Marty Stuart on Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers:

Can't say I'm a big Tom Petty fan, but the man and the band are extremely well respected by other musicians.  They have contributed to a wide range of other artists' recordings.  Additionally, longevity (or should I say survival) at the top of the rock heap is not to be underrated.  Petty and the Heartbreakers did that for three decades.  I prefer the Blasters, Little Feat, Parliment/Funkadelics or Los Lobos, but that's just my personal taste.

One thing that caught me interest in Petty as a person was the whole "Southern Accents" record and tour.  It was a quasi-concept album about Petty's vision of the South.  The tour prominently featured the Confederate battle flag and people coming to his concerts wore it, displayed it and waved it too.  Petty later came to regret his use of the flag and then actually asked his fans to not bring it to his concerts.  Here's a link to an article about this.

With a single post you've thrown into doubt every post you've made about music.  I actually thought you knew something.  But to slight the Attractions clearly shows your TIN drum EAR.  They were (and as the Imposters) still are a great band.  Additionally, during his Hall Of Fame acceptance speech Mr. Costello called Bruce Thomas the greatest rock and roll drummer.  So there!  Take it back or I will be forced to write an angry op-ed letter to the New York Times.

BTW, the Attraction also played on "King Of America".

The Holmes Brothers always played at a very high level.  Due to multiple deaths they no longer exist, but they were one of the best.

Commercial success is a signifier of commercial success and it may or may not correlate with artistic achievement.  To maintain commercial success, or even viability, over decades is rare and IMO to be applauded.  Tom Petty did that and he did it while maintaining the respect of other high quality musicians.  What more can you ask of a guitar player boy from Gainesville?

Let's just say I'm not stuck in the mud somewhere in the swamps of Jersey.