A New Film Will Celebrate Tom Petty On His 71st Birthday

Tom Petty, one of my musical heroes who did a lot to influence the way I appreciate singer/songwriters, would have been 71 on October 20th. It seems like just yesterday that we lost Petty to an accidental drug overdose on October 2nd, 2017.  It turns out the producers of an acclaimed documentary that chronicles the making of one of Petty’s most critically-revered albums is coming to movie theaters, in a sort of celebration of Tom Petty’s birthday and musical legacy. “Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of ‘Wildflowers'” is set to be shown on Petty’s birthday in select theaters across the United States, according to distributor Trafalgar Releasing. The film focuses on Petty from 1993 to 1995, when he and acclaimed record producer Rick Rubin were putting together that incredible 1994 solo album. “This cinema event will celebrate the music and life of Tom Petty on his birthdate, offering a chance for fans across the globe to congregate and see the film and hear the music together in a high quality immersive theatrical experience,” says Trafalgar VP Kymberli Frueh. “The legacy of his creativity and the legendary songs he created at this seminal time lives on in our playlists.” That is certainly true of MY playlists, which continue to feature Tom Petty prominently. Everytime I play “Free Fallin’” or “I Won’t Back Down” or “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” on The Morning Show I wonder what other cool musical adventures Tom Petty may have been able to lead us on if he’d lived a little longer. Thankfully he left us all some amazing stuff 🙂

John Young