re: Tom Petty found Unconscious in full cardiac arrest

I'd stack his first six albums:

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
You're Gonna Get It
Damn the Torpedoes
Hard Promises
Long After Dark
Southern Accents

...up against any other artist's first six albums.

...besides The Beatles

He had rough spot around '87 with Let Me Up, I've Had Enough, but then bounced back big time with:

Full Moon Fever, Into The Great Wide Open and Wildflowers. You can honestly say that 9 of his first 10 albums were top notch.

Since this has morphed into kind of a tribute/appreciation thread - the South didn't produce a lot of acts comparable to TP and the HB back then (or ever).

Came out of that Gainesville music scene that was so prolific during that time - The ABB, Stephen Stills and Don Felder were in the same college band briefly - and, of course, Tom Petty (and the Heartbreakers) - a band full of alpha males, but as Stan Lynch would have told you then and now, "No question who was the boss - after all, it ain't The Heartbreakers featuring Tom Petty."

To my original point - rock bands coming out of that region were far more to have 1 foot in country, or at least be twangy, like the ABB and fellow panhandle rockers, Skynyrd, Petty had Southern sensibilities to his lyrics and vocal delivery, but overall the band sounded more like a Midwestern act (with a hint of California), or even Yankee outfits like Bob Seger (and the Silver Bullet Band) or Bruce Springsteen (and the E Street Band) - a big sound, AOR ready, radio friendly band with a frontman who was just unfortunately ugly.

But, they delivered some great hits and great sounds for roughly 40 years.

That's a helluva run.

I never heard the title song until a few years ago since it wasn't a radio song and it was so long ago, but I think it's one of his best songs. If you're southern and don't like this song, something is wrong (I'll pretend I don't see the UF guitar that the guitarist is using). Seriously heartfelt live performance...RIP
Southern Accents - Live

Very touching song.

To me, Tom Petty was the perfection of Southern Gothic

Finally saw him this year..
I'm so glad that I did.

Wrote about the common man.

RIP