20-06-2006 @ 19:00
First Release Highway Companion Due July 21
Tom Petty has signed an exclusive recording contract with Rick Rubins American Recordings. The agreement keeps Petty within the Warner Bros. Records family. His last four albums were on the Warner Bros. label, including 1994s multi-Platinum, Grammy-winning Rubin-produced Wildflowers - and Rubin recently brought his American Recordings label back to Burbank.
Having Tom on American is a dream come true for me, commented Rubin, Tom is the consummate craftsman when it comes to recording, and has written great songs consistently for thirty years. Rubin is excited to be expanding upon the working relationship he has with Petty and the Heartbreakers, who, in various combinations, have worked with the producer on numerous projects. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is the quintessential American rock band, Rubin added, and being a great rock and roll band has become a lost art.
The first release under the new agreement will be Highway Companion, Pettys third solo and 18th overall career disc. Due out on July 21 and featuring twelve new Petty compositions, Highway Companion was produced by Jeff Lynne with Petty and Mike Campbell; Lynne also produced the multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated Petty albums Full Moon Fever (1989) and Into the Great Wide Open (1991) (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers). First radio track is Saving Grace. A video stream of Saving Grace is now available at tompetty.com.
This year, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of their self-titled debut album. For this 30th anniversary, Academy Award-winning director/screenwriter Peter Bogdanovich has signed on to direct a comprehensive feature/film documentary about Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. Over the past 30 years, Petty & the Heartbreakers have sold more than 50-million records, been nominated for 16 Grammy Awards, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, the first year the band was eligible. Late last year, Billboard magazine presented Petty with its 2005 Century Award, the publications highest honor for creative achievement. He recently kicked off his second season of his critically acclaimed XM Satellite Radio show, Tom Pettys Buried Treasure.
Highway Companion Credits:
Produced by Jeff Lynne with Tom Petty and Mike Campbell
Recorded at Bungalow Palace and Shoreline Recorders, Los Angeles, CA
Recorded and Mixed by Ryan Ulyate
Musicians:
Tom Petty - Lead Vocal, Rhythm Guitar, Drums, Backing Vocals, Harmonica, Electric Piano on Night Driver, Bass on Square One, Lead Guitar and Keyboards on Jack
Mike Campbell - Lead Guitar, Vibraphone on The Golden Rose
Jeff Lynne - Bass, Rhythm Guitar, Keyboards, Backing Vocals, Autoharp on Ankle Deep
Highway Companion
tracklisting:
01 Saving Grace
02 Square One
03 Flirting With Time
04 Down South
05 Jack
06 Turn This Car Around
07 Big Weekend
08 Night Driver
09 Damaged By Love
10 This Old Town
11 Ankle Deep
12 The Golden Rose