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Petty: The Biography
- Narrated by: Warren Zanes
- Length: 13 hrs and 57 mins
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Publisher's summary
An exhilarating and intimate account of the life of music legend Tom Petty by an accomplished writer and musician who toured with Petty.
No one other than Warren Zanes, rocker and writer and friend, could author a book about Tom Petty that is as honest and evocative of Petty's music and the remarkable rock and roll history he and his band helped to write.
Born in Gainesville, Florida, with more than a little hillbilly in his blood, Tom Petty was a Southern shit kicker, a kid without a whole lot of promise. Rock and roll made it otherwise. From meeting Elvis to seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan to producing Del Shannon; backing Bob Dylan; putting together a band with George Harrison, Dylan, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne; making records with Johnny Cash; and sending well more than a dozen of his own celebrated recordings high onto the charts, Tom Petty's story has all the drama of a rock and roll epic.
Now in his mid-60s, still making records and still touring, Petty, known for his reclusive style, has shared with Warren Zanes his insights and arguments, his regrets and lasting ambitions, and the details of his life on and off the stage.
This is an audiobook for those who know and love the songs, from "American Girl" and "Refugee" to "Free Fallin'" and "Mary Jane's Last Dance", and for those who want to see the classic rock and roll era embodied in one man's remarkable story. Dark and mysterious, Petty manages to come back again and again, showing us what the music can do and where it can take us.
BONUS AUDIO: In an exclusive Audible interview, author and narrator Warren Zanes discusses the cultural significance behind rock biographies, how great records continue to reveal new things over time, and the enduring and "authentic rock-and-roll cool" that is Tom Petty.
Critic reviews
"Imagine a long ride on the tour bus with Tom and the Heartbreakers where everyone was feeling loose enough to tell all their stories. What a historic night that would be. This book is that." (Eddie Vedder)
"This amazing book is a Tom Petty biography (and it's great on that account) but it's far more than that. It's an X-ray of the most fragile, most volatile, and most sublime social unit ever invented: the rock-and-roll band. The alliances, the distortions, the deep bruises and the absurd elations that can never be explained to an outsider. Sure, Petty is a book about a rock band but it's really a book about being human - how we meet and collaborate, break up and make up, learn to trust (or not) and, once in a lucky while, sing as loud as we can. It's a masterpiece." (Stephen Dubner, co-author of Freakonomics)
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- By b.sea on 07-25-19
By: Kenny Rogers
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Relentless
- The Memoir
- By: Yngwie J. Malmsteen
- Narrated by: Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Fred Berman
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Yngwie Malmsteen's revolutionary guitar style - combining elements of classical music with the speed and volume of heavy metal - made him a staple of the 80s rock scene. Decades later, he's still a legend among guitarists, having sold 11 million albums and influenced generations of rockers since. In Relentless, Malmsteen shares his personal story, from the moment he burst onto the scene seemingly out of nowhere in the early 80s to become a household name in the annals of heavy metal.
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yngwie rules!
- By Chief on 02-23-21
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So Many Roads
- The Life and Times of the Grateful Dead
- By: David Browne
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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No longer dismissed as relics of the hippie era, a new generation has lionized the Dead for creating a culture that paved the way for social networking, free music swapping, and the uncompromising anticorporate attitude of indie rock. Now, fifty years after the band first began changing rock 'n' roll both sonically and psychically, So Many Roads paints the most vivid portrait yet of the Grateful Dead, one of the most enduring institutions in American music and culture.
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Great first book on the Dead
- By robert on 10-30-15
By: David Browne
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Walk This Way
- Run-DMC, Aerosmith, and the Song That Changed American Music Forever
- By: Geoff Edgers
- Narrated by: Geoff Edgers
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Washington Post staff writer Geoff Edgers takes a deep dive into the story behind "Walk This Way", Aerosmith and Run-DMC's legendary, groundbreaking mashup that forever changed music.
