He grew up in Gainesville, Florida and was raised Southern Baptist, but religion didn't take. "I never really liked it much," he told Mojo. "I got nothing against God. I just found way too much hypocrisy there."
Full Moon Fever (1989), was his first solo album, although members of The Heartbreakers played on it (mostly Mike Campbell, who appeared on every track). His label, MCA, initially rejected the album, telling Petty it didn't have a hit. Dejected, he formed a new group, the Traveling Wilburys, with Jeff Lynne, George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Bob Dylan. When MCA head Irving Azoff left the label, a new regime came in and decided the album was great. They were right: it had four hit singles and sold over 5 million copies in the US.
After growing frustrated with his label, MCA, Petty signed with Warner Bros. in 1989, even though he still owed MCA material. He kept the deal secret until after the 1991 album Into the Great Wide Open was released, fulfilling his commitment.
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