Chris Stapleton is one of country music’s most talented stars, but unlike other country stars, his rock influence is crystal clear. If you wanted further proof, his favorite album of all time is a total giveaway.
Stapleton shared via Instagram his recent visit to the Cade Museum for Creativity & Invention. The museum is located in Gainesville, Fla., which is the hometown of Tom Petty. Understandably, the museum features artifacts from their favorite son from his legendary career.
Stapleton wrote, “My all-time favorite record is Tom Petty ‘Wildflowers.’ Standing on the rugs that were in the room, staring at the artifacts from its creation were highlight moments for me. Thanks Cade Museum for an unforgettable experience.”
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Released in 1994, Wildflowers was Petty’s second solo studio album, which was the follow-up to his hit 1989 solo debut Full Moon Fever. Wildflowers is among Petty’s most beloved work. The albums features classic tunes like “You Wreck Me,” “It’s Good to Be King” and “You Don’t Know How It Feels.”
After much delay, Wildflowers finally got the grand reissue treatment in October 2020. The reissue was helmed by several of Petty’s closest confidants. Among them were Heartbreakers members Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench. Also involved with the project was Petty’s wife, Dana, and his daughters, Adria and Annakim.
Dubbed Wildflowers & All the Rest, the reissue is available in a variety of bundles and formats, including a massive Super Deluxe Edition made up of 5 CDs and 9 LPs totaling 70 tracks, nine unreleased songs and 34 unreleased versions. The “All the Rest” portion of the reissue is made up of ten songs left over from the Wildflowers recording sessions. Of those ten, five are previously unreleased tracks.
Below is our ranking of Petty’s best songs from his career. Keep scrolling to see where some of the tracks from Wildflowers landed.