Tom Petty risked everything to earn his freedom form a cheating record label. The Result was captured in one of his greatest 80s hits, Refugee. Tom Petty risked His finances, his reputation, his future in music, even his mental health... it was all on the line. But the alternative was something much worse, working under a dishonest contract that was more or less musical servitude. Going bankrupt in the process, this fearless artist took his label to court while at the same time writing and recording what many consider to be his masterpiece album Damn the Torpedoes. The story of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers fight for liberty including an exclusive interview with the song’s co-writer Mike Campbell.

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#1980s #rock #vinylstory

Hey music junkies, Professor of Rock, always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time. Make sure to subscribe below to get the stories straight form the legends…

It’s time to return to one of the newest shows that we do on this channel. I call it ‘Career Suicide.’ This where we break down an artist, song or album that took a major risk. And maybe the gamble paid off. Or maybe it was a complete disaster. In this show it could go either way. But whatever the outcome, it’s a guaranteed great story. In previous episodes we have covered David Bowie’s Let’s Dance and The Cure’s Lullaby.

This time however, it’s Tom Petty, backed by the Heartbreakers taking on the man with their album Damn the Torpedoes. including today’s song…Refugee. 1978 was looking like a good year for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, which consisted of guitarist Mike Campbell, drummer Stan Lynch, bassist Ron Blair, and keyboardist Benmont Tench. The band was developing a devoted fanbase. Their self-titled 1976 debut had reached #55 in the US and #24 in the UK. And singles American Girl and Breakdown both broke the top 40 in 1977, during an era when disco dominated the charts.

When they released their second album ‘You’re Gonna Get It!’ on May 2, 1978, it was clear that Tom Petty’ music was the next big thing. This sophomore record jumped 32 spots to #23 and went gold in the US thanks to singles Listen to Her Heart and I Need to Know. But putting numbers and accolades aside, there was just something in the air. Music lovers and the industry players alike could feel it... album #3 was going to be a commercial smash.

Unfortunately for Tom, his label Shelter Records, led by owner Denny Cordell, recognized this too. And his response was to tighten up control over Tom’s already unfavorable recording contract. When Tom did the math, he soon realized that he was being ripped off, reportedly making something like a penny per record. Unbelievable. Said Petty, “I think I knew I was in a bad deal after the first record... we had started to sell significant amounts of albums. There were gold records. There should have been dough. We hadn’t taken a big advance, and our costs weren’t that high... Where was the money?”

Until to that point, Tom and Denny had actually been good friends. But as they say, business is business. And Denny wouldn’t budge on the contract. By early 1979, things got even worse. Shelter Records’ distributor ABC was bought out by MCA, allegedly giving MCA ownership over Tom Petty’s contract. But Tom didn’t buy it. He argued back saying his contract was nontransferable...