Runnin' Down a Dream: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

by Tom Petty

For more than 30 years, Tom Petty has been writing and performing hit songs and rock and roll classics. He has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide. His music has been the soundtrack to the lives of millions of people who grew up in the '70s, '80s and '90s. This celebratory, personal volume includes hundreds of photographsmany never-before-publishedas well as a selection of memorabilia from Petty's personal archives, all of which help to illustrate the songwriter's own description of his amazing life and career. Publication of this book coincides with the theatrical release of a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers film documentary by Peter Bogdanovich and a four disc DVD/CD set. The fall of 2007 belongs to Tom Petty.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Rock N Roll, Reference

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Thomas Earl Petty was an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He was the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and a member of Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T. Wilbury, Jr. and Muddy Wilbury.

He recorded a number of hit singles with The Heartbreakers and as a solo artist, many of which remain heavily played on adult contemporary and classic rock radio. Likewise, his music, most notably his hits, have become increasingly popular among younger generations as he continued to host sold out shows through September 2017.

In 2002, Petty was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Reviews

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! and when I say I loved it......it was incredible. I have been a big TPH fan since I heard American Girl. This is not just a coffee table book, the pictures are amazing and they are beautifully done, but the story and bi lines from band members, producers, rock legends and even Tom P daughter Adria weigh in on how the past 30 + years have gone is memorable.
my son gave this to me a few years ago for Christmas and I had forgotten it on my book shelf, well now it will be plainly visible so that anyone who comes over can look at it! What a great gift!!

What a magical career Tom and the guys have had....to work with all of the rock gods and goddesses and have them in return say how much they admire his work ethic and determination was really great. the longevity and resilience that it takes to make it in the music business let alone stay for years is unbelievable and just goes to show you that what ever your dream is....you can have it!

favorite quote's of the book come from Dave Grohl and Tom's Daughter Adria:

Dave :"There that universal element where when you see TP play and he is singing a song, there's twelve thousand people singing along with him, and they might be singing for twelve thousand reasons...that's the coolest feeling in the world when you can get a song that everyone can connect with. But if I'm still hanging out with the guys in my band thirty years, F*****g shoot me, please!"

Adria Petty " I think it was them against the world in a way. When I imagine them moving to L.A. from Florida - they're like the ultimate American dreamers. There was no doubt in their mind that they were going to make it work. Even the looser's get lucky sometimes!"

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very entertaining books documenting the lives, songs and adventures of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Check out the documentary film directed by Peter Bogdanovich. It's like going to many of their concerts, going backstage and talking with each band member.

[Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm having a Tom Petty tribute weekend: CDs, videos, this book (and my Tom Petty t-shirt). They bring all that genius to life in my head again.

Next to Tom, I have a major admiration for keyboardist Benmont Tench. Piano was my instrument, so I have an idea of how very good he is. Among the tons of photos in RUNNIN' DOWN A DREAM, I have more than doubled the number of pictures I have of Tench. If Mike Campbell is your guy, you can do the same. A lot of photos accumulate in 30 years.

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great keeper of a book; TP is one of my personal favorites, and this book really gives perspective of his origins, and how he became one of the classics.

[Mike Futcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful coffee-table companion to the excellent 2007 Tom Petty documentary Runnin' Down a Dream. Unlike Conversations with Tom Petty by Paul Zollo and Petty, written by this same book's editor Warren Zanes, the Runnin' Down a Dream book can't really stand on its own. Many parts of the narrative are dealt with fleetingly, and while I know the band's story well this will not be satisfactory for newcomers. This book is for dedicated fans only, or for those who want a bit of bonus content after watching the Runnin' Down a Dream documentary.

Which is not to say that the book is throwaway; hardly anything attached to the Tom Petty name could be considered as such – certainly nothing released in his lifetime. The photos are excellently produced and the interview snippets interesting (including one from Mike Campbell on page 113 which suggests the possibility that Tom Petty broke his hand punching a wall not because the recording of 'Rebels' was going badly, but because Mike had played his 'The Boys of Summer', a hit song Tom had passed on, earlier that day).

