Thomas Earl Petty was born October 20th, 1950 in the well-known city of Gainesville, Florida; the home of University of Florida. He was the first born to his two parents Earl and Katherine. He has a younger brother, Bruce. Like many, his childhood was not picture perfect. Unfortunately for Petty, his parent’s marriage was a downward spiral that had a detrimental effect on him as well. He maintained a healthy relationship with his mother and his younger brother while his relationship with his father dwindled as the years went by. Petty’s father abused him verbally and physically, which made him despise his father more so as he grew.
As a child growing up in a semi dysfunctional family, Petty spent the majority of his time watching television hoping to avoid his father’s anger. That’s because his parents were unhappily married and his father wasn’t the ideal, “Let’s play catch in the back yard” type of father, Petty turned to other things in hopes of having a better perspective of life. Those things ended up being what made his career.