Tom Petty

The year 2006 marks the 30th anniversary of the first Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers album. In his interview in the current Billboard magazine, he says "it's been an incredible run" and is grateful to be where he is today. I like him because he plays great rock and roll, and has stood up over the years against higher prices for CD and concert ticket prices. He also refuses to sell out to advertisers who would "commercialize" his music.

That's a pretty rare stance these days. Especially with worldwide sales of more than 50 million
albums, four Grammy Awards, sixteen Top 40 hits and ten albums in the Top 10 Billboard charts, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

Tom Petty was also one of the Traveling Wilburys with his heroes George Harrison, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison. That's a pretty good bit of rock and roll history right there!

Petty and the Heartbreakers also contribute a couple of great Harrison/Beatle cover songs to the "Concert for George" on DVD.

Elvis and The Beatles were early influences. His first band was the Sundowners, followed by Mudcrutch in the early 1970's. Then he and fellow Mudcrutchers Benmont Tench (on keyboards) and Mike Campbell (on guitar) formed the Heartbreakers, along with Stan Lynch on drums and Ron Blair on bass. Their debut album was released in 1976.

Tom Petty was just presented the prestigious Century Award on the Billboard Music Awards, televised on FOX-TV. Petty presented Billboard’s very first Century Award to George Harrison in 1992. He's in good company. The Century Award's past recipients include Joni Mitchell, Carlos Santana, Chet Atkins, James Taylor, Emmylou Harris, Randy Newman, John Mellencamp, Sting and Stevie Wonder.

Early next year Tom Petty will release a solo album called "Highway Companion," with himself on guitar, keyboards and drums; Jeff Lynne, who was a Traveling Wilbury with Petty, and also Heartbreaker Mike Campbell, who plays an awesome slide guitar.

Petty has expanded into television; he's the voice of Lucky on the animated TV series "King of the Hill." He also hosts "Tom Petty's Buried Treasure," a weekly show on XM Satellite Radio playing classic songs, obscure cuts and live tracks.

Tom Petty is also featured on the cover of American Songwriter.

Tom Petty has been on Warner Brothers Records since 1994.