TOM PETTY Biography - Musicians

 
 

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TOM PETTY

Name: Thomas Earl Petty                                                             
Born: 20 October 1950 Gainesville, Florida                                           
                                                                                     
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty (born October 20, 1950) is a singer, songwriter, and         
guitarist. His hit singles have included "Don't Do Me Like That", "Refugee", "Runnin'
Down a Dream", "The Waiting", "Don't Come Around Here No More", "I Won't Back       
Down", "Free Fallin'", "Mary Jane's Last Dance", "American Girl", and "You Don't     
Know How It Feels", most of which remain heavily played on adult contemporary       
and classic rock radio. Petty is also a vocal critic of the modern recording         
industry and the disintegration of independent radio stations, and recorded an       
album on that theme - The Last DJ.                                                   
                                                                                     
Petty has been supported by his band, the Heartbreakers, for the majority of his     
career. He has occasionally released solo work, as is the case with his most         
recent effort, 2006's Highway Companion, on which he performed most of the           
backing instrumentation himself. However, 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. Petty has had the same manager, Tony             
Dimitriades, since 1976. On February 3rd 2008, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers       
performed at the Bridgestone Super Bowl XLII Halftime show.