The book is not throwaway, then; remarkably, it actually becomes restorative. Tom Petty was always a rock-and-roller with integrity, a man who tried "to be responsible to a [creative] gift I've been given" (pg. 12). To hear the band's story again, to listen to the energy of the music again, to hang out with Tom Petty again, particularly now that he has been gone from us almost a decade, is a feeling like a Sunday when all is well. The afternoon sun shines, work is an age away, and it feels "like the good guys are actually winning the war" (pg. 79).

[Gerrod Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Runnin' Down A Dream is a bit of a lost gem that sees Petty and The Heatbreakers - along with other key individuals close to the band - provide an oral history of their work through interviews conducted by Warren Zanes and Peter Bogdanovich. These stories are both insightful and candid and are paired perfectly with a series of photographs, making excellent use of the coffee table medium. While not as insightful as you may hope in particular creative eras, Runnin' Down A Dream serves as the perfect prelude to Zanes' 2015 book, Petty: The Biography.

[Kris Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've seen the 4 hour Peter Bogdonovich documentary that accompanies this book, you have a great idea of what to expect. The text is lifted exclusively from the documentary.

Fortunately the documentary is excellent so this is a great coffee table book - also they mention (barely) the She's the One soundtrack from 1996 that is ignored in the documentary. Why? I have no idea it's my favorite Tom Petty album

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book - the interviews, the photos, and the education about the music business. We all knew Tom was a brilliant writer, musician and vocalist, but he was also a producer, a leader, and a creative genius. The band was a constant throughout the rock n' roll years. I had the privilege of seeing the band live in Palm Beach five months before Tom passed away.

[Christine Lichatz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the companion to the documentary by Peter Bogdonovich; I read it to revisit and hold that dream in my hands. It's a story of determination and belief in your gut vision, two things that make for a luck and wonder filled life. These boys did it together. They fired us up forever. (gush)

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a huge Tom Petty fan but this book made me more of one.

At first, I wasn't sure of the writing style, and then I got used to it, then I dug it. The writer brought lots of talent and experience to bear on a rock 'n' roll life.

Petty didn't have it easy, and what a legacy of song he left.

[Joe Colorado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a very good book, even if you are not a huge Petty fan. Very thoroughly researched with numerous interviews.
I do think the author (who was somewhat of a friend of Petty's) engages in a bit of hero worship at times, and also diminishes the other band members' achievements.

[Bbender61 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was like a guilty pleasure. A view into a super successful musician whose work I admire and who was a friend of George Harrison. What's not to like!

[Kelly Ulmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book! The loss of TP really hit home and reading this book helped me learn more about my favorite artist. Great pictures and facts!

[Julia V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an amazing book. So much history. I totally recommend this book and the companion documentary of the same name...its great, but be warned that it is 4 hours long. But so worth it.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read if you are a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers fan. This is a celebration of the band's 30th anniversary and is a great accompaniment to the film of the same name by Peter Bogdanovich.

[HJK44 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The definitive biography of Tom Petty!

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

TOM PETTY I LOVE YOUUUUUU🩵🩵

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admired the music of Petty for so long. Always great to hear the inside stories on all of one of your heroes greatest hits and how the band made it. This was a good long interesting bio for sure.

[Windy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many pictures! In color! I suggest buying two books: one to put on your shelf to flip through, and one to cut up in order to make a giant wall collage.

Unfortunately, there's no 8 x 11 still shot from the video "You Don't Know How it Feels." The one in which he's wearing a cool hat and a blue shirt that so perfectly matches his eyes. Other than that oversight, though, solid work.

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great career summary (up until 10 years ago, at any rate) that is the perfect companion piece to the documentary of the same name and, strangely, to the brand new biography (Warren Zanes is the text-editor here which helps). Some great photos too. Worth a look.

[elka · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE YOU TOM, EVEN IF YOU'RE ALL LEATHERY NOWADAYS

[Geralyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent photos!

[Kyra Leseberg (Roots & Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of photos and incredible stories spanning the career of the band - love it!

[Kelly Wyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

The images are stunning, but my favorite parts were reading Tom Petty speak of how he writes music. That in itself was a kind of magic.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just for all the pictures at least. Mmmm hmmm!