Tuesday Tribute: Tom Petty

In lieu of a massive summer tour announcement in which he will be supported by the likes of My Morning Jacket, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Joe Cocker, ZZ Top, and the Drive-By Truckers, this week's Tuesday Tribute goes out to none other than Tom Petty. One of the most prolific and inspiring songwriters in rock n roll, Tom Petty has pushed on from from his breakout in the 70's to become a consistently big name to the world of music in subsequent decades. Petty's first band, Mudcrutch, achieved little commercial success, but Petty and other members Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench went on to form Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, who would be responsible for countless successful singles. The band's first self-titled album was fairly quiet among American audiences, but was driven by the single "Breakout" which would be enough to get the band some success overseas. The group's second album, You're Gonna Get It, was their first to reach the Top 40 and contained hits like "Listen to Her Heart" and "I Need to Know." Damn the Torpedoes was even more successful with radio hits like "Refugee," "Don't Do Me Like That," and "Here Comes My Girl." In the mid-80's, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers toured with Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead, played a set at Live Aid, and continued to achieve commercial success with a number of hit albums and singles. The bond that Petty had with Dylan would stick, as Petty decided in the late-eighties to take a break from the Heartbreakers and form rock supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. The band only released two albums, but gained success with songs like "Handle With Care" and "End of The Line" drew attention simply because of their stacked lineup of big names. Petty continued to release popular albums in the 90's both as a solo act and with the Heartbreakers when they reformed in 1991. Petty also went back to his roots in 2007 to release new album with his original band Mudcrutch. In 2008, The Heartbreakers played the Superbowl Halftime Show and headlined the Bonnaroo Music Festival two years earlier. The band will release a new album, Mojo, this spring to accompany their lengthy summer tour. Let us now take a look at some videos that exemplify the rock n roll excellence that Tom Petty has put forth in his long and successful career.

First up is "American Girl" live from the Midnight Special in 1978. I can't help but thinking of that scene in Silence of the Lambs whenever I hear this song, but it is definitely one of the catchier tunes in Petty's catalog and nothing beats the breakdown at the end.



Here's a take of "Don't Do Me Like That" live from France in 1980. These guys were pretty damn tight in concert back in the day.



Here's Tom doing the Traveling Wilbury's hit "End of the Line" with the Heartbreakers live in 2008. The audio is a little rough, and so is his beard, but the song is a keeper.



Lastly, we have a version of Tom and the Heartbreakers doing "Mary Jane's Last Dance" live at the Fillmore in 1999. Fine evidence that Tom keeps on keepin on.



tompetty.com