Former Eagles member Don Felder mentored Tom Petty in their early years in Gainesville, Florida, before they became famous musicians.
Felder says he gave Petty – then a “scrawny, scraggly blond-haired kid” – guitar lessons, although Petty has said that Felder actually taught him piano.
The music scene in Gainesville in the late 1960s was a hub for future musical legends like Petty, Felder, Stephen Stills, and the Allman Brothers.
While Felder and Stills eventually moved to California and joined successful bands, Petty continued to build his musical career in Gainesville with Mudcrutch and The Heartbreakers.



