It’s hard to believe that Tom Petty-- of Heartbreakers fame—will
turn 65 years old this year. The skinny blonde rocker who came on to the scene
in the ‘70’s with hits like “Breakdown” and “American Girl” has come a long way
from his roots in Gainesville, Florida.
In celebration of his impending big 6-5, here are five of
our fave Tom Petty moments.
$8.98 Debate
Back in 1981, Petty raised all kinds of heck when he protested
the rising cost of “superstar” record albums. When MCA wanted to release his “Hard
Promises” album at the inflated list
price of $9.98, Petty refused to comply—and
even threatened to change the album title to "Eight Ninety Eight." He won his battle in the end, but so did the record
company: “Hard Promises” went platinum.
Incidentally, the album cover featured a melancholy Petty in a record store. Check it out here.
Incidentally, the album cover featured a melancholy Petty in a record store. Check it out here.
Stop Draggin’ Stevie
Around
That same year, diehard Petty fans may have been a tad
miffed when he teamed up with songbird Stevie Nicks for the duet, “Stop
Draggin’ My Heart Around.” Why? Because
the song was featured on Nicks’ “Bella Donna” album, not on a Petty album. Of course, Nicks lent her voice to a song on “Hard Promises” (“Insider”), so it
all evened out. Watch Tom and Stevie’s
classic duet:
Traveling Tom
What do you get when you take Tom Petty and add a Dylan a
Harrison and an Orbison? The Traveling
Wilburys, of course! The all-star band’s “Handle Me With Care” was a surprise
hit before Orbison’s sudden death in 1988. You can check out the Wilbury’s hit
song here:
Video Killed the
Radio Star
Petty has called in some Hollywood favors for some of his greatest
music videos: Johnny Depp starred in “Into the Great Wide Open,” while actress Kim
Basinger played dead in “Mary Jane’s Last Dance.” But the acting bug even bit Petty! In 1997 he appeared
in the Kevin Costner flick, “The Postman.” Check out Petty’s scene with Costner here:
Walk of Famer!
In 1999 999, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers received a well-deserved star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It’s location: The south side of the 7000 block of Hollywood Boulevard. Check out a pic of the Heartbreakers’ star here.
In 1999 999, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers received a well-deserved star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It’s location: The south side of the 7000 block of Hollywood Boulevard. Check out a pic of the Heartbreakers’ star here.
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