Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Encyclopedia
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers are an American rock band from Gainesville, Florida. They were formed in 1976 by Tom Petty
(guitar and vocals), Mike Campbell (lead guitar), Benmont Tench
(piano, organ, harmonium and vocals), (the three of them had been members of Mudcrutch
), Ron Blair
(bass and vocals) and Stan Lynch
(drums and vocals). Petty and the Heartbreakers are known for hit singles such as "American Girl
", "Breakdown", "The Waiting
", "Learning to Fly
", "Refugee" and "Mary Jane's Last Dance
". The Heartbreakers still tour regularly and continue to record albums.
Petty has fought against his record company on more than one occasion, first in 1979 over transference to another label and then again in 1981 over the price of his record, which was (at that time) considered expensive. He is also outspoken on the current state of the music industry and modern radio stations. On his 2002 album, The Last DJ
, Petty sang about that and other issues and talked about them on the bonus DVD that came with the limited edition album.
Although most of their material is produced and performed under the name "The Heartbreakers", they have also participated in outside projects, with Petty himself releasing solo albums, the most successful being 1989's Full Moon Fever
.
Petty, Campbell and Tench, along with Randall Marsh and Tom Leadon
, recorded an album by Mudcrutch
. This was the band's first album, made more significant by the fact that they had not recorded together since 1974. In June 2010 through early September, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers embarked on a tour following the release of their new studio album titled Mojo
on June 15, 2010.
(the latter with drummer Randall Marsh and future Heartbreakers members Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench
). In 1974, Mudcrutch signed with Shelter Records and re-located to Los Angeles, California
. The band released one single, "Depot Street," in 1975, which failed to chart, and the group disbanded. According to Campbell, "Out of that the Heartbreakers sort of morphed and became what they are." The Heartbreakers began their recording career with a self-titled album
. Initially, the Heartbreakers did not gain much traction in America, although they achieved success in the UK playing "Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll
" on Top of the Pops
. Early singles included "Breakdown" and "American Girl
". "Breakdown" was re-released in the USA and became a Top 40 hit in 1978, after word filtered back to the States that the band was creating a firestorm in the UK.
Their 1978 second album You're Gonna Get It!
marked the band's first gold album
, and featured the singles "I Need to Know
" and "Listen To Her Heart". In 1979, the band was dragged into a legal dispute when ABC Records
was sold to MCA Records
.
Petty refused to simply be transferred to another record label without his consent. He held fast to his principles, which led to his filing for bankruptcy.
(1979) which rapidly went platinum
. It included "Don't Do Me Like That
" (#10 U.S., the group's first Top Ten single
) and "Refugee" (#15 U.S.), their U.S. breakthrough singles.
Though he was already extremely successful, Petty ran into record company trouble again when he and the Heartbreakers prepared to release Hard Promises
(1981), the follow-up album to Damn the Torpedoes
. MCA
wanted to release the record at the list price of $9.98, which was considered a high price for a record album at the time. This so-called "superstar pricing" was $1.00 more than the usual list price of $8.98. Petty voiced his objections to the price hike in the press, and the issue became a popular cause among music fans. Non-delivery of the album or naming it Eight Ninety-Eight were considered, but eventually MCA decided against the price increase. The album became a Top Ten hit, going platinum and spawning the hit single "The Waiting
" (#19 U.S.). The album also included the duet "Insider", with Stevie Nicks
.
On their fifth album, Long After Dark
(1982), bass player Ron Blair
was replaced by Howie Epstein
(formerly of Del Shannon
's backing band), giving the Heartbreakers their line-up until 1991. Long After Dark features the hits "You Got Lucky
" (U.S. #20) and "Change of Heart
" (U.S. #21), and was to feature a track called "Keeping Me Alive", but producer Jimmy Iovine
vetoed it from the album. Petty has expressed that he feels the album would have turned out better if the song had been included on the album.
On the next album, Southern Accents
(1985), the Heartbreakers picked up where they had left off. The recording was not without problems; Petty became frustrated during the mixing process and broke his left hand after punching a wall. The album includes the psychedelic-sounding hit single "Don't Come Around Here No More
" (#13 U.S.), which was produced by and co-written with Dave Stewart
. The video for the single, which starred Stewart
, featured Petty dressed as the Mad Hatter, mocking and chasing Alice from the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
, then cutting and eating her as if she were a cake. This caused minor controversy after it was criticized by feminist groups, but the video did win an MTV Video Music Award.
A successful concert tour led to the live album Pack Up the Plantation: Live!
(1985). The band's live capabilities were also showcased when Bob Dylan
invited the Heartbreakers to join him on his True Confessions tour through Australia, Japan and the U.S. (1986) and Europe (1987). Petty praised Dylan, saying "I don't think there is anyone we admire more."
Also in 1987, the group released Let Me Up (I've Had Enough)
, a studio album made to sound like a live recording, using a technique they borrowed from Bob Dylan. It includes "Jammin' Me
", which Petty wrote with Dylan and Campbell. Dylan recorded a version of the Petty composition, "Got My Mind Made Up", on his album, Knocked Out Loaded
.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' 1989 tour featured college rock
band The Replacements opening every show.
, produced by Jeff Lynne
who had worked with Petty in Traveling Wilburys
. Songs included the title track itself
and "Learning to Fly
". By this time, multi-instrumentalist Scott Thurston
had joined the band.
In 1993, Petty released Greatest Hits
which included hit single "Mary Jane's Last Dance
".
In 1994 Stan Lynch
was fired from the band and replaced briefly by Dave Grohl
before permanent replacement Steve Ferrone
. Ferrone had worked with Tom, Benmont, Mike and Howie on Petty's 'solo' album, Wildflowers
.
In 1995, a six-CD box-set entitled Playback was released. Approximately half of the tracks were previously available on albums, and the rest were B-sides
, demos and live tracks. Two notable tracks are a solo version of Tom's 1981 duet with Stevie Nicks
, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around
", and the song "Waiting For Tonight", which features vocals from The Bangles
. The latter song also appeared on the two CD anthology released in 2000, Anthology: Through the Years
.
In 1996, Petty "reunited" with the Heartbreakers and released a soundtrack to the movie She's the One
starring Cameron Diaz
and Jennifer Aniston
(see Songs and Music from "She's the One"). Three songs charted from this album; these were "Walls (Circus)" (featuring Lindsey Buckingham
); "Climb that Hill"; and a song
written by Lucinda Williams
, "Change the Locks". The album also included a cover of a song by Beck
, "Asshole".
In 1999, Petty and the Heartbreakers released the album Echo
with producer Rick Rubin
at the helm. The album reached number 10 in the U.S. album charts and featured, amongst other singles, "Room at the Top".
In 2002, Petty and the Heartbreakers released The Last DJ
. Many of the tracks' lyrics contain stinging attacks on the music industry and major record companies. The album reached number 9 in the U.S. charts. Ron Blair
played on three of the tracks. He also replaced the man who had previously been his replacement, Howie Epstein
on the band's 2002 tour as a result of Epstein's deepening personal problems and drug abuse. Epstein died in 2003 at the age of 48. Tench described him as "the coolest guy in the band."
