To call him a “renaissance man” or “jack of all trades” would feel far too limiting.

It’s hard to go a day in Georgia without hearing Chicken Fried belting out from some store, restaurant, or front-yard BBQ. The song is practically synonymous with summer in Georgia and that song is deeply tied to some of my earliest memories of living here.

• The Zac Brown Band’s music has a way of sticking to memories. You can replace the stereotypes of dogs & pickup trucks with the longing to be on the road (Free), a longing to be reconnected to loved ones (Highway 20 Ride), and a longing for the carefree days of summer (Toes).

Asking me for a list of my favorite Tom Petty songs is like asking me which of my children that I love the most. I love them all. So let’s start with that in mind. My relationship with Petty’s music began in earnest in 1979 with the release of Damn the Torpedoes. I had heard songs on FM radio from the Heartbreakers’ first two albums but Torpedoes was released during my senior year in high school. I had a car and a little bit of spending money – some of it spent on that vinyl with the red album cover. I must have worn the grooves out on that record because over 40 years later I can still sing along word for word with all the songs. Hearing them now takes me back to a time and a place that I’ll never forget.

Over the years I progressed from buying vinyl to cassettes to compact discs to down loads on my phone. But his music has remained a constant comfortable companion. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about his appeal to me and so many others across the generations. Tom Petty songs have the uncanny characteristic of being immediately identifiable as one of his but at the same time each song is so different. If he has a signature “hook” that many other successful artists have, I don’t know what it is. My conclusion is that like us, Petty has so many diverse music influences on his work. Those influences are apparent in his songs. So it’s no wonder that his music has such broad appeal over so many generations. Add that to the fact that he never stopped writing and creating and recording and performing up to the very end and you understand why he is (as a fan screams on an obscure live recording) a Rock God.

These twelve songs that I’m sharing with you have a least one of three interesting characteristics:

· The live performance blows away the studio recording. I’m convince that Petty is so good live because many of the songs in the early years were recorded in one take with all instruments playing at the same time. Pay special attention to Mystic Eyes. It’s a cover of a 1965 Van Morrison song. I’ve listened to the original recording. Petty’s version puts it to shame.

· The background vocals are at least as interesting as Petty’s lead. His voice has never been described as stellar. But listen to Swingin’ and Room at the Top for Howie Epstein’s pure tenor. In Walls – Circus, you can hear Lindsay Buckingham giving it all he has – which is always a lot! Then on Waiting for Tonight, The Bangles sing the chorus with him.

· The one thing that separates Petty from just about any other artist are the lyrics. He never stopped writing and was often able to compose a song in a matter of minutes. He didn’t write according to a formula designed to get airplay. Echo, Southern Accents and Room at the Top always make me stop and listen and not just hear the music. The one song that gets my attention the most these days is Square One. For me it may be his most perfect song lyrically. “I’ve always had more dogs than bones”. Don’t we all think that but have never been able to put it in words? And I only recently learned that Square One was nominated for a Grammy as best song written for a motion picture (“Elizabethtown”). It would have gotten my vote.

So here is just a small slice of music by Tom Petty. I hope you enjoy as much as I do.

Playlist Highlight: Conversation 16, The National

Myers-Briggs, Astrological signs, Enneagrams, DiSC, Hogwarts Houses, Which-Tiger-King-Character-Are-You-Buzzfeed-Quizzes are just a few of the personality tests out there that promise to help you learn about your “true” self and the “types” of people you might naturally get along with best.

I’d like to submit another entry to the list. I have a fool-proof, single-question quiz that has yet to fail me in determining whether or not I would get along with another person. Here it goes: Do you like The National?

If you answered yes, congratulations, I’m pretty sure we just became best friends. If you answered, I’m not sure, I haven’t really listened to their music, then keep reading, because this article will arm you with all the ammunition you need to become a card-carrying member of The National Fan Club. If you answered no, you’ve disappointed me greatly and can just forget about being invited to my next birthday party (which might have a pony and will have National records being played.)