at the time of ‘American Girl’ –
an early hit single.
For the second time in little over a month I find myself writing a tribute to a rock artist with whose work I have been familiar with for nigh on forty years.
In early September the death of Steely Dan founder member Walter Becker was announced – then, last night, came news Tom Petty had passed away.
For me Tom Petty epitomized the true spirit of rock music – picking up a guitar as a teenager with a dream of communicating with the world through his songs.
He was a great purist, his early work taking its cue from the Rolling Stones, The Byrds, with a nod also to The Kinks (where else would you need to go for inspiration), his first half a dozen albums resonating with songs that were tight, uplifting and intelligent – at a time when mainstream had become a disparaging word in rock circles.
With his stellar support band the Heartbreakers, Petty acknowledged his influences and filtered them into his own distinctive theme – great choruses and chiming guitars at the forefront of a sound as sharp as a tack.
Thirty years ago I saw Petty and the Heartbreakers open for and then back Bob Dylan, on a night when they were superb and he was erratic – but still giving him the best backing he had received since The Band.
The Dylan connection continued with the two Travelling Wilbury albums and as the 80s gave way to the 90s Petty hit another rich vein of form, with Full Moon Fever (1989) and Into The Great Wide Open (1991) providing a great mid period one-two punch.
Although I became less connected with his later work, my admiration for his early albums, if anything, increased. I always had the feeling Petty was a great believer in the strength of rock music to enthrall and inspire – just as he had been when taking up the guitar in Gainesville, Florida all those years before.
Tom Petty was a disciple of music who deservedly gained a following of his own – always believing in its capacity to deliver on its promises.
On that alone Tom Petty rarely failed.
This article was first published on 3/10/2017.
