Book excerpt: Tom Petty: Rock 'n' Roll Guardian is the first intimate portrait of one of rock’s most enduring figures. Songs like American Girl, The Waiting and I Won’t Back Down have touched people from all walks of life because he sung about what he knew – love won, love lost and hardship overcome. Tom Petty’s predisposition to find trouble was always matched by his steely determination to overcome it. After shaky beginnings with his first band, Tom Petty steered his way through bankruptcy, drama and personal loss – including the deaths of his bandmates Roy Orbison, George Harrison and Heartbreakers bassist Howie Epstein – to forge a lasting impact on the world, selling more than 80 million records worldwide. In the wake of his death, this celebratory Omnibus Enhanced edition now features curated Spotify playlists of his early influences, his collaborations and his greatest songs. Additionally, an interactive Digital Timeline of his life charts his uncertain path with video footage of interviews, live performances and more. Born too late to be in the vanguard of rock ’n’ roll first time round, he has nonetheless proved a truly memorable keeper of the flame. This is his remarkable story...