The first song to feature Tom Petty on vocals
From day one, Tom Petty was never willing to write something that wasn’t from the heart. Even if the song may not have been the greatest single in the world, Petty always approached his craft like a true romantic, writing vivid tales about the average men and women of America, either trying to find love or peace in the world. Although Petty would find his calling in The Heartbreakers, the first single to bear his name came a few years prior.
Before the band got together in the late 1970s, Petty already thought he had everything worked out with his band, Mudcrutch. Forming out of Gainsville, Florida, much of the band contained members that would go on to be foundational pieces of The Heartbreakers, including guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench.
Although the band made a name for themselves playing various gigs up and down the Florida club circuit, they knew they wouldn’t be worth anything to a record label if they didn’t have a demo. Instead of using the traditional approach to recording, the band recorded their first song, ‘Up In Mississippi’ out of a van that had access to recording equipment. Featuring a sweet melody from Petty, this is the kind of slice-of-life song that he would refine in later years.
After putting the song out under their name, the song started to gain traction in Florida before the band decided to start moving out to California. Crossing the country in a dilapidated station wagon, Petty shopped the recording around to various record labels before finally getting a bite at London Records.
While the deal was to get an album finished, things took a drastic turn when producer Denny Cordell decided he wanted to sign the band. Thinking they could be the successor to the glory days of rock and roll, Cordell brought them in to record an album of material before the entire operation fell apart.
Becoming an enormous flop, Petty was sent packing back to Florida before deciding to make a name for himself. Although the label wanted him as a songwriter, he knew he wanted a band behind him. Grabbing Campbell and Tench, Petty ducked into a studio one day to find what would become The Heartbreakers playing together.
Instead of having to sweet talk them about spending the next few years paying their dues, Petty led with the big news first: since he had a record deal, all the band would have to do was play the songs back how Petty heard them in his head. By Petty’s admission, though, the band would often throw them back better than he could have imagined.
Although ‘Up In Mississippi’ remains a relic from when Petty was finding himself, he did keep a fondness for the album in retrospect. Going into the 2000s, Petty had the idea of reforming Mudcrutch, making two albums of original material before he died in 2017. While Mudcrutch may have been a stepping stone for Petty to become a masterful songwriter, that band that sparks one’s first love with music never goes away.
