Biography
Singer-songwriter Tom Petty was the driving force behind the Heartbreakers, an impeccable and versatile group that generated dozens of Top 20 hits, including "Don't Do Me Like That," "Refugee," "You Got Lucky," "Don't Come Around Here No More," and "Mary Jane's Last Dance," among others that became touchstones of both Top 40 and AOR radio play. Petty's musical style derived inspiration from '60s-era garage rock and pop from both sides of the Atlantic and delivered his urgent, biting songs with a heavy serving of Southern soul and Petty's own signature, Dylan-esque vocals. Arriving on the music scene during the late 1970s, the Heartbreakers were frequently slotted with punk and New Wave acts, though their sound also found favor with classic rock fans. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tenaciously carved out a career for the next decade before reaching the top of the rock pile in the late 1980s. Petty himself would step away from the band to collaborate in the all-star Traveling Wilburys before releasing 1989's Full Moon Fever, the highest charting record of his career. In the nearly three decades that followed, Petty would balance his time between solo efforts and reunions with the Heartbreakers while never losing sight of his rock-n-roll ideals. In doing so, he earned the undying respect of popular music fans for generations. His October 2, 2017 death from a heart attack at his Malibu home at the age of 66, only a week after finishing the Heartbreakers' 40th anniversary tour (which he had already hinted would be his last extensive road outing) shocked fans and peers around the world.
