Staff Pick
Warren Zanes's biography of a generation's coolest rock star covers even more than Peter Bogdanovich's documentary Runnin' Down a Dream. Zane's bio shows Petty's years darkened by heroin as well as his drawn-out divorce that influenced his Wildflowers and Echo albums. There's plenty of fun stories of the road, wild music videos, and some of the best music of the last 40 years. Whether you're a fan of Petty from classic rock radio only or own his complete album catalog (including the Mudcrutch, Traveling Wilburys, Stevie Nicks, and Johnny Cash albums), Zanes's biography is a fun read that is difficult to put down. Recommended By Jeffrey J., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
An exhilarating and intimate account of the life of music legend
Tom Petty, by an accomplished writer and musician who toured with Petty
No
one other than Warren Zanes, rocker and writer and friend, could author
a book about Tom Petty that is as honest and evocative of Petty's music
and the remarkable rock and roll history he and his band helped to
write.
Born in Gainesville, Florida, with more than a little
hillbilly in his blood, Tom Petty was a Southern shit kicker, a kid
without a whole lot of promise. Rock and roll made it otherwise. From
meeting Elvis, to seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, to producing Del
Shannon, backing Bob Dylan, putting together a band with George
Harrison, Dylan, Roy Orbison, and Jeff Lynne, making records with Johnny
Cash, and sending well more than a dozen of his own celebrated
recordings high onto the charts, Tom Petty's story has all the drama of a
rock and roll epic. Now in his mid-sixties, still making records and
still touring, Petty, known for his reclusive style, has shared with
Warren Zanes his insights and arguments, his regrets and lasting
ambitions, and the details of his life on and off the stage.
This
is a book for those who know and love the songs, from "American Girl"
and "Refugee" to "Free Fallin'" and "Mary Jane's Last Dance," and for
those who want to see the classic rock and roll era embodied in one
man's remarkable story. Dark and mysterious, Petty manages to come back,
again and again, showing us what the music can do and where it can take
us.
Review
“A biography of a reticent musician that will allow even his biggest
fans to see him with fresh eyes and hear him with fresh ears.... Zanes
brings a depth and empathy to the narrative that never veers toward
sensationalism... Though it attests to the artist's singularity, this
incisive, illuminating biography also serves as an elegy to one of the
golden eras of the classic rock band-of the days when 'a band was
everything, a shield and a shelter.'” Kirkus (Starred Review)
Review
“[A] balanced chronicle of Petty’s career with the detached delivery of a
seasoned journalist combined with the intimacy of a friend bold enough
to dig deep beneath the surface of his own personal musical
hero...required reading for fans. Zanes's working knowledge of band
dynamics, in conjunction with his crisp and concise writing, undeniably
qualify him to tell this story of one of rock’s most reclusive
superstars.” Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Review
"For Petty fans who've wondered about the artist behind the music, this
book functions like a door being thrown open on on the singer's musical
and personal lives. Expect eager readers from rock fans." Booklist
About the Author
Warren Zanes holds a PhD in visual and cultural studies from the
University of Rochester. He was a member of the Del Fuegos and continues
to record music. His work has appeared in The Oxford American, and
he has served as a V.P. at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is
currently the Executive Director of Steven Van Zandt's Rock and Roll
Forever Foundation.