The collective, known as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, became famous not only for its musical creativity. Fans are surprised by their stability. The group has never had serious conflicts, despite the participation of team members in various side projects. They stayed together, not losing popularity for more than 40 years. Disappearing from the stage only after the death of his leader.
Background of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Thomas Earl Petty was born on October 20, 1950 in Gainesville, Florida, USA. At the age of 10, the boy managed to see the performance of the king of rock and roll. Elvis Presley inspired the boy so much that he decided to take up music.
The confidence that he should seriously take up a musical career came to the young man in 1964. After he was on the popular show Ed Sullivan. Here he heard a speech The Beatles.
Already at the age of 17, Tom changed his studies at school for a real musical activity. He joined the band Mudcrutch. Here the young man got his first real musical experience. He also met his associates, who later became members of his group.
The team left for Los Angeles, where they signed a contract with the studio, but after the release of their debut single, the team disbanded. The fault was the low popularity of their project, the guys were disappointed.
Creation of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench and Tom Petty himself did not immediately decide to create a new band. After the collapse of the former group that united them, each of the guys tried to catch on in the musical environment separately.
Petty tried out with The Sundowners, The Epics. There was no satisfaction with the creative process anywhere. Then Tom, Mike and Benmont teamed up again, decided to create their own band. It happened in 1975.
The band additionally invited bassist Ron Blair and drummer Stan Lynch. The guys decided to call their team Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. They played rock with notes of country, blues and folk. The members of the team themselves composed texts, wrote music. Creativity was in many ways consonant with the activities of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Byrds.
First album
In 1976, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers released their self-titled debut album. The American public received this collection coolly. Then the guys achieved the appearance of the material in the UK. Here, the audience immediately liked the work of the group.
The composition "Breakdown", which received the greatest recognition in England, in 1978, decided to re-release in the United States. The song entered the Top 40 rating. The song "American Girl" became a radio hit. The group held its first serious tour in the Old World.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on the verge of breaking up
Enlisting the recognition of the public, the guys immediately released their second album. Record "You're Gonna Get It!" quickly achieved gold status. Almost simultaneously with this inspiring moment came the crisis. The Shelter company, with which the guys had a contract, was absorbed by MCA Records. Additional formalities were needed to continue cooperation.
Petty tried to put forward his demands, but the new company did not agree to them. As a result, the team was on the verge of bankruptcy. In an effort to get better conditions, Tom only exacerbated the situation. After long negotiations, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers were able to sign a contract with Backstreet Records, one of MCA's subsidiaries.
Third and fourth albums: new heights, regular controversy
After the settlement of legal relations, the team immediately began fruitful activities. In 1979, the album "Damn The Torpedoes" was released. It quickly achieved platinum status. The songs "Don't Do Me Like That" and "Refugee" brought particular success. It was a breakthrough for the group.
Seeing the growing popularity, representatives of MCA decided to raise profits on sales. They wanted to raise the price of each copy of the next album by $1. Tom Petty opposed this. The musician managed to defend his position, the cost was left at the same level. The fourth album "Hard Promises" lived up to expectations, as well as the previous one, having received platinum status. The title track "The Waiting" achieved the title of a real hit.
Changes in line-up and musical direction
In 1982, Ron Blair left the band. Howie Epstein took the vacant seat. The new bassist quickly settled in and became an organic addition to the group. The fifth album "Long After Dark" continued the series of successful creations. The current producer cut out the experimental song "Keeping Me Alive", which upset the leader of the group extremely.
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers decided to create the next disc in an unusual style under the direction of Dave Stewart. To the usual sound, the guys added a share of new wave, soul and neo-psychedelic. "Southern Accents" has not lagged behind the success of the musicians' previous works.
Working with Bob Dylan
In 1986-1987, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers went on hiatus. The team invited Bob Dylan. The star began a grandiose tour, which is impossible to work out alone. Members of the group accompanied the concert activity.
They visited many cities in the USA, Australia, Japan and Europe. Working with a celebrity not only expanded the circle of musicians' popularity, but also gave them additional experience. After participating in the tour, they recorded the album "Let Me Up (I've Had Enough)".
The work used equipment that was borrowed by Bob Dylan. The sound on the record turned out to be lively and bright. The composition "Jammin' Me" was co-authored and performed jointly with the star.
Solo work of Tom Petty
Despite his presence in the group, Tom Petty has been involved in side projects. In 1989 he recorded his first solo album. The band members reacted with distrust to such a move of their leader, but many agreed to help him record the record. After that, Petty, despite the fears of his colleagues, returned to work in the group. He subsequently released a couple more solo albums in 1994 and 2006.
Further activities of the group
After a short break, the band resumed their studio activities. In 1991, a new album was released, and Johnny Depp starred in the video for the central song. In 1993, the team first collected an album with hits. The record was a resounding success, breaking all the records set by the group. This work ends the collaboration with MCA, the team moves to Warner Bros.
In 1995, an interesting collection appeared on sale, consisting of 6 discs at once. Here are not only hits of the group, but also various reworkings, as well as previously unrecorded material. In 1996, the band recorded the soundtrack for the film She's the One. From 1999 to 2002, the band annually releases an album.
This is followed by a break in activities. The group does not cease to exist. New albums appear as early as 2010 and 2014. Tom Petty died in 2017. After that, the team simply disappeared, without officially announcing the cessation of existence.
