It’s October 20th, 2026. The birthday of Tom Petty. He would have been 76 years young today and probably in the studio working on some new music. To say that Petty was talented is one of the biggest understatements of all time. The dude was incredible and I would argue he was one of most important singer songwriters to ever come out of America.

His brilliant gift was to make incredibly complex ideas sound simple. It’s really amazing. Musically and lyrically, you listen and you ‘get it’. Great melodies. But what might sound easy is really kind of complex when you really dig in and listen. The ideas he sang about are the same way. He’d have an incredible hook for a chorus, sure, but when you listen to the verses. Really listen. That’s when you’re blown away.

If anything, he was so good at melodies and hooks and hiding the complexities that many people just skim the surface and don’t take the time to dig in. That’s a drag. Go back and listen to Tom Petty and you can’t help but be blown away. Maybe that’s why he had such an incredible career. Tom Petty and Mudcrutch, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. His partnerships with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne. Not to mention his solo stuff which is some of his best. The dude sold over 80 million records!

Yeah, I think Tom Petty would be working on something today. It’s October 20th. The birthday of Tom Petty. It’s worth mentioning that a new album comes out on Nov 6th.

The live stuff. Dude could really bring the sonic goodness to a live show.

Here’s a fun one. And check out how generous Petty is with Eddie Vedder. That’s cool af.

We’ll close it out with deep cut. Runaway Trains. A stellar example of melody and depth. Great stuff from a great songwriter and talent. Tom Petty.