Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are an American rock group from Gainesville, United States, active from 1976 to 2017. Led by Tom Petty, the band becomes the main backing group for most of his career, and also supports him on tour when he releases solo albums. Their sound spans classic rock, heartland rock, pop rock, power pop, rock and southern rock.

Formation and early line-up

After the breakup of Mudcrutch, Tom Petty forms the Heartbreakers with Mudcrutch members Benmont Tench on keyboards and Mike Campbell on guitar, along with Gainesville musicians Ron Blair on bass and Stan Lynch on drums. This line-up records the band’s first four albums and establishes the group’s best-known era.

Key releases and songs

Their debut album, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, appears in 1976. The band is associated with a series of well-known songs including “American Girl”, “Breakdown”, “Listen to Her Heart”, “Refugee”, “I Need to Know” and “Don’t Do Me Like That”. Among their most acclaimed albums is Damn the Torpedoes, and they achieve major commercial success with music that takes them from clubs to arena-level status.

Later records include Long After Dark, and in 2010 the band releases Mojo. Petty also issues solo work, including Highway Companion in 2006, on which he plays most of the backing instrumentation himself, while Heartbreakers members continue to appear on his solo albums.

Line-up changes and later years

Ron Blair leaves the band in 1982 and is replaced by Howie Epstein, whose bass playing and backing vocals strengthen the live group. Stan Lynch departs in 1994 and Steve Ferrone becomes the drummer. After Epstein’s departure, Blair returns to the rhythm section for The Last DJ, an album recorded before and after the band’s 2002 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Scott Thurston and Phil Jones are also members of the group at different points.