogdanovich's documentary film on Petty's career entitled ''Runnin' Down A Dream'' premiered at the New York Film Festival on October 14, 2007.
Views on artistic control
Petty is known as a staunch guardian of his creative control and artistic freedom. In 1979, he was dragged into a legal dispute when ABC Records was sold to
MCA Records. He refused to be transferred to another record label without his consent. In May 1979, he filed for bankruptcy and was signed to the new MCA subsidiary
Backstreet Records.
In early 1981, the upcoming Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album, which would become ''Hard Promises'', was slated to be the next MCA release with the new list price of $9.98, following Steely Dan's ''Gaucho'' and the Olivia Newton-John/Electric Light Orchestra ''Xanadu'' soundtrack. This so-called "superstar pricing" was $1.00 more than the usual list price of $8.98. Petty voiced his objections to the price hike in the press and the issue became a popular cause among music fans. Non-delivery of the album and naming it ''Eight Ninety-Eight'' were considered, but eventually MCA decided against the price increase.
In 1987, Petty sued tire company B.F. Goodrich for $1 million for using a song very similar to his song "Mary's New Car" in a TV commercial. The ad agency that produced the commercial had previously sought permission to use Petty's song but was refused. A judge issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting further use of the ad and the suit was later settled out of court.
Some have claimed that the Red Hot Chili Peppers single "Dani California", released in May 2006, is very similar to Petty's "Mary Jane's Last Dance". Petty told Rolling Stone, "I seriously doubt that there is any negative intent there. And a lot of rock 'n' roll songs sound alike. Ask Chuck Berry. The Strokes took 'American Girl' [for their song 'Last Nite'], and I saw an interview with them where they actually admitted it. That made me laugh out loud. I was like, 'OK, good for you' ... If someone took my song note for note and stole it maliciously, then maybe [I'd sue]. But I don't believe in lawsuits much. I think there are enough frivolous lawsuits in this country without people fighting over pop songs."
Personal life
His first
marriage, to Jane Benyo, lasted 22 years from March 26, 1974 to September 9, 1996. He spent most of those years working, on the road or in the studio. They have two
daughters. Adria is a film director and AnnaKim Violette an artist. Since June 3, 2001 he has been married to Dana York, whom he first met years earlier when she came to one of his
concerts. Petty has a stepson from York's first marriage named Dylan.
On May 17, 1987, an arsonist set fire to Petty's house in Encino, California. The fire caused $1 million in damage but firefighters were able to salvage the basement recording studio and the original tapes stored there, as well as his Gibson Dove acoustic guitar. His signature gray top hat, however, was destroyed. Petty later rebuilt the house with fireproof materials.
Musical equipment
Petty owns and has used a number of guitars over the years. From 1976-1982, his main instrument was a sunburst 1964
Fender Stratocaster. He has also used a number of
Rickenbacker guitars from 1979 onward, notably a 1965 Rose Morris 1993 and 1987 reissue of the Rose Morris 1997, a 1967
360/12 and 1989 660/12TP. The Rickenbacker 660/12TP was designed by Petty (specifically the neck) and featured his signature from 1991 to 1997. Other electrics currently used on tour include a
Gretsch Tennessean, two 1960s
Fender Telecasters and a
Gibson Firebird.
For acoustic guitars, Petty has had a signature C.F. Martin HD-40, and has written virtually all of his songs on a Gibson Dove acoustic saved from his 1987 house fire. He currently uses a Gibson J-200 in a natural finish and a late '70s Guild D25 12-string acoustic.
Petty's current amplifer setup features 2 Fender Vibro-King 60 watt combos.
Heartbreakers lineup
! 1976–1982
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* Tom Petty - singing |
Mike Campbell - lead guitar
|
Ron Blair - bass guitar, backing vocalist>backing vocals
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* Benmont Tench - piano, keyboards, backing vocals
|
* Stan Lynch - drum kit |
! 1982–1991
|
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* Tom Petty - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, bass guitar, harmonica, backing vocals
|
, mandolin, Hammered dulcimer>dulcimer
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* Howie Epstein - bass guitar, backing vocals, lap steel guitar, rhythm guitar, mandolin
|
* Benmont Tench - piano, keyboards, backing vocals
|
* Stan Lynch - drums, percussion, backing vocals, lead vocals
|
! 1991–1994
|
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* Tom Petty - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, harmonica, backing vocals
|
* Mike Campbell - lead guitar, lap steel guitar, mandolin
|
* Scott Thurston - rhythm guitar, harmonica, keyboards, backing vocals
|
* Howie Epstein - bass guitar, backing vocals, lap steel guitar, rhythm guitar, mandolin
|
* Benmont Tench - piano, keyboards, backing vocals
|
* Stan Lynch - drums, percussion, backing vocals, lead vocals
|
! 1994–2002
|
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* Tom Petty - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, bass guitar, backing vocals
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* Mike Campbell - lead guitar, mandolin, Marxophone, lead vocals
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* Scott Thurston - rhythm guitar, harmonica, backing vocals, lead vocals
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* Howie Epstein - bass guitar, backing vocals, lap steel guitar
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* Benmont Tench - piano, keyboards, backing vocals
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* Steve Ferrone - drums, percussion
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! 2002–present
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* Tom Petty - lead vocals, rhythm guitar, lead guitar, percussion, backing vocals
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* Mike Campbell - lead guitar, mandolin, Marxophone
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* Scott Thurston - rhythm guitar, harmonica, lap steel guitar, ukelele, backing vocals, lead vocals
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* Ron Blair - bass guitar, backing vocals
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* Benmont Tench - piano, keyboards, backing vocals
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* Steve Ferrone - drums, percussion
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Discography
See also
List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart
List of best-selling music artists
References
External links
Official Fan Club
Tom Petty at Myspace
Tom Petty at YouTube
Category:American rock guitarists
Category:American rock singer-songwriters
Category:American male singers
Category:Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers members
Category:Traveling Wilburys members
Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees
Category:Rhythm guitarists
Category:Musicians from Florida
Category:1950 births
Category:Living people
Category:Grammy Award winners
Category:Musical groups from Gainesville, Florida
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