Tom Petty, June, 2010. Photo by Amber, CC-BY-SA 2.0

“The thing about the Heartbreakers is, it’s still holy to me,” he said with no air of loftiness or pretense. “There’s a holiness there. If that were to go away, I don’t think I would be interested in it, and I don’t think they would. We’re a real rock ’n’ roll band — always have been. And to us, in the era we came up in, it was a religion in a way. It was more than commerce, it wasn’t about that. It was about something much greater.

“It was about moving people, and changing the world, and I really believed in rock ’n’ roll — I still do.”  – Tom Petty, September 27, 2017

Here is a fine remembrance of Tom Petty, by Randy Lewis, who interviewed the artist for the Los Angeles Times on September 27 – two days after the successful end of his 40th anniversary tour, and five days before his death, at age 66, of cardiac arrest.

Here’s a nice clip of Tom, performing one of  iconic songs at his last concert at the Hollywood bowl. I’ve always loved this anthem of courage – don’t we all need it now!

Thanks for 40 years of music and inspiration, Tom!