In 2007, the band accepted an invitation to participate in a tribute album
to Fats Domino
, contributing their version of "I'm Walkin'
" to Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino
(Vanguard
).
In 2008, the Heartbreakers were also featured as the Super Bowl XLII
Halftime Show. In April that year, the members of Petty's prior band, Mudcrutch
, including Heartbreakers Petty
, Benmont Tench
and Mike Campbell, along with Randall Marsh and Tom Leadon, got together to record a Mudcrutch
album
. In late 2008 a live album featuring Mudcrutch was released.
A collection of live recordings
was released on 23 November 2009, and announced a new studio album, Mojo
, for release in the Spring of 2010.
was released, documenting the career of the band, directed by Peter Bogdanovich
which runs periodically on the Sundance Channel.
As well as members of Petty and the Heartbreakers themselves, the film contains interviews with friends and fellow musicians Eddie Vedder
, Jeff Lynne
, Jackson Browne
, Warren Zanes, Dave Stewart
, Stevie Nicks
and others. Archive interviews from George Harrison
, Denny Cordell
and Stan Lynch
were also used.
The film, which follows Petty and the Heartbreakers from its inception as Mudcrutch
right up to Petty's 2006 album, Highway Companion
, was spread over the first two discs of the four, and was the original director's cut. The third contains a live concert in Gainesville
, Florida while the fourth is a CD of rare and unreleased material
In October 2008 an alternative DVD version, this one containing both a slightly edited movie and three previously unreleased performances, was released to the public.
On November 26, 2010 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers released a special edition Record Store Day Black Friday 7” vinyl called, Nowhere b/w Surrender for independent record stores.
. In addition to Bonnaroo, Petty was on tour throughout the summer of 2006. The tour started in Charlotte
, North Carolina on June 9 and ended in Randall's Island
, Manhattan, New York on August 19. Stops included major cities such as New York, St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Denver. Supporting acts during the tour included Pearl Jam
, The Allman Brothers Band
, and Trey Anastasio
. Additionally, Stevie Nicks
joined Tom Petty onstage during the first eight concerts as well as subsequent second leg dates to perform various songs from the Heartbreakers' vast catalog. For the Highway Companion Tour
they offered a Highway Companion's Club which allowed fans to receive priority seating, discounts at the Tom Petty Store, a complimentary CD of Highway Companion
and a personalized email address.
In 2006, the ABC
U.S. television network hired Petty to do the music for its NBA Playoffs
coverage.
On September 21, 2006, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers received the keys to the city of Gainesville
, Florida, where he and his bandmates either lived or grew up. Tom Petty quipped, when questioned about the key he received from Gainesville's mayor, "It's a lot nicer than the one we got in Chicago."
From July 2006 until 2007, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
in Cleveland
, Ohio featured an exhibit of Tom Petty
items. Much of the content was donated by Petty himself from a visit to his home by some of the Rock Hall curatorial staff.
which included his signature tune, "Free Fallin'
" as well as "I Won't Back Down
", later covered by Johnny Cash
, and "Runnin' Down a Dream
and Gene Clark's Byrds classic "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" - the album's only cover song.
The Heartbreakers were dismayed by Petty's decision to go solo; despite this Campbell plays on every track, Tench
contributed to one track, and Howie Epstein reluctantly provided backing vocals to two tracks.
Tom's second solo album, Wildflowers
was, for all intents and purposes, a Heartbreakers record as it included all members except for Stan. The album, which featured Steve Ferrone
on drums, produced the single "You Don't Know How It Feels
".
Petty's most recent solo album was Highway Companion
.
was requested by Warner Bros. Records
to record a B-side to This is Love
. To do so, Harrison gathered a group of musician friends (Petty, Jeff Lynne
, Roy Orbison
and Bob Dylan
) to record what was intended to be a B-side. The resulting song, Handle With Care
was considered too good for the aforementioned purposes and was released as a single. In 1988, the Traveling Wilburys
, as they were known, recorded a critically acclaimed album
.
The final studio album by the Wilburys, intentionally misnumbered Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3
, was released on October 30, 1990, but met with less success than the previous album.
's Armchair Theatre
LP and also on Warren Zevon
's The Wind
. Providing backing vocals on the latter, to the song "The Rest Of The Night".
" and "The Heart of the Matter
" (both with Don Henley
). Other songwriting credits include songs for The Blue Stingrays
, Johnny Cash
, Fleetwood Mac
, Lone Justice
, Roger McGuinn
, Stevie Nicks
, John Prine
, Restless Sleeper, Patti Scialfa
, Brian Setzer
, J.D. Souther, The Williams Brothers, and Robin Zander
. He also produced four songs on Roy Orbison
's Mystery Girl
album and played guitar on The Wallflowers
' "Sixth Avenue Heartache."
He also contributed to the albums The Wind
and Sentimental Hygiene
by Warren Zevon
, Together Through Life
by Bob Dylan
, Full Moon Fever
by Tom Petty
, and American V: A Hundred Highways
by Johnny Cash
.
. The band is composed of Tench, Sean Watkins
(guitar), Sara Watkins
(fiddle), Glen Phillips
(guitar, vocals), Luke Bulla (fiddle), Greg Leisz
(various), Pete Thomas
(drums), and Davey Faragher
(bass). They have since changed their name to Works Progress Administration and the group released its first album on August 28, 2009.
Former members
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
(guitar and vocals), Mike Campbell (lead guitar), Benmont Tench
Benmont Tench
Benjamin Montmorency Tench, III is an American keyboardist best known as a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.-Early years:...
(piano, organ, harmonium and vocals), (the three of them had been members of Mudcrutch
Mudcrutch
Mudcrutch is a Southern rock band from Gainesville, Florida best known for being the forerunner of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.-Early Years:Mudcrutch was formed in 1970 by Tom Petty and Tom Leadon, who had been playing together in a band called the Epics...
), Ron Blair
Ron Blair
Ron Blair is the original bassist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He was the band's bassist from 1976 to 1981. In 2002, he returned to the group after a 21-year hiatus, replacing his own replacement, the late Howie Epstein.His father was a Navy man, so the family relocated every few years...
(bass and vocals) and Stan Lynch
Stan Lynch
Stanley Joseph "Stan" Lynch is an American songwriter and record producer. He was the original drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for 18 years until his departure in 1994.- Early years :...
(drums and vocals). Petty and the Heartbreakers are known for hit singles such as "American Girl
American Girl (song)
"American Girl" is the second single from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' self-titled debut album. The single did not chart in the U.S., but in the UK it peaked at #40 the week ending August 27, 1977...
", "Breakdown", "The Waiting
The Waiting (song)
"The Waiting" is the lead single from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' album Hard Promises released in 1981. The song peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #1 on the magazine's new Rock Tracks chart, where it remained for six consecutive weeks.- Covers :*Linda Ronstadt covered...
", "Learning to Fly
Learning to Fly (Tom Petty song)
"Learning To Fly" is a popular track by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was written in 1991 by Tom Petty and his writing partner Jeff Lynne for the album Into the Great Wide Open...
