An Enduring Friendship; Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty

An Enduring Friendship; Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty

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One of the most enduring friendships of Tom Petty's life was with Stevie Nicks whom he first met in 1978.

In 1981, Tom was recording his Hard Promises album at the same time that Stevie was recording her debut solo album, Bella Donna, and both were being produced by Jimmy Iovine. Stevie ended up putting her vocal on a song written by Tom and Heartbreaker Mike Campbell, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” creating one of the greatest duets in rock history. The pair is shown performing the song at a Stevie show in Dallas on November 29, 1981

The photo above is of the pair performing the song at a Stevie show in Dallas on November 29, 1981.

In July this year, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers played Hyde Park in London for their 40th Anniversary tour and were joined by Stevie for a surprise performance of "Stop Dragging My Heart Around" which of course whipped the audience into a frenzy! 

That night Stevie called Tom "my favorite rock star!” and said she’d remember the night “for the rest of my life.”

Of course, their history is a long one; In 1981, their first duet, “Insider,” was part of the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album Hard Promises. Later that year, for Nicks’ debut solo album, Bella Donna, the pair recorded “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” — that aforementioned classic — which was originally written for the Heartbreakers until Nicks’ participation was factored in. It debuted as one of the top singles in the country — staying no. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks — and to this day remains among both artists’ most successful and beloved songs. Their other big hit was “Needles and Pins,” a Heartbreakers song released in 1986. Since then, other Heartbreakers band members ended up contributing to Nicks’ first few solo albums.

 

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