- published: 19 Apr 2015
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George Lynn (1915–March 16, 1989) was an American composer, conductor, pianist, organist, singer, and music educator. A longtime member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, his compositional output encompasses more than 200 orchestral and choral pieces; many of which have been performed by major American symphony orchestras like the Denver Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He taught on the music faculties of several prominent American colleges, notably conducting several university choirs. Throughout his life he was active as a conductor, organist, and pianist for various church and community choirs.
Born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Lynn was the son of immigrants from Sweden. He began working as a professional church organist in 1927 at the age of 12. He entered Westminster Choir College in 1934 where he earned a Bachelor of Music in 1938. Among his teachers were Paul Boepple (conducting), Roy Harris (composition), Carl Weinrich (organ), and John Finley Williamson (conducting). After serving in the United States Army during World War II, he entered the graduate music composition program at Princeton University where he was a pupil of Randall Thompson. He graduated from the school in 1947 with a Master of Fine Arts.
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, and notably his hits, have 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.
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.
Actors: Walter Koenig (actor), Billy Mahan (producer), Billy Mahan (writer), Robert Stambler (producer), Robert Stambler (writer), Robert Stambler (director), Warren Barker (composer), Steve Hollister (actor), Mark Bradley (actor), Elaine Kaye (actress), Nick Boretz (writer), Alex Beaton (writer), Joe d'Agosta (actor), Arlene Hedrick (actress), Sylvia Brenner (actress),
Genres: Drama,