", "Refugee" and "Mary Jane's Last Dance
Mary Jane's Last Dance
"Mary Jane's Last Dance" is the title of a song written by Tom Petty and recorded song by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was recorded on July 22, 1993 while Petty was recording his Wildflowers album, and was produced by Rick Rubin, guitarist Mike Campbell, and Tom Petty...
". The Heartbreakers still tour regularly and continue to record albums.
Petty has fought against his record company on more than one occasion, first in 1979 over transference to another label and then again in 1981 over the price of his record, which was (at that time) considered expensive. He is also outspoken on the current state of the music industry and modern radio stations. On his 2002 album, The Last DJ
The Last DJ
The Last DJ is the eleventh studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The tracks "The Last DJ", "Money Becomes King", "Joe", and "Can't Stop the Sun" are attacks on the greediness of the music industry....
, Petty sang about that and other issues and talked about them on the bonus DVD that came with the limited edition album.
Although most of their material is produced and performed under the name "The Heartbreakers", they have also participated in outside projects, with Petty himself releasing solo albums, the most successful being 1989's Full Moon Fever
Full Moon Fever
Full Moon Fever is the first solo album by Tom Petty, though it features contributions from several members of his backing band, the Heartbreakers, along with fellow members of the Traveling Wilburys. The record shows Petty exploring his musical roots with nods to his influences...
.
Petty, Campbell and Tench, along with Randall Marsh and Tom Leadon
Tom Leadon
Tom Leadon is an American musician. He was an original member of Tom Petty's former band, Mudcrutch. He is the brother of Bernie Leadon, formerly of the Eagles....
, recorded an album by Mudcrutch
Mudcrutch
Mudcrutch is a Southern rock band from Gainesville, Florida best known for being the forerunner of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.-Early Years:Mudcrutch was formed in 1970 by Tom Petty and Tom Leadon, who had been playing together in a band called the Epics...
. This was the band's first album, made more significant by the fact that they had not recorded together since 1974. In June 2010 through early September, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers embarked on a tour following the release of their new studio album titled Mojo
Mojo (album)
Mojo is the twelfth studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released on June 15, 2010 on CD and June 29 on BD. It is Petty's first album with the Heartbreakers in eight years. Mojo debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling 125,000 copies in its first week of release...
on June 15, 2010.
Early years
Petty's early bands included The Sundowners, The Epics, and MudcrutchMudcrutch
Mudcrutch is a Southern rock band from Gainesville, Florida best known for being the forerunner of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.-Early Years:Mudcrutch was formed in 1970 by Tom Petty and Tom Leadon, who had been playing together in a band called the Epics...
(the latter with drummer Randall Marsh and future Heartbreakers members Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench
Benmont Tench
Benjamin Montmorency Tench, III is an American keyboardist best known as a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.-Early years:...
). In 1974, Mudcrutch signed with Shelter Records and re-located to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. The band released one single, "Depot Street," in 1975, which failed to chart, and the group disbanded. According to Campbell, "Out of that the Heartbreakers sort of morphed and became what they are." The Heartbreakers began their recording career with a self-titled album
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (album)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is the eponymous debut album by the band of the same name, released in late 1976.Initially following its release, the album received little attention in the United States. Following a British tour, it climbed to #24 on the UK album chart and the single "Anything...
. Initially, the Heartbreakers did not gain much traction in America, although they achieved success in the UK playing "Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll
Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll
"Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll" is the second UK single from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' self-titled debut album. It was their first UK hit, peaking at #36 the week ending July 2, 1977. It was not released as a single in the United States....
" on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
. Early singles included "Breakdown" and "American Girl
American Girl (song)
"American Girl" is the second single from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' self-titled debut album. The single did not chart in the U.S., but in the UK it peaked at #40 the week ending August 27, 1977...
". "Breakdown" was re-released in the USA and became a Top 40 hit in 1978, after word filtered back to the States that the band was creating a firestorm in the UK.
Their 1978 second album You're Gonna Get It!
You're Gonna Get It!
You're Gonna Get It! is the second album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in 1978. Originally, the album was to be titled Terminal Romance. Like its self-titled predecessor, this album includes tight melodic songs awash in ringing guitars and organ. It reached #23 on Billboard's Top...
marked the band's first gold album
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
, and featured the singles "I Need to Know
I Need to Know (Tom Petty song)
"I Need to Know" is the title of a song written and recorded by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was released in 1978 as the second single from their second album You're Gonna Get It!...
" and "Listen To Her Heart". In 1979, the band was dragged into a legal dispute when ABC Records
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
was sold to MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
.
Petty refused to simply be transferred to another record label without his consent. He held fast to his principles, which led to his filing for bankruptcy.
1979–1989
After the dispute was settled, the Heartbreakers released their third album Damn the TorpedoesDamn the Torpedoes (album)
Damn the Torpedoes is the third album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released in 1979. This was the first of three Petty albums originally released by the Backstreet Records label, distributed by MCA Records. It built on the commercial success and critical acclaim of his two previous albums...
(1979) which rapidly went platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
. It included "Don't Do Me Like That
Don't Do Me Like That
"Don't Do Me Like That" is the title of a song written by Tom Petty and recorded by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was released in November 1979 as the first single from the album Damn the Torpedoes...
" (#10 U.S., the group's first Top Ten single
) and "Refugee" (#15 U.S.), their U.S. breakthrough singles.
Though he was already extremely successful, Petty ran into record company trouble again when he and the Heartbreakers prepared to release Hard Promises
Hard Promises
Hard Promises is the fourth album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released in May, 1981. Its original working title was Benmont's Revenge...
(1981), the follow-up album to Damn the Torpedoes
Damn the Torpedoes (album)
Damn the Torpedoes is the third album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released in 1979. This was the first of three Petty albums originally released by the Backstreet Records label, distributed by MCA Records. It built on the commercial success and critical acclaim of his two previous albums...
. MCA
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
wanted to release the record at the list price of $9.98, which was considered a high price for a record album at the time. This so-called "superstar pricing" was $1.00 more than the usual list price of $8.98. Petty voiced his objections to the price hike in the press, and the issue became a popular cause among music fans. Non-delivery of the album or naming it Eight Ninety-Eight were considered, but eventually MCA decided against the price increase. The album became a Top Ten hit, going platinum and spawning the hit single "The Waiting
The Waiting (song)
"The Waiting" is the lead single from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' album Hard Promises released in 1981. The song peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #1 on the magazine's new Rock Tracks chart, where it remained for six consecutive weeks.- Covers :*Linda Ronstadt covered...
" (#19 U.S.). The album also included the duet "Insider", with Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
.
On their fifth album, Long After Dark
Long After Dark
Long After Dark is the fifth album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in November 1982 on Backstreet Records. Notable for the major MTV hit "You Got Lucky", the album was also the first to feature the late Howie Epstein on bass and harmony vocals. Epstein's vocals are evident throughout...
