@stephenPE and
@oxrageous ...a strange but really natural feeling where the loss of Tom Petty is concerned, if that can make sense. There's been artist before that I enjoyed who have passed away, but I don't recall feeling quite the connection I had with Petty's music. He started gaining notice outside of Gainesville about the time I was finishing high school. His was a refreshing relief from the Bee Gees, Elton John, Donna Summer and the Disco/Bubble Gum music that was proliferating in the '70's and early '80's. For me, he and the Heartbreakers fell somewhere in between Boston and the Allman Brothers (two favorites) and that was my niche. His voice (along with his lyrics), when combined with Mike Campbell's virtuoso guitar was a unique sound, but it made most everybody I knew say "that's my music!" Knowing he was from Gainesville, which at the time was considered about as redneck as Gadsden county, UF and the school of higher minds (as Jerry Clower might say) notwithstanding, was an instant connection for me. Later, I learned he grew up with a dad that drank and could get a little rough and that was part of the impetus for him to head west and seek his fortune on his own and with some band mates. I grew up in a similar home where the drinking was rough, too. I never escaped, but Tom's music was my getaway.
Even the Losers spoke to me where this part of my life was concerned.
Even though he did escape and make it big, he always seemed to remain a southern boy in California. He had some California songs (my untrained interpretations) like
Swiniging, but a lot of what he did remained connected to his Florida roots. I wound up buying the first Mudcrutch and there are references to wearing a "cowboy tie" in a bar in Lake City, as well as the song
Crystal River. As I stated previously, I'm glad he left such an expansive anthology for us to keep on enjoying. It might just be me in that his stuff just doesn't get old or out-dated. But I don't think it's just me. Timeless. It'll be here and still be good long after I'm gone, I think.