On February 9th, 1964 The Beatles appeared for the first time on the Ed Sullivan show, an event that was transformative for millions of young music fans.
One of those watching, on that Sunday night, was a then 13-year old Tom Petty, who, at that moment, discovered his life’s calling: a singer, musician, and songwriter.
Earlier this week the legendary talent died at age 66 (two weeks shy of his 67th birthday) after suffering a massive heart attack.
Just one week earlier he was onstage at The Hollywood Bowl, nearing the end of his 40th Anniversary Tour, Those lucky enough to have witnessed a show by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers know that they delivered 110% at each and every performance; Petty truly loved what he did throughout his 40+ year career.
Gone much too soon, Petty has left us with dozens of indelible memories, like the song “American Girl,” which became a classic nearly twenty years after it appeared on his 1977 debut album. “Rolling Stone” magazine named it one of the “100 Greatest Guitar Songs” of all time, and it’s the song Petty chose to close his Hollywood Bowl show on September 25th, 2017.
R.I.P
Here’s the “American Girl” on official video, and also the performance of the Hollywood Bowl,