JOHN BARTUS: MORE CLASSIC ROCK READS

Conversations with Tom Petty

A few weeks ago, we checked out books by Don Felder and Eric Clapton. This week’s Rock Reads are a conversation with a Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer and the autobiography of someone who has played with a lot of them.

“Conversations with Tom Petty” by Paul Zollo is a very interesting look at the first 30 years of the Heartbreakers, plus Petty’s early life in Gainesville, Florida. The book is actually a verbatim transcript of numerous interviews with Petty and is hard to put down once started. 

Born to a loving mother and a somewhat abusive father, Petty grew up knowing he was meant for music after two key events in his life: meeting Elvis while he was filming location shoots for one of his movies, and seeing the Beatles on the “Ed Sullivan Show.”

Petty got his first lesson from fellow Gainesville native Don Felder (the Eagles) and formed a few bands, the most successful of which was Mudcrutch. That band, which comprised three out of the five original Heartbreakers, was Petty’s ticket to Los Angeles and a recording contract.

“Conversations” goes on to chronicle the demise of Mudcrutch, the formation of the Heartbreakers, early successes and the first taste of stardom, hitting the road with Bob Dylan, lineup changes in the bassist and drummer positions, Petty’s solo records, the unbridled joy of the Traveling Wilburys, the sadness of losing Roy Orbison and Howie Epstein, and persevering through both musical and personal turmoil to keep a great band together. There are stories of tensions within and outside of the band, of famous friends who wander in and out of the Heartbreakers’ sphere, and of finding family contentment at last.

Zollo also takes Petty through an album-by-album retrospective of his recorded works. Individual songs are dissected, including what inspired the song, how it was recorded, which musicians played on it, and why it mattered to Tom and his compatriots. 

For Petty fans, the book is a must-read; for those who want the insider’s perspective on the inner workings of a great rock band, the same applies. For all he has accomplished, Petty comes across as a down-to-earth real human being who got lucky in a lot of ways.

Another musician who will readily admit he got lucky is Joe Vitale. This Ohioan – and talented drummer, keyboardist and flutist – found his niche in recording and performing with all sorts of music legends. His book, “Joe Vitale: Backstage Pass (as told to Susie Vitale)” isn’t the tell-all book it could have been. It is, however, a fun read of the good times of one man’s incredible musical journey.

Here’s a quick roster check of the talent that Joe Vitale performed and/or recorded with: Crosby Stills & Nash (and Young, too), Joe Walsh, the Eagles, Dan Fogelberg, Peter Frampton, Ted Nugent and more. He co-wrote “Rocky Mountain Way” with Joe Walsh (as well as playing the drums and piano on the recording). He has produced Crosby Stills & Nash. He played stadiums with Peter Frampton during the “Frampton Comes Alive” heyday. He was the first ever “utility musician” to tour with the Eagles. And he helped trash more than a few hotel rooms during the rock and roll excess of the 1970s.

Vitale has nothing bad to say about anyone. His reminiscences are all about the good times, camaraderie and the joy of music. There are quite a few stories about his role in writing and recording some very classic tracks, including the Eagles’ “Pretty Maids All In A Row,” CSN’s “Just a Song Before I Go,” “Southern Cross,” and “Wasted on the Way,” plus tracks on just about every Joe Walsh album.

In fact, one of Walsh’s biggest hits has a Florida Keys connection: Joe and the band (along with producer Bill Szymczyk) decided to record demos for the album “But Seriously, Folks” on a boat. They made the old Plantation Yacht Harbor (now Islamorada’s Founders Park) their home base, and quickly became known to the locals as “the boat weirdos.” While recording on the water, Joe and the boys came up with the song fragments that became “Life’s Been Good.”

The fun parts of the book are stories of how these crazy musicians entertained themselves through pranks and practical jokes while on tour. Highlights include: a) the drenching of an elevator rider with trash cans full of water, and then finding out that the elevator occupant wasn’t one of their bandmates but a cop instead, and b) how the Doobie Brothers and Joe Walsh’s band actually traded places on stage during the talkbox guitar solo of “Rocky Mountain Way,” and Walsh’s stunned reaction to be still playing the song and seeing his band watching him from the front row.

While you won’t get the dirt, the stories – and hundreds of photos – you do get are well worth the price of admission.

Coming soon: the best rock autobiography of the bunch. See you then.

– Catch John each Monday at Boondocks, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at the Key Colony Inn, and Thursdays at Sparky’s Landing. Find his music anywhere you download or stream your music. www.johnbartus.com

Very few towns or cities could ever claim that their Mayor was a smokin' hot guitar player. The island city of Marathon in the Florida Keys is one of those towns. While politics is a temporary call to service, music is a life sentence. John Bartus, a more-than-four-decade full-time professional musician, singer, and songwriter, continues to raise the bar with his groundbreaking solo acoustic show. It’s easy to catch John on one of his more than 200 shows a year throughout the Keys on his Perpetual Island Tour. His CD releases include After The Storm, Keys Disease 10th Anniversary Remaster, and Live From the Florida Keys Vol. 2. John’s music is available wherever you download or stream your music.