Tom Petty's Life And Accomplishments

Born in Florida on October 20, 1950, Tom Petty was a talented rock ‘n’ roll artist who began his music career at just 17 years old. He is best known as a skilled guitarist, vocalist, and accomplished American songwriter who wrote most of the music for the extremely popular band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He released albums a solo artist and was also the co-founder and lead singer lead singer of the successful “super group” the Traveling Wilburys. Some of his most famous songs include “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” “Breakdown,” “American Girl,” and “Free Fallin”
Growing up Tom Petty was close with his mother and his younger brother; however, he had a rough relationship with his father who was often verbally and physically abusive to the family.

It was not until he began to learn to play the guitar that he was able to begin to cope with his situation. Playing became his escape and music consumed most of his time. He often listened to Elvis and the Beatles as inspiration for his own music and the style of his early songwriting shares many qualities with these artists. During high school he spent a short time as the bassist in a small, local band called the Epics. At 17 he dropped out of high school and began performing with a band called Mudrutch and soon became the lead vocalist for the group. Mudcrutch played local gigs in Gainesville, Florida for several years before they signed a record contract with Shelter Records in 1974. They produced one single that was barely recognized and disbanded soon after. However, Shelter Records saw Tom Petty’s potential and offered him a solo contract. He tried to put together a recording band, but was unsuccessful, so in 1976, he instead decided to try and reform Mudcrutch. He reconnected with two of his former bandmates from Mudcrutch and they added a new bassist and a new drummer to form Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Petty’s solo contract with Shelter Records was renegotiated and the band was able to sign their own new contract with the company. The group released