Tom Petty

Thomas Earl Petty (born October 20, 1950 in Gainesville, Florida) is an American musician. Petty did not have any musical aspirations before Elvis Presley visited his hometown. After working with his early bands The Sundowners, The Epics, and Mudcrutch (which also included future Heartbreakers members Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench) he began his recording career with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers when the band broke onto the national music scene with their 1976 self-titled debut album. Still, it took America a full year to catch up to the album. "Breakdown" was re-released to radio and became a Top 40 hit in 1977 after word filtered back the band was creating a firestorm in England.

Discography

Studio albums: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

• Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (1976) (US #55)
• You're Gonna Get It! (May 1978) (US #23)
• Damn the Torpedoes (November 1979) (US #2)
• Hard Promises (May 1981) (US #5)
• Long After Dark (November 1982) (US #9)
• Southern Accents (April 11 1985) (US #7)
• Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) (April 1987) (US #20)
• Into the Great Wide Open (July 2 1991) (US #13)
• Songs and Music from "She's the One" (August 1996) (US #15)
• Echo (April 13 1999) (US #10)
• The Last DJ (October 8 2002) (US #9)

Studio albums: Tom Petty solo

• Full Moon Fever (April 24 1989) (US #3)
• Wildflowers (November 1 1994) (US #8)
• Highway Companion (December 2005 or 2006)

Live albums

• ' (January 1986)
• ' (September 23 2003)

Compilations

• Greatest Hits (November 16 1993)
• Playback (6-disc box set) (November 20 1995)
• ' (October 31 2000)

Tom Petty with The Traveling Wilburys

• Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 (October 25 1988)
• Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 (October 19 1990)