Tom Petty Biography

Fast Facts

• Became interested in rock-and-roll music after meeting Elvis Presley at age 10 (1961); decided to become a rock musician after seeing The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show
• First solo album, 1989's Full Moon Fever, charted as high as No
• 3 and went triple platinum
• Played the Bridge City mayor in Kevin Costner's 1997 film The Postman
• Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002
• Began hosting a show called Buried Treasure on XM satellite radio in 2005
• Had a recurring guest role on the Fox animated comedy King of the Hill; voiced the character of Elroy "Lucky" Kleinschmidt, who occasionally played guitar in the band Big Mountain Fudgecake