(1982), bass player Ron Blair
Ron Blair
Ron Blair is the original bassist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He was the band's bassist from 1976 to 1981. In 2002, he returned to the group after a 21-year hiatus, replacing his own replacement, the late Howie Epstein.His father was a Navy man, so the family relocated every few years...
was replaced by Howie Epstein
Howie Epstein
Howard Norman Epstein , was a musician best known for his work with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.-Early life:...
(formerly of Del Shannon
Del Shannon
Del Shannon was an American rock and roll singer-songwriter who had a No. 1 hit, "Runaway", in 1961.- Biography :...
's backing band), giving the Heartbreakers their line-up until 1991. Long After Dark features the hits "You Got Lucky
You Got Lucky
"You Got Lucky" is the first single from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' album Long After Dark. The song peaked at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Top Tracks chart, where it stayed for three weeks at the end of 1982.-Music video:...
" (U.S. #20) and "Change of Heart
Change of Heart (Tom Petty song)
"Change of Heart" is the title of a song recorded by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was released in February 1983 as the second single from their album Long After Dark. It peaked at number 21 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart....
" (U.S. #21), and was to feature a track called "Keeping Me Alive", but producer Jimmy Iovine
Jimmy Iovine
James "Jimmy" Iovine is an American music producer, entrepreneur and chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M.-Biography:...
vetoed it from the album. Petty has expressed that he feels the album would have turned out better if the song had been included on the album.
On the next album, Southern Accents
Southern Accents
Southern Accents is the sixth album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in 1985.The album's first single, "Don't Come Around Here No More," cowritten by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics, peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its music video featured Alice in Wonderland imagery...
(1985), the Heartbreakers picked up where they had left off. The recording was not without problems; Petty became frustrated during the mixing process and broke his left hand after punching a wall. The album includes the psychedelic-sounding hit single "Don't Come Around Here No More
Don't Come Around Here No More
"Don't Come Around Here No More" is the title of a song written by Tom Petty of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and David A. Stewart of the Eurythmics...
" (#13 U.S.), which was produced by and co-written with Dave Stewart
David A. Stewart
David Allan Stewart , often known as Dave Stewart, is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with Eurythmics. He is usually credited as David A. Stewart, to avoid confusion with other musicians named "Dave Stewart".-Early life:Stewart was born in Sunderland,...
. The video for the single, which starred Stewart
David A. Stewart
David Allan Stewart , often known as Dave Stewart, is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with Eurythmics. He is usually credited as David A. Stewart, to avoid confusion with other musicians named "Dave Stewart".-Early life:Stewart was born in Sunderland,...
, featured Petty dressed as the Mad Hatter, mocking and chasing Alice from the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
, then cutting and eating her as if she were a cake. This caused minor controversy after it was criticized by feminist groups, but the video did win an MTV Video Music Award.
A successful concert tour led to the live album Pack Up the Plantation: Live!
Pack up the Plantation: Live!
Pack Up the Plantation: Live! is the first live album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in November 1985. It was primarily recorded at the Wiltern Theatre during their 1985 tour but also includes several tracks from previous tours...
(1985). The band's live capabilities were also showcased when Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
invited the Heartbreakers to join him on his True Confessions tour through Australia, Japan and the U.S. (1986) and Europe (1987). Petty praised Dylan, saying "I don't think there is anyone we admire more."
Also in 1987, the group released Let Me Up (I've Had Enough)
Let Me Up (I've Had Enough)
Let Me Up is an album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in 1987. This album features more songwriting collaborations between Petty and Mike Campbell than any other Petty album...
, a studio album made to sound like a live recording, using a technique they borrowed from Bob Dylan. It includes "Jammin' Me
Jammin' Me
"Jammin' Me" is the first single off Let Me Up , an 1987 album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It is co-written by Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Mike Campbell.-Background and lyrics:...
", which Petty wrote with Dylan and Campbell. Dylan recorded a version of the Petty composition, "Got My Mind Made Up", on his album, Knocked Out Loaded
Knocked Out Loaded
Knocked Out Loaded is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's 24th studio album, released by Columbia Records in July 1986.The album was received poorly upon release, and is still considered by some critics to be one of Dylan's least-engaging efforts...
.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' 1989 tour featured college rock
College rock
College rock is a term that was used in the United States to describe 1980s alternative rock before the term "alternative" came into common usage. The term's use of the word "college" refers to campus radio stations located at institutions of higher education in Canada and the United States, where...
band The Replacements opening every show.
Move to Warner Bros. Records
In 1991, the band released Into the Great Wide OpenInto the Great Wide Open
Into the Great Wide Open is the eighth studio album by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, first released in July 1991 . The album was the band's last with MCA Records...
, produced by Jeff Lynne
Jeff Lynne
Jeffrey "Jeff" Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob...
who had worked with Petty in Traveling Wilburys
Traveling Wilburys
The Traveling Wilburys were an English–American supergroup consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty, accompanied by drummer Jim Keltner...
. Songs included the title track itself
Into the Great Wide Open (song)
"Into the Great Wide Open" is the third song on the 1991 album Into the Great Wide Open by the group Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.-Music video:...
and "Learning to Fly
Learning to Fly (Tom Petty song)
"Learning To Fly" is a popular track by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was written in 1991 by Tom Petty and his writing partner Jeff Lynne for the album Into the Great Wide Open...
". By this time, multi-instrumentalist Scott Thurston
Scott Thurston
Scott Troy Thurston is an American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and session musician. He is currently a member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, in which he sings harmony vocals and plays guitar, keyboards, and harmonica....
had joined the band.
In 1993, Petty released Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (Tom Petty album)
Greatest Hits is a compilation album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in 1993. It is Petty's best selling album to date and was certified 10x Platinum by the RIAA on November 13, 2003. The single "Mary Jane's Last Dance" became one of Petty's most popular songs reaching #14 on the...
which included hit single "Mary Jane's Last Dance
Mary Jane's Last Dance
"Mary Jane's Last Dance" is the title of a song written by Tom Petty and recorded song by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It was recorded on July 22, 1993 while Petty was recording his Wildflowers album, and was produced by Rick Rubin, guitarist Mike Campbell, and Tom Petty...
".
In 1994 Stan Lynch
Stan Lynch
Stanley Joseph "Stan" Lynch is an American songwriter and record producer. He was the original drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for 18 years until his departure in 1994.- Early years :...
was fired from the band and replaced briefly by Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
before permanent replacement Steve Ferrone
Steve Ferrone
Steven "Steve" Ferrone is a British drummer.He was a member of the Average White Band, and has recorded and performed with numerous other high-profile acts, including Slash, Chaka Khan, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Scritti Politti...
. Ferrone had worked with Tom, Benmont, Mike and Howie on Petty's 'solo' album, Wildflowers
Wildflowers (Tom Petty album)
Wildflowers is the second solo album by American musician Tom Petty, released in November 1994 . The album was the first released by Petty after signing a contract with Warner Bros...
.
