Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were seeped in rock history and became blue-collar legends, but they didn’t fully break through until the late 70s and early 80s.
This gallery takes a look at the early years of the Heartbreakers, the era before they became megafamous. Tom Petty, rest in peace, looks young and suave in these 1970s photos of the legendary rock band. Check em out and run down your dream.
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Tom Petty performing with the Heartbreakers in 1979
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in the 70s
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Del Shannon and Tom Petty, circa late 1970s
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Tom Petty onstage in 1979
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Bob Seger and Tom Petty in Detroit, MI, 1979
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Tom Petty with Stevie Nicks in 1980
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Tom Petty sitting in the audience for a concert at the Sweetwater Cafe in Redondo Beach, CA. Late 1970s
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A young Tom Petty in the 1970s
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Tom Petty with a bottle of Jack Daniels, 1979
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Tom Petty looking suave in 1979
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Tom Petty in the studio at Sound City in 1979
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers made their national TV debut on The Midnight Special on June 2nd, 1978.
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at Tower Records in LA, 1977
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Tom Petty blowing a smoke ring, 1970s
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Tom Petty, Gainesville High School, class of 1968
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, circa 1970s
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers in San Francisco, 1979
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Tom Petty drinking a Pepsi, 1976
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Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 1977
