As the definitive biography of American-bred rocker Tom Petty, this book examines his extensive music career, his personal life and his many public battles. After a momentary but pivotal encounter with Elvis Presley at age 10, Petty felt destined to pursue a career in rock and roll. Raised on a steady diet of Elvis and the Beatles, Petty left the safe confines of Gainesville in 1974 and headed for Los Angeles. Although Petty fared poorly with his early group Mudcrutch, he later formed the Heartbreakers. But with his career taking various twists and turns, Petty also thrived as a solo artist, a cofounder of the rock supergroup the Traveling Wilburys and a member of the reformed Mudcrutch. Along the way, Petty was forced to battle his own record company in court, nearly lost his life in a house fire, spent two years as a recluse after a painful divorce and became best friends with a former Beatle, George Harrison. As a prolific singer and songwriter, Tom Petty has remained at the top of his game for four decades with timeless rock anthems such as "Breakdown," "Refugee" and "I Won't Back Down."