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How Well Do You Know Tom Petty?

Megha Chakraborty
Tom Petty was a legendary American singer and songwriter, this rock legend straddled the divide separating classic rock and new wave. Take this Quiz to see how much you know about him.
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Thomas Earl Petty was a popular rock and roll legend whose roots oriented guitar rock arose from the new-wave movement of the late 1970s giving us a string of hit singles and albums.
Interesting Fact
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Tom was born to Katherine Petty, a local tax office worker, and Earl Petty, a traveling salesman and raised in northern Florida, Petty began playing music while he was still in high school.
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After Petty got his first guitar as a preteen he joined his first band in the mid-Sixties later to be evolved as Mudcrutch, finally known as Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.
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Tom met Elvis Presley when the King of Rock and Roll came to Gainesville in 1961 to shoot the film 'Follow That Dream' in Ocala, Florida. It became a “life-altering moment” for young Petty.
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' self-titled debut album released on November 9, 1976. Unfortunately it failed to make an impact; the album’s lead single “Breakdown” didn’t even chart.
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Petty's first solo album, Full Moon Fever released in 1989. It was a massive success, reaching No. 3 on the charts and the album's top single, “Free Fallin” reached No. 7 on singles charts.
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Tom was only 14 when Beatlemania started in 1964 but Petty and The Beatles’ George Harrison became lifelong friends later. In 1980s, they formed the supergroup Traveling Wilburys.
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"Free Fallin" is the opening track of Tom Petty's debut solo album, Full Moon Fever(1989). It came  at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in January 1990.
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In 1989, while still under contract to MCA, Petty secretly signed a profitable deal with Warner Bros. Records, to which the Traveling Wilburys had been signed.
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Mike Campbell was the ace lead guitarist and co-songwriter of the band; he co-wrote many songs like "Refugee", "Here Comes My Girl", "You Got Lucky", and "Runnin' Down a Dream".
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Tom had a small part in "Made in Heaven" with Timothy Hutton and Kelly McGinnis, where he played  the character of "Stanky". Tom also has a small role in "The Postman" starring Kevin Costner.
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Rocker Tom Petty unfortunately passed away on Oct. 2, 2017 at the age of 66 due to accidental overdose of prescribed medications, leading to multisystem organ failure.
Did you Know?
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