Tom Petty

Tom Petty is probably my favorite American musician. He started his career in 1970 with short lived band Mudcrutch. Since 1975 he has been with the Heartbreakers which includes two of the members from Mudcrutch. Even through Petty and his band are originally from Florida they naturally adopted a very California-West Coast rock sound. With Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ third album, Damn the Torpedoes, people truly got a sense of Petty’s sound which is very purely the quintessential American rock sound and they loved it causing the album to jump to number 2 on the American charts in 1979. Petty himself is unique in that his voice sounds like no other. He has a very distinct slur to voice that gives off a rebellious vibe with a sad undertone that carries his music and makes it interesting. 
The rebellious sort of feeling is present in everything Petty does and this may be because of the uncompromising nature of the musician. One of the things I admire in Petty is that he does things his way or no way. There is even the well-known dispute between him and his record company in which he fought to have his album sold for a cheaper price than the record company planned on releasing it for. True to his nature Petty got his way and probably gain an even larger following in the process. His sound has remained so consistent over the last 40+ years because he is in total control of it. Even though working with many other musicians like Jeff Lynne of ELO and Bob Dylan has influenced him and allowed him to expand his musical talents Petty is still wholly and uniquely himself. 
Working with someone who is so stubborn may seem like quite a chore but Petty still currently performs with the Heartbreakers. As much as I admire Petty’s unique sound I must wonder if he could be who he is without the members of the Heartbreakers. Even on his solo albums, like Full Moon Fever, the members of the Heartbreakers all contributed. The artist has also worked with several great producers who have helped him further his career. 
One of the fantastic bonuses with Tom Petty’s music are his music videos. In my opinion most of his videos are very strange, but in a way that I have come to expect from Petty. Another nice thing about the videos are that many of them feature the rest of the Heartbreakers. In a band where Petty’s name is literally separate from the rest of his band it would be easy to forget those who helped him get to where he is but they are still prominent in his work. 
Listening Recommendations:
• I Won’t Back Down
• Mary Jane’s Last Dance
• You Don’t Know How It Feels