Things You May Not Have Known About Tom Petty

 

It's been three long years since we said goodbye to the legendary Tom Petty, known for his semi-nasal voice, and extraordinary guitar work, Petty has remained a hitmaker for four decades. Now, in honor of the late, great one, here is some trivia.

The Heartbreakers formed in...Los Angeles

Even though Petty was born and raised in Gainsville, Fla, it was in Los Angeles that he began making a name for himself when he hooked up with Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench to form Mudcrutch. Mudcrutch was barely successful, which led to Petty wanting to go solo, when he met bass player Ron Blair and drummer Stan Lynch. Eventually, Petty called Campbell and Tench back in and the first lineup of the Heartbreakers came to fruition in late 1975. 

Petty and Stevie

Tom Petty was good friends with Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks. In 1980, he wrote Stop Draggin' my Heart Around, and recorded it as a duet with Nicks. In addition, Campbell and Tench played on that record, which can be heard on Nicks' 1981 solo debut, Bella Dona.

This was not their first collaboration, or the last. Petty and Nicks recorded Inside as a duet, which appeared on 1981's Hard Promises by The Heartbreakers, and Nicks contributed backing vocals across 1985's Southern Accents as well as performing Needles and Pins live with him.

Record company troubles galore

Petty has struggled with record higher-ups for quite some time in his career. In 1979, MCA Records bought out ABC Records dragging many artists kicking and screaming onto the new label - notoriously Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, but also Steely Dan. 

When it came to issuing 1981's Hard Promises, MCA debated following the trend of pricing the record a full dollar higher than average ($9.98 as opposed to $8.98), as had happened with Steely Dan's Gaucho, and the ELO/Olivia Newton-John collab Xanadu - both in 1980. The band even considered naming the record Eight-Ninety-Eight, or not even releasing it altogether. However, MCA decided against the price hike. Nevertheless, Ron Blair quit during the making of the successor, Long After Dark, to have Howie Epstein pick up the bass.

Full Moon Fever and Wildflowers ARE NOT credited to The Heartbreakers

While it's easy to assume every track written by Petty was recorded with The Heartbreakers, that is not entirely true. 1989's Full Moon Fever and 1994's Wildflowers do feature Campbell, Lynch, and Tench backing Petty, but they are his solo albums.

Eurythmics "join" The Heartbreakers

When it came to making 1985's Southern Accents, Annie Lennox and Dave A. Stewart of the renowned Brit New Wave band Eurythmics, had moved next door to Petty. As a result, Stewart and Lennox contributed backing vocals to the album. In return, Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench backed Eurythmics on their 1985 LP Be Yourself Tonight, specifically the track Would I Lie to You.

Petty Broke His Hand

While making 1985's Southern Accents, Petty was frustrated during the mixing process, and severly broke his left hand by hitting it against a wall. He could not play guitar for several months thereafter - delaying the tour, and had pins, needles, and screws holding his hand together - talk about insane!

A House Fire to Remember

It was the morning of May 17, 1987 when the Pettys sat down to breakfast. What they weren't aware of was that their lives would forever be changed that day. For it was on that fateful morning, that an arsonist ignited the wooden steps leading up to Petty's front door and the whole house went alight!

The LAFD arrived in time to salvage Petty's basement recording studio, but while his guitar was saved, his hat was destroyed as were several notebooks of songs to be written. Petty took his family on tour, and by 1990 rebuilt the home at the same site, but with fireproof material. 

Sam Smith vs Petty

If you've ever heard Sam Smith's Stay with Me on the radio, you probably noticed that the chorus interpolates the verses of Petty's 1989 hit I Won't Back Down. In early 2015, Smith's record company agreed to credit Tom Petty, and ELO's Jeff Lyne as songwriters. Even so, Petty stated that he believed that Smith did not plagarize him.

Not just Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch
Tom Petty was not only involved in The Heartbreakers. In 1988, he hooked up with Roy Orbison, ex-Beatle George Harrison, and ELO's Jeff Lynne to form The Traveling Wilburys, and earned the nickname of Charles T. Wilbury. They had two hits - End of The Line, and Handle with Care.

Mary Jane's Last Dance was quite a track

Initially under the working title of Indiana Girl during the Full Moon Fever sessions, Petty opted to shelve it for later, and ultimately released it in 1993 - the same year he released a greatest hits package. The track is, according to Petty, "about whatever you want it to be," and many have asssociated it with mariujuana as "Mary Jane" is slang for it and it is meant to "kill the pain." Petty even took on lead guitar on this track, at Mike Campbell's encouragement.

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