In 1995, a six-CD box-set entitled Playback was released. Approximately half of the tracks were previously available on albums, and the rest were B-sides
B-Sides
B-Sides is an iTunes-exclusive album from the Coventry Trio The Enemy, consisting of ten songs that were B-sides to the single releases from their debut album We'll Live and Die in These Towns.-Track list:#Fear Killed the Youth of Our Nation...
, demos and live tracks. Two notable tracks are a solo version of Tom's 1981 duet with Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around
Stop Draggin' My Heart Around
"Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" was the first single from Stevie Nicks' debut solo album Bella Donna. It was written by Tom Petty and Mike Campbell as a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song, but Jimmy Iovine, who was also working Stevie Nicks at the time, arranged for her to sing on it...
", and the song "Waiting For Tonight", which features vocals from The Bangles
The Bangles
The Bangles are an American all-female band that originated in the early 1980s, scoring several hit singles during the decade.-Formation and early years :...
. The latter song also appeared on the two CD anthology released in 2000, Anthology: Through the Years
Anthology: Through The Years
Anthology: Through the Years is a double compilation album featuring the best of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It contains a new song, "Surrender", written by Petty during the You're Gonna Get It! sessions, but recorded in 2000 especially for this release...
.
In 1996, Petty "reunited" with the Heartbreakers and released a soundtrack to the movie She's the One
She's the One
She's the One is a 1996 comedy-drama film, and the second feature film to be written and directed by New York actor and director Edward Burns...
starring Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Michelle Diaz is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona...
and Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Joanna Aniston is an American actress, film director, and producer, best known for her role as Rachel Green on the television sitcom Friends, a role which earned her an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.Aniston has also enjoyed a successful film career,...
(see Songs and Music from "She's the One"). Three songs charted from this album; these were "Walls (Circus)" (featuring Lindsey Buckingham
Lindsey Buckingham
Lindsey Adams Buckingham is an American guitarist, singer, composer and producer, most notable for being the guitarist and male lead singer of the musical group Fleetwood Mac. Aside from his tenure with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham has also released six solo albums and a live album...
); "Climb that Hill"; and a song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written by Lucinda Williams
Lucinda Williams
Lucinda Williams is an American rock, folk, blues and country music singer and songwriter. She recorded her first albums in 1978 and 1980 in a traditional country and blues style and received very little attention from radio, the media, or the public. In 1988, she released her self-titled album,...
, "Change the Locks". The album also included a cover of a song by Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
, "Asshole".
In 1999, Petty and the Heartbreakers released the album Echo
Echo (Tom Petty album)
Echo is the 10th studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. First released in April 1999, the album reached #10 on the Billboard 200 aided by the singles "Free Girl Now," "Swingin'" and "Room At The Top," which hit #5, #17 and #19 respectively on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks in 1999...
with producer Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
at the helm. The album reached number 10 in the U.S. album charts and featured, amongst other singles, "Room at the Top".
In 2002, Petty and the Heartbreakers released The Last DJ
The Last DJ
The Last DJ is the eleventh studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The tracks "The Last DJ", "Money Becomes King", "Joe", and "Can't Stop the Sun" are attacks on the greediness of the music industry....
. Many of the tracks' lyrics contain stinging attacks on the music industry and major record companies. The album reached number 9 in the U.S. charts. Ron Blair
Ron Blair
Ron Blair is the original bassist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He was the band's bassist from 1976 to 1981. In 2002, he returned to the group after a 21-year hiatus, replacing his own replacement, the late Howie Epstein.His father was a Navy man, so the family relocated every few years...
played on three of the tracks. He also replaced the man who had previously been his replacement, Howie Epstein
Howie Epstein
Howard Norman Epstein , was a musician best known for his work with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.-Early life:...
on the band's 2002 tour as a result of Epstein's deepening personal problems and drug abuse. Epstein died in 2003 at the age of 48. Tench described him as "the coolest guy in the band."
In 2007, the band accepted an invitation to participate in a tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
to Fats Domino
Fats Domino
Antoine Dominique "Fats" Domino, Jr. is an American R&B and rock and roll pianist and singer-songwriter. He was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Creole was his first language....
, contributing their version of "I'm Walkin'
I'm Walkin'
"I'm Walkin" is a 1957 single by Fats Domino. The song was written by Domino and Dave Bartholomew.The single was Fats Domino's third release in a row to reach number one on the R&B Best Sellers chart, where it stayed for six weeks...
" to Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino
Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino
Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino is a 2007 tribute album by various artists to Fats Domino, issued by Vanguard Records.-History:In contrast to an earlier tribute album, That's Fats: A Tribute to Fats Domino , which mostly contained previously released cover versions, Goin' Home: A Tribute to...
(Vanguard
Vanguard Records
Vanguard Records is a record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York. It started as a classical label, but is perhaps best known for its catalogue of recordings by a number of pivotal folk and blues artists from the 1960s; the Bach Guild was a subsidiary...
).
In 2008, the Heartbreakers were also featured as the Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
Halftime Show. In April that year, the members of Petty's prior band, Mudcrutch
Mudcrutch
Mudcrutch is a Southern rock band from Gainesville, Florida best known for being the forerunner of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.-Early Years:Mudcrutch was formed in 1970 by Tom Petty and Tom Leadon, who had been playing together in a band called the Epics...
, including Heartbreakers Petty
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
, Benmont Tench
Benmont Tench
Benjamin Montmorency Tench, III is an American keyboardist best known as a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.-Early years:...
and Mike Campbell, along with Randall Marsh and Tom Leadon, got together to record a Mudcrutch
Mudcrutch
Mudcrutch is a Southern rock band from Gainesville, Florida best known for being the forerunner of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.-Early Years:Mudcrutch was formed in 1970 by Tom Petty and Tom Leadon, who had been playing together in a band called the Epics...
album
Mudcrutch (album)
Mudcrutch is the first studio album by American rock band Mudcrutch, released on April 29, 2008. The album was recorded during a two-week period in August 2007. Mudcrutch was originally formed in 1967. The band recorded several demos and singles but never released an album...
. In late 2008 a live album featuring Mudcrutch was released.
A collection of live recordings
The Live Anthology
The Live Anthology is a live box set by American rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The box set was released by Reprise Records on November 23, 2009, in a number of formats, with the standard CD and download formats, composed of 48 tracks .The album's cover artwork and packaging was...
was released on 23 November 2009, and announced a new studio album, Mojo
Mojo (album)
Mojo is the twelfth studio album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released on June 15, 2010 on CD and June 29 on BD. It is Petty's first album with the Heartbreakers in eight years. Mojo debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling 125,000 copies in its first week of release...
, for release in the Spring of 2010.
Runnin' Down a Dream
In 2007, a four-hour film titled Runnin' Down a DreamRunnin' Down a Dream (film)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down A Dream is a 2007 documentary about Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, directed by Peter Bogdanovich. The 4-hour documentary chronicles the history of the band, from its inception as Mudcrutch, right up to the 30th anniversary concert in Petty's home town...
was released, documenting the career of the band, directed by Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Bogdanovich
Peter Bogdanovich is an American film historian, director, writer, actor, producer, and critic. He was part of the wave of "New Hollywood" directors, which included William Friedkin, Brian De Palma, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Michael Cimino, and Francis Ford Coppola...
which runs periodically on the Sundance Channel.
