To me Petty was trying to sound like Dylan. Not taking anything from him but he sure did try.
He left us too soon.
Naaahhh ... Tom did sound like Dylan, and even listed Dylan as an influence, but I don't believe he was
trying to sing like Dylan. That's just Tom's natural singing voice. He even sounded like 'himself' when speaking. You're basically calling him a copycat fraud, and I don't think a singer can have a 40-year Hall of Fame career while simply copying somebody else ... ?
Actually, I dunno who the hell would wanna sound like Bob Dylan, anyway, if they could help it. Copy his lyrics and melodies, sure, absolutely, but his
voice??