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A MUST LISTEN/READ
- By Aron Teo Lee on 05-17-19
By: Geoff Edgers
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All These Things That I've Done
- My Insane, Improbable Rock Life
- By: Matt Pinfield, Mitchell Cohen
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Matt Pinfield is the ultimate music fan. He's the guy who knows every song, artist, and musical riff ever recorded, down to the most obscure band's B-side single on its vinyl-only EP import. As a child, music helped Pinfield make sense of the world. Later he would approach his music idols after concerts and explain why he loved their music. As an adult, rock music inspired his career, fueled relationships, and, at times, became a life raft.
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great listen
- By nilda v. on 08-28-20
By: Matt Pinfield, and others
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Keith Richards
- The Unauthorised Biography
- By: Victor Bockris
- Narrated by: Adrian Mulraney
- Length: 20 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1992, Victor Bockris' celebrated biography was the first to recognize Richards' pivotal role in the legend of the Rolling Stones. Now that book on rock's most incredible survivor has been expanded. Here are the true facts behind Richards' battles with his demons: the women, the drugs and the love-hate relationship with Jagger. His struggle with heroin and his status as the rock star most likely to die in the 1970s. His scarcely believable rebirth as a family man in the 1980s. Illuminated with revealing quotes and thoughtful insights into the man behind the band that goes on forever.
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doesn't comapre to LIFE
- By A. Garofalo on 02-20-14
By: Victor Bockris
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The Gospel According to Luke
- By: Steve Lukather
- Narrated by: Steve Lukather
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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In this incisive memoir, Steve Lukather tells the complete Toto story. He also lifts the lid on what went on behind the closed studio doors, shedding light on the unique creative processes of some of the most legendary names in music: from Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks, and Elton John to Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, and Aretha Franklin. Lukather’s extraordinary tale also encompasses the dark side of stardom and the American Dream. Frank, engaging, and often hilarious, The Gospel According to Luke is no ordinary rock memoir.
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Wow Best Rock Biography Ever
- By Hercules on 09-29-18
By: Steve Lukather
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I Am Brian Wilson
- By: Brian Wilson, Ben Greenman - contributor
- Narrated by: Fred Berman
- Length: 9 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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As a cofounding member of the Beach Boys in the 1960s, Wilson created some of the most groundbreaking and timeless popular music ever recorded. With intricate harmonies, symphonic structures, and wide-eyed lyrics that explored life's most transcendent joys and deepest sorrows, songs like "In My Room", "God Only Knows", and "Good Vibrations" forever expanded the possibilities of pop songwriting.
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Surviving the Minor Keys in Life - Love Overcomes
- By Russell on 12-01-16
By: Brian Wilson, and others
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Deal
- My Three Decades of Drumming, Dreams, and Drugs with the Grateful Dead
- By: Bill Kreutzmann, Benjy Eisen
- Narrated by: Peter Berkrot
- Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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On their 50th anniversary comes a groundbreaking rock-and-roll memoir by one of the founding members of the Grateful Dead. The Grateful Dead are perhaps the most legendary American rock band of all time. For 30 years, beginning in the hippie scene of San Francisco in 1965, they were a musical institution, the original jam band that broke new ground in so many ways.
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Decent but not great
- By Monty S on 03-02-16
By: Bill Kreutzmann, and others
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Torment Saint
- The Life of Elliott Smith
- By: William Todd Schultz
- Narrated by: Travis Young
- Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Elliott Smith was one of the most gifted songwriters of the 90s, adored by fans for his subtly melancholic words and melodies. The sadness had its sources in life. There was trauma from an early age, years of drug abuse, and a chronic sense of disconnection that sometimes seemed self-engineered. Smith died violently in LA in 2003, under what some believe to be questionable circumstances, of stab wounds to the chest. By this time fame had found him, and record-buyers who shared the listening experience felt he spoke directly to them from beyond: astute, damaged, lovelorn, fighting, until he could fight no more.
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Almost interesting, often overwrought, poorly read
- By PerpetualGeorge on 01-27-14
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My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire
- By: Maurice White, Herb Powell
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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The late Grammy-winning founder of the legendary pop/R&B/soul/funk/disco group tells his story and charts the rise of his legendary band in this sincere memoir that captures the heart and soul of an artist whose groundbreaking sound continues to influence music today. With a foreword by David Foster.
