Question 1

True or false: Tom Petty was a member of the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys alongside Bob Dylan and George Harrison.

Accepted Answer

True. Petty joined Dylan, Harrison, Jeff Lynne, and Roy Orbison in the 1988 supergroup, recording two albums.

Question 2

True or false: Tom Petty’s first band was called Mudcrutch, which formed in the late 1960s.

Accepted Answer

True. Mudcrutch included future Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, and they reunited in 2007 for an album.

Question 3

True or false: Tom Petty’s song 'American Girl' was inspired by a real-life incident of a woman jumping off a balcony.

Accepted Answer

False. Petty denied this urban legend, saying the song was simply about a girl in a car on a highway, with no tragic backstory.

Question 4

True or false: Tom Petty’s 1989 album 'Full Moon Fever' was a solo project with no involvement from the Heartbreakers.

Accepted Answer

False. While credited as a solo album, Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench both played on it.

Question 5

True or false: Tom Petty recorded a duet with Stevie Nicks for her song 'Stop Draggin' My Heart Around'.

Accepted Answer

True. Petty co-wrote the song and sang backup on the track, which became a hit for Nicks in 1981.

Question 6

True or false: Tom Petty famously fought his record label to keep the price of his 1981 album 'Hard Promises' under $9.

Accepted Answer

True. Petty threatened to title the album 'Eight Ninety-Eight' to protest a proposed price hike, and the label backed down.

Question 7

True or false: Tom Petty’s song 'Free Fallin'' was written about his hometown of Gainesville, Florida.

Accepted Answer

True. The lyrics reference specific Gainesville locations like the 'Ventura Boulevard' and 'Mulholland', but it's actually about Los Angeles.

Question 8

True or false: Tom Petty once legally changed his name to 'Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' as a publicity stunt.

Accepted Answer

False. This is false. Petty never changed his legal name; the band name was just his stage moniker.

Tom Petty Trivia Questions