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-Thomas Earl Petty was born on October 20, 1950, in Gainesville, Florida, the first son of Earl and Katherine “Kitty” Petty. He grew up in a small Florida town with one younger brother. Petty later recalled a troubled home life: he was especially close to his mother but “had a difficult relationship” with his father, who he described as often physically abusive. In fact, he said that a particularly severe beating at age five stayed with him for years. In this difficult household, music quickly became Petty’s refuge and passion.
-From a young age Petty immersed himself in music. At ten years old, he had a formative encounter when his aunt and uncle arranged for him to visit a film set in Florida and meet his idol, Elvis [Presleylatimes.com](http://Presleylatimes.com). Within days Petty traded his boyhood slingshot for a growing collection of Elvis 45s and began teaching himself [guitarlatimes.combritannica.com](http://guitarlatimes.combritannica.com). In the mid-1960s, hearing The Beatles on *The Ed Sullivan Show* had a similar impact: Petty later said watching the Beatles convinced him that becoming a rock-and-roll star was [achievablelatimes.com](http://achievablelatimes.com). He absorbed a wide range of American music – from country and blues on his mother’s radio to the new rock of the British Invasion – and these early influences shaped his signature sound.
-**Sources:** Contemporary biographies and interviews report that Petty was born in Gainesville in 1950 to Earl and Kitty Petty, and that he endured a harsh upbringing with an abusive father. They note his early passion for music (inspired by Elvis Presley, the Beatles, etc.) and his self-taught guitar playing. These works also document his high-school years in Gainesville, where he played in bands (the Epics/Mudcrutch) and eventually left school to tour full-time, key steps in Petty’s development as a musician.
-- [Singer](/wiki/Singer)
+Thomas Earl Petty was born on October 20, 1950, in [Gainesville, Florida](/wiki/gainesville_florida), the first son of Earl and Katherine “Kitty” Petty. He grew up in a small Florida town with one younger brother. Petty later recalled a troubled home life: he was especially close to his mother but “had a difficult relationship” with his father, who he described as often physically abusive. In fact, he said that a particularly severe beating at age five stayed with him for years. In this difficult household, music quickly became Petty’s [refuge](/wiki/refuge) and passion.
+Image of Petty around 1967
+From a young age Petty immersed himself in music. At ten years old, he had a formative encounter when his aunt and uncle arranged for him to visit a film set in Florida and meet his idol, [Elvis Presley](/wiki/elvis_presley). Within days Petty traded his boyhood slingshot for a growing collection of Elvis 45s and began teaching himself guitar. In the mid-1960s, hearing The Beatles on [*The Ed Sullivan Show*](/wiki/the_ed_sullivan_show) had a similar impact: Petty later said watching the Beatles convinced him that becoming a rock-and-roll star was achievable. He absorbed a wide range of American music – from country and blues on his mother’s radio to the new rock of the British Invasion – and these early influences shaped his signature sound.
+**Sources:** Contemporary biographies and interviews report that Petty was born in Gainesville in 1950 to Earl and Kitty Petty, and that he endured a harsh upbringing with an abusive father. They note his early passion for music (inspired by [Elvis Presley](/wiki/elvis_presley), [the Beatles](/wiki/the_beatles), etc.) and his self-taught guitar playing. These works also document his high-school years in Gainesville, where he played in bands (the Epics/Mudcrutch) and eventually left school to tour full-time, key steps in Petty’s development as a musician.
+# **Artistic Peak**
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-Tom Petty (1950–2017) was an iconic American [rock musician](/wiki/Rock_Musician) and [songwriter](/wiki/Songwriter) whose distinctive voice defined generations. Leading The Heartbreakers, he crafted a timeless catalog of enduring [rock music](/wiki/Rock_Music) that captured the spirit of American life and grit.
-## See also
-- [The Heartbreakers](/wiki/The_Heartbreakers)
-- [Guitar](/wiki/Guitar)
-- [American Music](/wiki/American_Music)
+Tom Petty (1950–2017) was an iconic American [rock musician](/wiki/Rock_Musician) and [songwriter](/wiki/Songwriter) whose distinctive voice defined generations. Leading The Heartbreakers, he crafted a timeless catalog of enduring [rock music](/wiki/Rock_Music) that captured the spirit of American life and grit.
+Image of Tom Petty in 1982.
+# Early Career
+Thomas Earl Petty was born on October 20, 1950, in Gainesville, Florida, the first son of Earl and Katherine “Kitty” Petty. He grew up in a small Florida town with one younger brother. Petty later recalled a troubled home life: he was especially close to his mother but “had a difficult relationship” with his father, who he described as often physically abusive. In fact, he said that a particularly severe beating at age five stayed with him for years. In this difficult household, music quickly became Petty’s refuge and passion.
+# Musical Influences
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Auto-generated stub article
+Tom Petty (1950–2017) was an iconic American [rock musician](/wiki/Rock_Musician) and [songwriter](/wiki/Songwriter) whose distinctive voice defined generations. Leading The Heartbreakers, he crafted a timeless catalog of enduring [rock music](/wiki/Rock_Music) that captured the spirit of American life and grit.
+## See also
+- [The Heartbreakers](/wiki/The_Heartbreakers)
+- [Guitar](/wiki/Guitar)
+- [American Music](/wiki/American_Music)
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