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Maurice--Earth, Wind and Fire
- By Linda Ealey on 02-28-17
By: Maurice White, and others
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Tearing Down the Wall of Sound
- The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector
- By: Mick Brown
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 17 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Phil Spector, born in the Bronx in 1940, grew up an outsider despised by his peers. But he formed a band, and had a number-one hit with "To Know Him Is to Love Him". He quickly became the top producer of early rock and roll and the originator of such girl groups as the Ronettes. Hit followed hit, and for all of them he used a new recording style called the "wall of sound". But the reign of the boy-man who owned pop music was doomed, and Spector spiraled into paranoid isolation and peculiar behavior.
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Descent Into Madness
- By Chris on 06-11-12
By: Mick Brown
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When Samuel Zemurray arrived in America in 1891, he was tall, gangly, and penniless. When he died in the grandest house in New Orleans 69 years later, he was among the richest, most powerful men in the world. In between, he worked as a fruit peddler, banana hauler, dockside hustler, and plantation owner. He battled and conquered the United Fruit Company, becoming a symbol of the best and worst of the United States: proof America is the land of opportunity, but also a classic example of the corporate pirate who treats foreign nations as the backdrop for his adventures.
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What listeners say about Petty: The Biography
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- tru britty
- 12-15-15
Tom Petty gets some bio love
I'm always on the lookout for a good music biography. And this one has made my very good list.
Author Warren Zanes is a musician as well as a writer. He worked with Petty in the past. At first, I thought, oh no, this is gonna be one of those, hey, let me tell you about my pal, rock star Tom Petty.
Petty: The Biography is not that kind of book. It's the story of a kid who meets Elvis, sees the Beatles on Ed Sullivan, and steals every good musician he can find to ride music out of Gainesville, Florida, and away from an abusive dad. You like the Tom Petty that Warren Zanes tells you about, and that's great if you're gonna ride this story to the end.
The author is so good at painting a portrait of a place and time. He really nails the punch-drunk, sometimes stupid, sometimes humiliating experience of following a dream without a road map.
Along the way, you meet an ensemble cast of musicians from every incarnation of Mudcrutch, Petty's early band, to the Heartbreakers. But there are plenty more, even in the Gainesville chapters, so if you're like me you'll sometimes forget who's who. I didn't know Florida in the late '60s - early '70s was such a hotbed of musical talent, the Allman brothers and Bernie Leadon of the Eagles among the lot.
Zanes hits all the highs and lows of Tom Petty's long career. The recording of the first album with Shelter Records in 1976. The early success in England and later in America. Petty's declaration of bankruptcy in 1979 and court battle with MCA for control of his songwriting and career. The creation of songs like "American Girl" and "Here Comes My Girl" and the solo album Full Moon Fever. Personality conflicts. Band members coming and going and coming back. The Traveling Wilburys. And Petty taking his music into the 21st century as an elder statesman of rock.
Warren Zanes also narrates the audiobook. He's not a dramatic reader. His narration is straight, no frills, and doesn't get in the way of the story.
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- James
- 12-29-15
One of the best biographies ever
Any additional comments?
The three things that make any audiobook worth getting are the story, the writing and the narration. Warren Zanes has absolutely nailed all three in this biography of Tom Petty. The story of Petty, which I only discovered though this audiobook, is inspiring and fascinating. The content is highly detailed and backed up by first hand quotes from the people that were there. And there is quite a fascinating cast of characters. Zanes brings it all to life with a perfectly pitched, evocative writing style which is matched by his performance.
