Born Thomas Earl Petty in Gainesville, Florida in 1950, Petty met Elvis Presley on the set of Follow That Dream in Ocala at the age of eleven - impressed and inspired, Petty did follow that dream. Seeing The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 intensified the dream. Petty worked as a groundskeeper and gravedigger for a while, and took guitar lessons from Don Felder - who would become one of The Eagles. His first band was the Epics, which evolved into Mudcrutch - with Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench - which split up then regrouped with Petty, Campbell, Ron Blair and Stan Lynch forming the first version of The Heartbreakers. You’re Gonna Get It singles I Need to Know and Listen to Her Heart that launched Petty into a long, successful career: Damn the Torpedoes, Hard Promises (1981), Long After Dark (1982), touring with Bob Dylan and co-writing Jammin’ Me with Dylan. Hit records, the Travelin’ Wilburys, lawsuits, marriages, divorces, arsonists, more hit records. The dream was sometimes a nightmare for Petty, but his talent has put him up there with his influences: Elvis and The Beatles, and who knows how many starry-eyed kids Petty inspired to follow their dreams.