As well as members of Petty and the Heartbreakers themselves, the film contains interviews with friends and fellow musicians Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder is an American musician and singer-songwriter who is best known for being the lead singer and one of three guitarists of the alternative rock band Pearl Jam. He is widely considered a cultural icon of alternative rock.He is also involved in soundtrack work and contributes to albums...
, Jeff Lynne
Jeff Lynne
Jeffrey "Jeff" Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob...
, Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
, Warren Zanes, Dave Stewart
David A. Stewart
David Allan Stewart , often known as Dave Stewart, is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with Eurythmics. He is usually credited as David A. Stewart, to avoid confusion with other musicians named "Dave Stewart".-Early life:Stewart was born in Sunderland,...
, Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
and others. Archive interviews from George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
, Denny Cordell
Denny Cordell
Denny Cordell was an English record producer. He is notable for his late 1960s and early 1970s productions of hit singles for The Moody Blues, The Move, Procol Harum and Joe Cocker.-Career:...
and Stan Lynch
Stan Lynch
Stanley Joseph "Stan" Lynch is an American songwriter and record producer. He was the original drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for 18 years until his departure in 1994.- Early years :...
were also used.
The film, which follows Petty and the Heartbreakers from its inception as Mudcrutch
Mudcrutch
Mudcrutch is a Southern rock band from Gainesville, Florida best known for being the forerunner of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.-Early Years:Mudcrutch was formed in 1970 by Tom Petty and Tom Leadon, who had been playing together in a band called the Epics...
right up to Petty's 2006 album, Highway Companion
Highway Companion
Highway Companion is the third solo album, and 14th overall, by American musician Tom Petty. It was first released in late July 2006 , and charted at #4 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
, was spread over the first two discs of the four, and was the original director's cut. The third contains a live concert in Gainesville
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, Florida while the fourth is a CD of rare and unreleased material
In October 2008 an alternative DVD version, this one containing both a slightly edited movie and three previously unreleased performances, was released to the public.
Live performances
- In 1985, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers participated in the world-spanning charity rock concert Live AidLive AidLive Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
. - In 1986, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released a live record, Pack Up the Plantation: Live!Pack up the Plantation: Live!Pack Up the Plantation: Live! is the first live album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, released in November 1985. It was primarily recorded at the Wiltern Theatre during their 1985 tour but also includes several tracks from previous tours...
- In 1992, the band played three songs (including one with Roger McGuinnRoger McGuinnJames Roger McGuinn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist on many of The Byrds' records...
) at Madison Square GardenMadison Square GardenMadison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
to honor Bob Dylan's 30 year anniversary release of his first record. The three songs were released on "The 30th Anniversary Concert CelebrationThe 30th Anniversary Concert CelebrationThe 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration is a live double-album release in recognition of Bob Dylan's 30 years as a recording artist. Recorded on October 16, 1992 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, it captures most of the concert, which featured many artists performing classic Dylan songs,...
" - They also played at the 2001 America: A Tribute to Heroes benefit concert.
- In 2002, the band played at Concert for GeorgeConcert for GeorgeThe Concert for George was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 29 November 2002 as a memorial to George Harrison on the first anniversary of his death. The event was organized by Harrison's widow, Olivia, and son, Dhani, and arranged under the musical direction of Eric Clapton and Jeff Lynne...
honoring George HarrisonGeorge HarrisonGeorge Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
, who had died the previous year. - In 2006, the band returned to their home town and celebrated their anniversary with a collection of popular songs.
On November 26, 2010 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers released a special edition Record Store Day Black Friday 7” vinyl called, Nowhere b/w Surrender for independent record stores.
Awards and honors
- Petty has received numerous Grammy AwardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s and was the recipient of 2006's Billboard Century Award, given to him by Green DayGreen DayGreen Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
front man Billie Joe ArmstrongBillie Joe ArmstrongBillie Joe Armstrong is an American rock musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, main songwriter and lead guitarist for the American punk rock band Green Day...
. - In 1999, the band received a Hollywood Walk of FameHollywood Walk of FameThe Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
star. - In 2002, Petty and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of FameRock and Roll Hall of FameThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
. - In 2007, Petty and the Heartbreakers poster voted #18 best rock poster ever made by Billboard Magazine.
30th anniversary year (2006)
In February 2006, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers were the headline act at the fifth annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts FestivalBonnaroo Music Festival
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an annual four day music festival created and produced by Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment, held at Great Stage Park on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee. It hosted its tenth annual event June 9–12, 2011...
. In addition to Bonnaroo, Petty was on tour throughout the summer of 2006. The tour started in Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, North Carolina on June 9 and ended in Randall's Island
Randall's Island
Randall's Island is situated in the East River in New York City, part of the borough of Manhattan. It is separated from Manhattan island on the west by the river's main channel, from Queens on the east by the Hell Gate, and from the Bronx on the north by the Bronx Kill. It is joined to Wards...
, Manhattan, New York on August 19. Stops included major cities such as New York, St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Denver. Supporting acts during the tour included Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
, The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band
The Allman Brothers Band is an American rock/blues band once based in Macon, Georgia. The band was formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman and Gregg Allman , who were supported by Dickey Betts , Berry Oakley , Butch Trucks , and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe"...
, and Trey Anastasio
Trey Anastasio
Trey Anastasio is an American guitarist, composer, and vocalist most noted for his work with the rock band Phish...
. Additionally, Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
joined Tom Petty onstage during the first eight concerts as well as subsequent second leg dates to perform various songs from the Heartbreakers' vast catalog. For the Highway Companion Tour
Highway Companion
Highway Companion is the third solo album, and 14th overall, by American musician Tom Petty. It was first released in late July 2006 , and charted at #4 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
they offered a Highway Companion's Club which allowed fans to receive priority seating, discounts at the Tom Petty Store, a complimentary CD of Highway Companion
Highway Companion
Highway Companion is the third solo album, and 14th overall, by American musician Tom Petty. It was first released in late July 2006 , and charted at #4 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
and a personalized email address.
In 2006, the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
U.S. television network hired Petty to do the music for its NBA Playoffs
NBA Playoffs
The National Basketball Association Playoffs is a best-of-seven elimination tournament among sixteen teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference , ultimately deciding the final four teams who will play in the NBA Conference Finals.-Format:Following the NBA regular season, eight teams in...
coverage.
On September 21, 2006, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers received the keys to the city of Gainesville
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, Florida, where he and his bandmates either lived or grew up. Tom Petty quipped, when questioned about the key he received from Gainesville's mayor, "It's a lot nicer than the one we got in Chicago."
From July 2006 until 2007, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
in Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, Ohio featured an exhibit of Tom Petty
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
items. Much of the content was donated by Petty himself from a visit to his home by some of the Rock Hall curatorial staff.
