And speaking of reverence, one listen to Petty and Campbell as they discuss vintage guitars and amps, and it’s obvious these are two guys who make no bones about what has inspired them. Together, the two have been the key to an unmistakable rock and roll sound created by one of pop music’s longest-lasting entities. We recently caught up with Petty and Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell, with whom Petty has been working since the earliest days of the band. Petty’s third solo album, Highway Companion, was released last month, debuting at #4 on Billboard’s Top 200 album chart, and he and the Heartbreakers spent the summer on the road in support of it. This ’64 Strat was the first one owned by Mike Campbell and has been played on many albums and tours since the ’70s. The “Red Dog” early-’70s Fender Telecaster. And he’s one of the few rock stars who has actually been quoted in print saying, “I don’t think we need that much money.” This 1950 Fender Broadcaster (left) is one of Mike Campbell’s live mainstays. His tours are not sponsored by corporations, and his songs are not used in advertising. And amongst fans, he’s a hero who, while keeping them entertained through parts of four decades, has battled to hold down the retail prices of his albums and concert tickets. Fellow songwriters from Stevie Nicks to Bob Dylan have waxed fervently on what Petty songs mean to them. Today, nearly 50 years beyond “Love Me Tender” and “Love Me Do,” he is the personification of the rock star “created” by the Beatles’ appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” And 30 years after his band, the Heartbreakers, formed in Gainesville, Florida, he is still making an impact, still being a force in a medium famous for devouring all but the biggest of its “stars.” The laconic raconteur of rock very much appreciates that his style never goes out of style, and in selling some 50 million albums he has pandered to nobody – not fans, not managers, not record labels.Īmongst his peers today, Petty is revered. Photos by Rick Gould Remember the first time you strummed a D chord or fumbled your way oh-so-slowly through “Walk Don’t Run”? Chances are you wanted to be in the Beatles, or you wanted to be Elvis, with the flat-top and the hips.
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