FLORIDA: But What Inspired His Cameo in "The Postman"?

This week we turn our attention to the Sunshine State. Florida is home to such spectacular attractions as Disneyworld, Seaworld, and of course, the Burt Reynolds and Friends Museum. Most think of Florida as a giant, obscenely-shaped resting home for America's infirm. This is unfair. It is also miserably hot and the elections are rigged.

Our sweaty southern belle does have one virtue, though: Florida has been an important contributor to rock and roll music. Southern rock wouldn't be the same without some of Florida's native sons and daughters. I use the term "southern rock" here instead of the oft-uttered "country rock" because "country rock" ignores the influence of blues and gospel music that informs so much of the music of the American south. I can't imagine Elvis Presley without the influence of Hank Williams, but his existence would be even harder to explain without Arthur Crudup or the Blackwood Brothers.

Speaking of the King, we begin our musical tour of Florida with one lucky kid from Gainesville. When production on one of Presley's many interchangeable star vehicles came to nearby Ocala, a skinny 11-year-old named Thomas Earl Petty was, via a well-connected uncle, allowed to visit the set and meet briefly with Elvis. Afterwards Petty was, in his own words, "a changed man," and decided that being like Elvis Presley was a reasonable goal for even the most large-toothed of Floridian children. And the title of the Elvis flick that made it all happen? Follow That Dream.

14 years later, Tom Petty's band Mudcrutch relocated to Los Angeles, only to dissolve. Petty soon formed a new band, the Heartbreakers, with Mudcrutch alums Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, plus fellow Florida evacuees Ron Blair and Stan Lynch.

The Mudcrutch story has another chapter, though. On April 29, a reunited Mudcrutch will release their self-titled debut LP. The album features Petty, Campbell, Tench, drummer Randall Marsh and guitarist Tom Leadon (brother of Bernie, of Eagles fame). A brief tour will accompany the band's reunion. So far, no Florida dates have been set.

TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION: "Up in Mississippi Tonight" by Mudcrutch.
AVAILABLE ON: Tom Petty's Playback boxed set