Solo Albums
Petty has released critically acclaimed solo albums, the first of which was 1989's Full Moon FeverFull Moon Fever
Full Moon Fever is the first solo album by Tom Petty, though it features contributions from several members of his backing band, the Heartbreakers, along with fellow members of the Traveling Wilburys. The record shows Petty exploring his musical roots with nods to his influences...
which included his signature tune, "Free Fallin'
Free Fallin'
"Free Fallin" is the opening track from Tom Petty's 1989 solo album, Full Moon Fever. The song was written by Petty and his writing partner for the album, Jeff Lynne...
" as well as "I Won't Back Down
I Won't Back Down
"I Won't Back Down" is the first single from Tom Petty's first solo album, Full Moon Fever released in 1989. The song was written by Petty and his writing partner for the album, Jeff Lynne...
", later covered by Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, and "Runnin' Down a Dream
Runnin' Down a Dream
"Runnin' Down a Dream" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by Tom Petty. It was released in July 1989 as the second single from his first solo album Full Moon Fever. "Runnin' Down a Dream" achieved reasonable chart success, reaching number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the top of...
and Gene Clark's Byrds classic "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" - the album's only cover song.
The Heartbreakers were dismayed by Petty's decision to go solo; despite this Campbell plays on every track, Tench
Benmont Tench
Benjamin Montmorency Tench, III is an American keyboardist best known as a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.-Early years:...
contributed to one track, and Howie Epstein reluctantly provided backing vocals to two tracks.
Tom's second solo album, Wildflowers
Wildflowers (Tom Petty album)
Wildflowers is the second solo album by American musician Tom Petty, released in November 1994 . The album was the first released by Petty after signing a contract with Warner Bros...
was, for all intents and purposes, a Heartbreakers record as it included all members except for Stan. The album, which featured Steve Ferrone
Steve Ferrone
Steven "Steve" Ferrone is a British drummer.He was a member of the Average White Band, and has recorded and performed with numerous other high-profile acts, including Slash, Chaka Khan, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Scritti Politti...
on drums, produced the single "You Don't Know How It Feels
You Don't Know How It Feels
"You Don't Know How It Feels" is a song and the lead single from Tom Petty's 1994 album Wildflowers. It reached number one on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100....
".
Petty's most recent solo album was Highway Companion
Highway Companion
Highway Companion is the third solo album, and 14th overall, by American musician Tom Petty. It was first released in late July 2006 , and charted at #4 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
.
The Wilburys
George HarrisonGeorge Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
was requested by Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
to record a B-side to This is Love
This Is Love (George Harrison song)
"This Is Love" is a song by George Harrison and is the fifth track on his 1987 studio album Cloud Nine. In June 1988, the song was also released as the third single from that album, peaking at #55 in the UK Singles Chart ....
. To do so, Harrison gathered a group of musician friends (Petty, Jeff Lynne
Jeff Lynne
Jeffrey "Jeff" Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob...
, Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
and Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
) to record what was intended to be a B-side. The resulting song, Handle With Care
Handle with Care (song)
"Handle with Care" is the first track from the Traveling Wilburys 1988 album, Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1, and the group's biggest hit. Writing credits are shared by all five band members, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and Bob Dylan....
was considered too good for the aforementioned purposes and was released as a single. In 1988, the Traveling Wilburys
Traveling Wilburys
The Traveling Wilburys were an English–American supergroup consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty, accompanied by drummer Jim Keltner...
, as they were known, recorded a critically acclaimed album
Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1
Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 is the debut album by the supergroup Traveling Wilburys and was recorded and released in 1988 to commercial success and critical acclaim.- Background :...
.
The final studio album by the Wilburys, intentionally misnumbered Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3
Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3
Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 is the 1990 follow-up album by the supergroup Traveling Wilburys to their 1988 debut Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1.-History:...
, was released on October 30, 1990, but met with less success than the previous album.
Work for other artists
Petty appeared on Jeff LynneJeff Lynne
Jeffrey "Jeff" Lynne is an English songwriter, composer, arranger, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer who gained fame as the leader and sole constant member of Electric Light Orchestra and was a co-founder and member of The Traveling Wilburys together with George Harrison, Bob...
's Armchair Theatre
Armchair Theatre
Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series, which ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by Associated British Corporation, and later by Thames Television after 1968....
LP and also on Warren Zevon
Warren Zevon
Warren William Zevon was an American rock singer-songwriter and musician noted for including his sometimes sardonic opinions of life in his musical lyrics, composing songs that were sometimes humorous and often had political or historical themes.Zevon's work has often been praised by well-known...
's The Wind
The Wind
The Wind is a 1928 American dramatic silent film directed by Victor Sjöström. The movie was adapted by Frances Marion from the novel The Wind written by Dorothy Scarborough. It features Lillian Gish, Lars Hanson, Montagu Love, Dorothy Cumming, and others...
. Providing backing vocals on the latter, to the song "The Rest Of The Night".
Mike Campbell
Outside the Heartbreakers, Campbell has co-written an array of songs including "The Boys of SummerThe Boys of Summer (song)
"The Boys of Summer" is a song by Don Henley, with lyrics written by Henley and music composed by Henley and Mike Campbell, longtime guitarist for Tom Petty. It is the lead track and first single from Henley's 1984 album Building the Perfect Beast. The song's music video won many awards...
" and "The Heart of the Matter
The Heart of the Matter (song)
"The Heart of the Matter" is a song recorded by American rock singer Don Henley from his third solo studio album, The End of the Innocence . Written by Henley, Mike Campbell, and J. D...
" (both with Don Henley
Don Henley
Donald Hugh "Don" Henley is an American singer, songwriter and drummer, best known as a founding member of the Eagles before launching a successful solo career. Henley was the drummer and lead vocalist for the Eagles from 1971–1980, when the band broke up...
). Other songwriting credits include songs for The Blue Stingrays
The Blue Stingrays
The Blue Stingrays were a late 1990s rock band that played surf rock, incorporating some country and western elements, with an overall Hawaiian atmosphere. The band was composed of the members of The Heartbreakers, Tom Petty's backup band, who took a short break from their work with Petty to record...
, Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
, Lone Justice
Lone Justice
Lone Justice was an American country rock band formed in 1982 by guitarist Ryan Hedgecock and singer Maria McKee.-Early era:They began their career as part of the L.A. cowpunk scene of the 1980s. Lone Justice was inspired by Hedgecock and McKee's mutual affection for rockabilly and country music...
, Roger McGuinn
Roger McGuinn
James Roger McGuinn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist on many of The Byrds' records...
, Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks
Stephanie Lynn "Stevie" Nicks is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and an extensive solo career, which collectively have produced over forty Top 50 hits and sold over 140 million albums...
, John Prine
John Prine
John Prine is an American country/folk singer-songwriter. He has been active as a recording artist and live performer since the early 1970s.-Biography:...
, Restless Sleeper, Patti Scialfa
Patti Scialfa
Vivienne Patricia "Patti" Scialfa is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She is married to Bruce Springsteen and they have three children.- Early life :...
, Brian Setzer
Brian Setzer
Brian Setzer is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He first found widespread success in the early 1980s with the 1950s-style rockabilly revival group The Stray Cats, and revitalized his career in the late 1990s with a jazz-oriented big band.-Career:Setzer was born in Massapequa, New York...
