I was already in an altered state from the death of my mother two months earlier when I saw a headline to the effect that Petty had been found unresponsive in Southern California. Tom Petty on the cover of SPIN Magazine, August 1989 His discography included not only 13 albums with the Heartbreakers, but also three solo efforts, two albums with The Traveling Wilburys and another two with Mudcrutch (his pre-Heartbreakers combo). Even the albums that were spotty had their moments. Some albums may have sold better than others, some may have even been better than others, but Petty never made a bad record - which is more than most artists who have been around for four decades can say. Over the next 40 years and change, they would provide the soundtrack to millions of lives. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released their self-titled debut at the tail end of 1976. In this writer’s opinion, The Heartbreakers were probably the greatest American band of the past 50 years. And while Stan Lynch fell out with Petty in the ’90s, there’s no question that he was an integral part of the band early on with his larger-than-life personality and drumming. Ron Blair’s rock star looks belied his penchant for stage fright and general shyness but he was a solid musician (check out the bass line in “American Girl”) and has the distinction of being both the first and third bassist in the band, following the sadly departed Howie Epstein. Musically, he provided an essential component - which is no mean feat in a guitar-based band. Keyboardist Benmont Tench was the son of a judge and probably the most intellectual Heartbreaker. Mike Campbell was the perfect right hand man for Petty, a lead guitarist capable of casually unleashing great solos and an adept co-writer as well. Likewise, The Heartbreakers were a tight and talented group of “regular guys” from Gainesville, Florida. He was Rock Star as Everyman and could be as critical of himself as he often was about the music business. He knew he was good but he lacked the arrogance of someone like Mick Jagger. And there was always something appealingly “normal” about Petty. Petty and his Heartbreaker cohorts were unabashedly influenced by the artists who came before them (The Byrds, The Rolling Stones etc.) but they synthesized those influences into something that was fresh and perfectly in step with the times. And the ability to appeal to people of disparate interests and backgrounds never really left him. Back in the late ‘70s, when many music fans embraced either the corporate rock status quo or the more groundbreaking sounds of punk and New Wave, Petty was one of the few artists who could claim fans in both camps.

But there was something special about Petty.

True, we’ve lost plenty of other rockers in the last few years.

Tom Petty’s death - on October 2nd, 2017 - left a gaping hole in the world of rock ‘n’ roll. Tom Petty on the cover of the first Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album (Image: Discogs)

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