Rock and roll legend right here in town

By Alex Carlo | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Stan Lynch is St. Augustine’s resident rock star.

Lynch is known for being the drummer of the Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. He is a producer and songwriter and in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and grew up in Gainesville, Fla., where he began to play the guitar and piano.

He said he thought he would become a guitar player, but he found the drums on accident.

“By junior high, I was fully focused on drums,” he said. “Music was my life. College wasn’t an option.”

In Florida, Lynch joined the bands Styrofoam Soul and Road Turkey. Once he moved to Los Angeles, he got together with other Florida natives to put together Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers in 1976. His favorite thing about that time was “the energy.”

Lynch said he left the band because of conflicts with Tom Petty and moved back to Florida.

“It was time for me to go, “he said. “We both tried very hard…for a long time we worked very hard together. I have great respect for Tom Petty.”

Now, Lynch writes and produces songs in St. Augustine. He said Florida has always been his paradise.

“My family and friends are here,” he said. “Crescent Beach was always heaven to me.”

However, Lynch said St. Augustine is not the best climate for an up and coming artist.

“Head to a thriving, pitiless city and measure the competition,” he said. “See what you’re really up against, the sooner the better.”

Lynch said he spends most evenings in the studio. Also, a couple times a week he said he gives music lessons to children with hopes of breaking into the business.

“If you want to go to Hollywood, It’s straight out I-10, can’t miss it,” he said.