Tom Petty insists he's not retiring

LOS ANGELES - Looks like

Tom Petty won't back down after all. The veteran rocker says he's not retiring, despite a Rolling Stone article in July that suggested otherwise.

Petty said 2006 was one of the most rewarding years in his career, and he expects the ride to continue in 2007.

"You never know how things are going to turn out, and I didn't see this year coming," Petty told the Los Angeles Times for a story published Sunday. "But maybe next year will be even better."

Petty and his band, the Heartbreakers, recently earned two Grammy nominations for their latest album, "Highway Companion."

Their 30th anniversary tour was a sellout and included a triumphant homecoming to Gainesville, Fla., where the band formed in the 1970s. Petty was offered the key to the city.

The Heartbreakers also are the subject of a documentary due out in 2007 from Oscar-nominated director

Peter Bogdanovich. Bogdanovich calls Petty "an American troubadour in the truest sense of the word."

Petty is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His many hits include "I Won't Back Down, "Even the Losers," "Breakdown," "American Girl," "Free Fallin'" and "The Waiting."