Tom Petty’s estate has posted a tribute to late power-pop singer/songwriter Dwight Twilley on Petty’s social media sites.
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Twilley died Wednesday, October 18, at age 72. Several days before, he reportedly suffered a stroke while driving and crashed his car in his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
[RELATED: Acclaimed Tulsa Power-Pop Singer/Songwriter Dwight Twilley Dead at 72]
Along with a message about Twilley, the post also includes a video clip of the Dwight Twilley Band performing its song “Looking for the Magic” in 1977 on the short-lived CBS children’s show Wacko, with Petty sitting in on bass guitar. You can find a full version of the clip on YouTube.
The Facebook message reads, “We are sad to see [Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Shelter Records] label mate Dwight Twilley has passed on. He sang background on some early Heartbreakers tracks and here Tom is playing bass on one of his.”
Early in their careers, Twilley and Petty were both signed to the Shelter label and struck up a friendship. Petty actually ended up playing guitar on the studio version of “Looking for the Magic,” which appeared on the Dwight Twilley Band’s 1977 sophomore album, Twilley Don’t Mind.
Meanwhile, Twilley and his bandmate Phil Seymour lent backing vocals to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ 1976 self-titled debut album with Twilley featured on “Strangered in the Night” and Seymour singing on the hits “Breakdown” and “American Girl.”
Later, Petty and Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell both contributed to Twilley’s 1984 solo album, Jungle, with Petty on backing vocals on “Girls,” which became a Top 20 hit for Twilley.
In an interview with Tulsa World shortly after Petty’s death in October 2017, Twilley fondly remembered playing with Petty on Wacko.
“That was a lot of fun,” Twilley said. “You could tell we were having fun.”
He also commented about Petty’s guitar playing on the original “Looking for the Magic” recording, noting, “He was really good on it and we had fun with it and it didn’t become a hit, but now it has kind of had a strange resurgence in the last few years.”
The song can be heard on an episode of the TV series House of Cards, as well as in such movies as The Diary of a Teenage Girl, You’re Next, and Backcountry.
Twilley also told Tulsa World during the interview that he thought Petty was an important musician and a great songwriter.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