, J.D. Souther, The Williams Brothers, and Robin Zander
Robin Zander
Robin Wayne Zander is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Cheap Trick.-Early life:Zander was born in Beloit, Wisconsin, the fourth of five children; he has two older brothers, and older and younger sisters....
. He also produced four songs on Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison
Roy Kelton Orbison was an American singer-songwriter, well known for his distinctive, powerful voice, complex compositions, and dark emotional ballads. Orbison grew up in Texas and began singing in a rockabilly/country & western band in high school until he was signed by Sun Records in Memphis...
's Mystery Girl
Mystery Girl
-Core:*Roy Orbison – vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, guitar*Jeff Lynne – guitars on 1 5, acoustic guitar on 4, keyboards on 1 4 5, piano on 1, bass on 1 4 5, backing vocals on 1 4 5 9*Tom Petty – acoustic guitar on 1 5, backing vocals on 1 2 5...
album and played guitar on The Wallflowers
The Wallflowers
The Wallflowers is a rock band from Los Angeles, California, fronted by Jakob Dylan. Formed in 1989 and originally known as The Apples, the ensemble has gone through numerous personnel changes with Dylan the only constant....
' "Sixth Avenue Heartache."
He also contributed to the albums The Wind
The Wind (album)
The Wind is the last studio album by American singer/songwriter Warren Zevon, released in 2003. Zevon began recording the album shortly after he was diagnosed with inoperable pleural mesothelioma , and it was released just two weeks before his death on September 7, 2003 .The album was awarded the...
and Sentimental Hygiene
Sentimental Hygiene
Sentimental Hygiene is an album by rock singer/songwriter Warren Zevon, released in 1987. The release of Sentimental Hygiene marked the first studio album for Zevon in five years...
by Warren Zevon
Warren Zevon
Warren William Zevon was an American rock singer-songwriter and musician noted for including his sometimes sardonic opinions of life in his musical lyrics, composing songs that were sometimes humorous and often had political or historical themes.Zevon's work has often been praised by well-known...
, Together Through Life
Together Through Life
Together Through Life is the 33rd studio album by Bob Dylan, released on April 28, 2009, on Columbia Records. The album debuted at number one in several countries, including the U.S. and the UK...
by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Full Moon Fever
Full Moon Fever
Full Moon Fever is the first solo album by Tom Petty, though it features contributions from several members of his backing band, the Heartbreakers, along with fellow members of the Traveling Wilburys. The record shows Petty exploring his musical roots with nods to his influences...
by Tom Petty
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
, and American V: A Hundred Highways
American V: A Hundred Highways
-Track listing:#"Help Me" – 2:51#:Previously recorded by Kris Kristofferson for Jesus Was a Capricorn #"God's Gonna Cut You Down" – 2:38...
by Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
.
Benmont Tench
In January 2008, Tench became part of a supergroup, initially named The ScrollsThe Scrolls
Works Progress Administration, formerly known under the working title The Scrolls, is an American supergroup led by Sean Watkins, Glen Phillips, and Luke Bulla. They recorded their debut album with Benmont Tench , Sara Watkins , Greg Leisz , Pete Thomas , and Davey Faragher...
. The band is composed of Tench, Sean Watkins
Sean Watkins
Sean Charles Watkins is a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He is a member of the contemporary folk band Nickel Creek, the duo Fiction Family and the supergroup Works Progress Administration.-Nickel Creek:...
(guitar), Sara Watkins
Sara Watkins
Sara Ullrika Watkins is an American singer-songwriter and fiddler. Watkins debuted in 1989 as the fiddler of the progressive bluegrass group Nickel Creek, which consisted of herself, her elder brother Sean, and mandolinist Chris Thile. As a band, they are notable for three wide-released albums:...
(fiddle), Glen Phillips
Glen Phillips
Glen Phillips is a songwriter, lyricist, singer and guitarist. He is best known as the singer and songwriter of 1990s alternative rock group Toad the Wet Sprocket.-Personal life:...
(guitar, vocals), Luke Bulla (fiddle), Greg Leisz
Greg Leisz
Greg Leisz is an American multi-instrumentalist, playing lap and pedal steel guitars, guitar, mandolin, and bass.- Biography :Leisz was influenced early on by the Byrds and Flying Burrito Brothers, especially pedal steel player "Sneaky" Pete Kleinow...
(various), Pete Thomas
Pete Thomas
Pete Thomas is best known as the longtime drummer for Elvis Costello. Tom Waits has referred to him as "one of the best rock drummers alive".-Career:...
(drums), and Davey Faragher
Davey Faragher
Davey Faragher is an American bass guitarist from Redlands, California. Faragher's career took off and received critical notice as a founding member of the nineties band, Cracker, and his following work with The Imposters, the backing band for Elvis Costello since 2001.Faragher is an accomplished...
(bass). They have since changed their name to Works Progress Administration and the group released its first album on August 28, 2009.
Band members
Current members- Tom PettyTom PettyThomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
– lead vocalsLead vocalistThe lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, harmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
(1976–present) - Mike Campbell – lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
(1976–present) - Scott ThurstonScott ThurstonScott Troy Thurston is an American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and session musician. He is currently a member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, in which he sings harmony vocals and plays guitar, keyboards, and harmonica....
– rhythm guitar, harmonica, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1991–present) - Ron BlairRon BlairRon Blair is the original bassist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He was the band's bassist from 1976 to 1981. In 2002, he returned to the group after a 21-year hiatus, replacing his own replacement, the late Howie Epstein.His father was a Navy man, so the family relocated every few years...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals (1976–1982, 2002–present) - Benmont TenchBenmont TenchBenjamin Montmorency Tench, III is an American keyboardist best known as a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.-Early years:...
– pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, synthesizers, backing vocals (1976–present) - Steve FerroneSteve FerroneSteven "Steve" Ferrone is a British drummer.He was a member of the Average White Band, and has recorded and performed with numerous other high-profile acts, including Slash, Chaka Khan, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Scritti Politti...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(1994–present)
Former members
- Stan LynchStan LynchStanley Joseph "Stan" Lynch is an American songwriter and record producer. He was the original drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for 18 years until his departure in 1994.- Early years :...
– drums, backing vocals (1976–1994) - Howie EpsteinHowie EpsteinHoward Norman Epstein , was a musician best known for his work with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.-Early life:...
– bass, backing vocals, mandolin (1982–2002)
See also
- Tom Petty discographyTom Petty discography- Studio albums with the Heartbreakers :- Solo albums :- Live & Compilation albums :-Other appearances:- Singles :- Other charted songs :- Guest singles :-Other charted guest songs:-Albums:-Singles:-Other charted songs:-Albums:...
- List of best-selling music artists
- Traveling WilburysTraveling WilburysThe Traveling Wilburys were an English–American supergroup consisting of Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty, accompanied by drummer Jim Keltner...
External links
- Official Site
- Mudcrutch Farm – Fan Community
- Gone Gator – Fansite
- Official YouTube channel – featuring videos of the Heartbreakers performing some of their best-known songs