Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers

Whether with his long-time band The Heartbreakers, solo, or with legendary supergroup The Traveling Wilburys, Tom Petty was a songwriter of skill and distinction. Petty’s music drew water from a number of wells: the no-nonsense rock and roll of the Rolling Stones, some roots influences à la Neil Young, a chunk of British Invasion pop smarts, and a care for lyrics straight out of the Bob Dylan school of wordsmithery. In Petty’s hands these were transmuted into something people from diverse backgrounds with varying tastes could agree on: Tom Petty rocked. Hits like “Refugee” (1980) and “Free Fallin’” (1989) ensured he saw both singles and albums action on the charts; over a four decade career he sold over 80 million albums... far from shabby. Amongst those LPs were numerous highlights, including Wildflowers (1994) and Damn the Torpedoes (1979).

After his sudden death in 2017, the huge compilation An American Treasure (6 LP) was released. A more modest introduction is available via the excellent Greatest Hits double album. In 2020, new editions of Wildflowers (including 10 extra songs recorded at the same sessions) revitalised interest in this consistently excellent artist.