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.

Quotes

• "Everybody's had to fight to be free. You see you don't have to live like a refugee."
• "I slept in your treehouse, my middle name is 'Earl'."
• "It's alright if you love me, It's alright if you don't. I'm not afraid of you runnin' away honey, I've got this feeling you won't."
• "There's a southern accent, where I come from. The young 'uns call it country, the yankees call it dumb."
• "I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings. Coming down is the hardest thing."
• "I don't mind workin', but I'm scared to suffer"
• "And she made a vow to have it all. It became her new religion."
• "Some days are diamonds. Some days are rocks."
• "Nirvana to me was the most significant thing since the Beatles."
• "I won't back down."