et Quote: Tom Petty

Cairo – 20 October 2017: “Music is probably the only real magic I have encountered in my life. There's not some trick involved with it. It's pure and it's real. It moves, it heals, it communicates and does all these incredible things.” - Tom Petty

Thomas Earl Petty was born on this very day in 1950 in Gainesville, Florida, and passed away on October 2, 2017 due to cardiac arrest at the age of 66.

In the summer of 1961 when Petty’s uncle took him to the film set of “Follow That Dream” whose lead actor was none other than Elvis Presley, it felt like a calling for Petty and he later mentioned in an interview that “Elvis shinned.”


Tom Petty Via Wikimedia Commons modified by Egypt Today
His second calling came from the Beatles. "The minute I saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show—and it's true of thousands of guys—there was the way out. There was the way to do it. You get your friends and you're a self-contained unit. And you make the music. And it looked like so much fun. It was something I identified with. I had never been hugely into sports. ... I had been a big fan of Elvis. But I really saw in the Beatles that here's something I could do. I knew I could do it. It wasn't long before there were groups springing up in garages all over the place."

Some of his career achievements included being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside with his band members the Heartbreakers. They also received the keys to the city of Gainesville, Florida where they all grew up. Also receiving the Billboard Century Award in 2005.

Petty and the Heartbreakers had just completed their 40th anniversary tour before his death.

Some of Petty’s greatest albums included; 2014 "Hypnotic Eye", "Full Moon Fever", "Refugee," ''Even the Losers" and "I Won't Back Down."


Another quote for the road:
“Go after what you really love and find a way to make that work for you, and then you'll be a happy person.”


Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers -- "American Girl" Via Rock & Roll Hall of Fame YouTube channel