Biography

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers were initially shoehorned into the punk/new wave movement by some observers who picked up on the tough, vibrant energy of the group's blend of Byrds riffs and Stonesy swagger. As time progressed, they culled the best parts of the British Invasion, garage rock, and Dylanesque singer/songwriters. While his slurred, nasal voice may have recalled Dylan and Roger McGuinn, Petty's songwriting was lean and direct. Petty & the Heartbreakers never departed from their rootsy sound, but they brought in psychedelic, Southern rock, and new wave influences; Petty's willingness to experiment with the boundaries of classic rock helped him sustain his popularity well into the '90s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Top Tracks

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• Big Weekend

• Don't Do Me Like That

• Down South

• Even The Losers

• Flirting With Time

• Free Fallin'

• Here Comes My Girl

• I Won't Back Down

• It's Good To Be King

• Jack

• Only A Broken Heart

• Refugee

• Runnin' Down A Dream

• Saving Grace

• Wildflowers

• Yer So Bad

• You Don't Know How It Feels

• You Wreck Me

Discography

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• Highway Companion

  American Recordings

  2006

• Wildflowers

  Warner Bros.

  1994

• Full Moon Fever

  MCA

  1989