October 2, 2022

HS19 (and Lo-Fi 02): JR - Walls

I miss Tom Petty.

Suffice it to say, I would not have this telecaster (name: Honey Bee) or spent the better part of a decade trying to wrangle a piece of wood, had it not been for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The very first song I learned to play on the guitar? Free Fallin’. I have beautifully-bookended memories of seeing the Heartbreakers with my wife, first at Richmond Coliseum in ’95 and then at Bridgestone in Nashville shortly before Tom’s passing. 

On this solemn anniversary, I just want to say: thank you, Tom. 

And thank you, Mike. Thank you, Howie. Thank you, Benmont, and thank you, Steve and Scott (and Stan).

Here’s a low-fi version of Walls recorded on October 3, 2017 in my office at home. The real star: my daughter, who was 12 at the time. She knows every word. She’s a Heartbreaker. Always will be. 

And I will be, too.

Today is a gorgeous fall Sunday, and the lake is clear and calm. Let’s raise a glass to those we’ve loved and lost.

And some things are over
Some things go on
And part of me you carry
Part of me is gone

Yours,

JR