Born on Oct. 20, 1950 in Gainesville, Florida, Thomas Earl Petty was a singer, songwriter, producer, actor, and musician. In addition to having a successful solo career, he was also the lead singer of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and a member and co-founder of the supergroup the Travelling Wilburys. Heavily influenced by Elvis Presley and the Beatles, he sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the greatest-selling artists of all-time.
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Fresh off a 2017 reunion tour with the Heartbreakers that kicked off in Oklahoma City on April 20 and ended Sept. 25 at the Hollywood Bowl, it would seem that Tom Petty had no intentions of backing down from writing, producing, and performing music, but on Oct. 2, he was found unconscious, in full cardiac arrest, at his home in California. He died later that evening at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica. He was 67 years old. This week we pay tribute to a great talent that will certainly be missed but never forgotten.
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SONG OF THE monDAY
I Won't Back Down was the lead single for Tom Petty's debut solo album, Full Moon Fever. Released in April 1989, the song reached the twelfth spot on Billboard Hot 100. Jeff Lynne co-wrote the song, and George Harrison sang and played guitar for the recording session. In January 2015, Petty and Lynne were given co-writing credits for Sam Smith's Stay With Me for its likeness to I Won't Back Down.
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SONG OF THE tuesDAY
Written by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, Learning to Fly is from Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker's 1991 album, Into the Great Wide Open. The song only reached twenty-eight on Billboard Hot 100 but stayed at the top spot Billboard Hot Rock Tracks for six weeks. It's been covered by Bonnie Tyler, Lady Antebellum, and the Weepies, and is the official song of the US Air Force Academy's skydiving team, Wings of Blue.
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SONG OF THE wednesDAY
American Girl is the second single released from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers self-titled debut album. Though it was released in 1977, the song didn't chart until it was re-released in 1994. It's been used in numerous TV shows and movies and has been covered by a ton of artists. Currently, Rolling Stone has it ranked at #76 on their 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time.
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SONG OF THE thursDAY
Don’t Do Me Like That was written by Tom Petty and recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in 1979 as the lead single for the album, Damn the Torpedoes. Petty almost gave the song to the J. Geils Band but was talked out of it by producer Jimmy lovine. The song was the band’s first top 10 hit, landing at number 10 on Billboard Hot 100.
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SONG OF THE friDAY
Free Fallin’ is from Tom Petty's debut solo album, Full Moon Fever. It was released in October 1989 and peaked at #7 on Billboard Hot 100. It is Petty’s longest-charting single and is ranked among Rolling Stone‘s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It was used in the movie Jerry Maguire and the TV show The Sopranos. After Petty’s death, Free Fallin’ hit #2 on Spotify Global Viral 50.
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SONG OF THE saturDAY
Written by Tom Petty and recorded while he was working on Wildflowers, Mary Jane’s Last Dance was first released in 1993 on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ compilation album, Greatest Hits. The song climbed to #14 on Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band’s first Top 20 in the 1990s. It was originally titled Indiana Girl and opened with “hey, Indiana girl, go out and find the world,” but Petty didn’t feel right about the lyrics, so he changed it.
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SONG OF THE sunDAY
Into the Great Wide Open is from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ eighth studio album, Into the Great Wide Open (1991). The album was produced by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne after the success of Petty’s Full Moon Fever. The song was the third single released and peaked at #92 on Billboard Hot 100. The music video starred Johnny Depp, Gabrielle Anwar, and Faye Dunaway.
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