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21 people found this helpful
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- Elizabeth Ulrich
- 01-12-16
a must read
I have been a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers fan for 35 years. When this book 1st came out, I had reservations about this book. The initial media coverage focused on Tom Petty's addiction to heroin and on the troubled first marriage along with the struggles of his ex-wife. A lot of biographies are written about musicians. Some of them are mediocre, and some of them are trash. Wow this book does talk about the good the bad and the ugly, any reservations that I may have had about this book are completely gone. This book has been very well researched, and it is very well written. It is obvious that the author cares about the person that he is writing about. This book is a must read for the diehard Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers fan as well as a casual fan. The thing that I love best about this book is that it brings out the human being and Tom Petty. The reader will learn about his rough childhood, the ups and downs of his life as a musician and as a human being, and in the end, Tom comes full circle, and this story has not ended yet. I am waiting for what will come up next for Tom Petty.
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18 people found this helpful
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- D Family
- 03-03-16
Best Music Artist Biography Audio Book I've Ever Listened To
By far this is overall the best music artist biography book I've listened to. The combination of the story itself and the content with the performance of the narrator is amazing. I've been a Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers fan my whole life which is what drew me to the book in the first place, but I feel like even the casual Petty & HB fan would thoroughly enjoy this book. I've listened to audiobooks about the Beatles and the Stones and individual books for all the members, Hendrix, Nirvana, Dylan, Aerosmith, Motley Crue, Neil Young, etc and honestly overall this is the most well done. Buy it, you won't regret it. I can't wait discover more Warren Zanes projects.
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10 people found this helpful
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- Cargod63
- 12-31-15
Winner.
I read just about nothing but bio's and history. This is an excellently written book. Keeps your attention with great writing and a great story.
The subject Tom Petty was a bit of a mystery to me. May be by design after reading this book. Very interesting life. I've got a much better appreciation for Tom's work now. Always enjoyed his music but the back story really adds texture to the music. Thank you for inspiring me to give Tom's catalog a full listen. I have to say I'm really enjoying rediscovering his art.
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7 people found this helpful
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- J Baker
- 06-14-18
The narrator's voice and performance is key!
I really enjoy biographies and thought that this one would be great! The narrator's voice, tone, affliction, and performance are flat and don't draw the listener in. I am sure that this audiobook is interesting but I just can't get past the narrator, it's a KEY element!! Disappointed.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Billy
- 01-21-16
Very good even for non-Petty fans
I've never been the biggest Tom Petty fan. I like his music and I am familiar with his hits. However, this book was so well written that it made me very interested in the story. I am always fascinated by how hard people like Tom Petty work. I was also impressed by how this book is as much a book about the Heartbreakers as it is about Tom Petty.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Jeff Spears
- 01-21-16
Brilliant story and performance
I couldn't have enjoyed this book more. I heard the author's appearance in an NPR podcast where he teased the book and I know it would be good. It exceeded expectations. Yes, I'm a Petty fan, but if you're a music fan in general, the book will resonate - and Zanes' performance is calm and unrushed. I felt like T himself was telling the story. Great job.
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4 people found this helpful
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- AZlee
- 05-24-20
A biography that's up to the man & his music
I listened to this book every evening as I went for a walk after work. Every day I looked forward to that time, as it completely transported me into the life and times of Tom Petty.
After a brief intro that I found a little confusing because it was more like a summary, I settled into Ch. 1 and the transportation began. i knew from that chapter that Zanes is a gifted writer and at that point, didn't know he was a musician, former member of a band and holds a PhD. When I found those things out, it made sense -- he has the background, skill with words and talent to organize content that makes this such a great book.
Through it all, I couldn't help but wish that Tom was still with us. It brought to the fore the fact that we lost someone special in 2017, and I still remember where I was when I heard the news. Thank you, Warren, for putting this all together so giftedly, and thanks to Tom and his family and friends for being willing to share.
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- Challenged
- 01-25-16
Petty revealed.
If you could sum up Petty: The Biography in three words, what would they be?
Really great book
What does Warren Zanes bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Warren Zanes has the necessary skills to write compelling books. Being from Boston, an educated city - and having played in a successful rock band, Warren Zanes brings some deep insight of life in a rock band / life on the road to this story. He deftly avoids the sycophantic fan as author routine and peels back some of the mysteries surrounding Petty - namely his depression and struggles with drugs.
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3 people found this helpful