Tom Petty: An Appreciation

Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, takes a look back at Tom Petty’s life and music following his untimely passing

The world has lost one of its most distinct voices in rock music. Tom Petty passed away Monday night. The singer, guitarist and frontman for the Heartbreakers was found unresponsive in his home that morning after suffering cardiac arrest and was taken to UCLA Medical Center. After a short stint on life support, the family made the difficult decision to “pull the plug.” He was 66.

Tom Petty was a prolific artist with a penchant for writing hits. Between his solo work and his work with the Heartbreakers, the Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch, Tom Petty has released more than 20 studio albums over the course of his four decade career, many of which have gone platinum or gold. Singles like “American Girl,” “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” “Free Fallin’,” “I Won’t Back Down,” “Learning To Fly” and “Into The Great Wide Open,” among many, many others, have become some of the most iconic songs in rock. He, along with the Heartbreakers, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

Petty continued to work until his untimely passing, having released the number one album ‘Hypnotic Eye,’ stand-alone single “Somewhere Under Heaven” and a SiriusXM EP over the last few years. On September 25, he played his final shows, ending a spring / summer tour with the Heartbreakers celebrating the 40^th anniversary of their debut album, ‘Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.’ And although he told Rolling Stone that this would be the band’s last big tour, he never said that he would be retiring.

To many, Tom Petty’s music is the definition of Americana. Songs like “American Girl” and “Free Fallin’” tell stories about average people. Others like, “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” and “Refugee,” challenge the way we think about American life. Still others capture American ideals and strength, like “I Won’t Back Down.”  Petty projects these facets of culture with an ease and sunny-ness. The music seems so carefree, even though at times it talks about some important ideas.

Genre aside, Tom Petty has always released music for music’s sake. This especially goes for the latter part of his career. According to Rolling Stone, after a couple of albums in the early 2000s didn’t yield much radio airplay, Petty started releasing whatever kind of music he wanted. He reunited Mudcrutch for two albums, a band that found success in the 1970 only to break up before recording a proper album. Such a relaxed attitude towards writing and releasing music probably added to the authenticity of 2014’s ‘Hypnotic Eye,’ which earned him his first number one album. Even early in his career he had many public issues with record labels, a couple times going to court to gain some sort of control over his music and how it would be released.

Most importantly, Tom Petty’s music has had the opportunity to inspire countless generations of fans and musicians. According to the BBC, artists as diverse as Sam Smith, The Strokes, Foo Fighters, Outkast’s Big Boi, Lady Antebellum, Ryan Adams, Bryan Adams, Norah Jones, Red Hot Chili Peppers and John Mayer all considered themselves fans. Some even “stole” his melodies for their own, though Petty didn’t usually seem to care.

With more than four decades of music under his belt, Tom Petty has been and continues to be one of the most iconic and influential rock artists of the last 50 years. His music is symbolic of Americana and American values, wrapped in a carefree acoustic bow. Petty has been able to maintain a sense of artistry in his music, finding his voice writing what he wanted to write and standing up for his work when the need arose. Over the last 40 years, his music has been able to speak to multiple generations and will continue to live on for years to come. Tom Petty will be sorely missed.

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Vinyl Bay 777 has all the Tom Petty music you need to remember the iconic musician’s legacy. Long Island’s top new independent record shop has thousands of titles to choose from, including those by Petty, the Heartbreakers, the Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. Browse our wide selection of new and used vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs and memorabilia. Shop in store or online at vinylbay777.com. With more music being added to our selection all the time, there is always something new to find at Vinyl Bay 777.