Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
The Heartbreakers in 1977. From left: Mike Campbell, Ron Blair, Tom Petty, Stan Lynch, and Benmont Tench
Background information
Origin	Gainesville, Florida, U.S.
Genres	Heartland rock rock and roll folk rock power pop
Years active	1976–2017
Labels	Shelter Backstreet MCA Warner Bros.
Spinoffs	Traveling Wilburys
Spinoff of	Mudcrutch
Past member(s)	Tom Petty Mike Campbell Benmont Tench Ron Blair Stan Lynch Howie Epstein Scott Thurston Steve Ferrone
Website	tompetty.com

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers was an American heartland rock band. They formed in Gainesville, Florida in 1976. Their six final members were Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Ron Blair, Scott Thurston and Steve Ferrone. All of them were vocalists and multi-instrumentalists. The band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1999. They won many Grammy Awards and received 2006's Billboard Century Award. The band ended when Petty was found dead in his home in 2017. This was after an accidental drug overdose.^[1]

Petty was adamant that Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers were simply a rock and roll band.^[2] Despite this, most critics described them as heartland rock.^[3] They are cited, alongside Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, and John Mellencamp, as pioneers of the genre. Others have labeled them as Americana,^[4] folk rock,^[4] power pop,^[5] roots rock^[6] and Southern rock.^[7] Early on, the band was associated with punk rock and new wave. They often played with bands like Ramones, Blondie, and the Clash.^[8] Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers were the first band described as pop-punk. This was by John Rockwell of New York Times in a March 1977 article.^[9]

• Tom Petty – lead vocals, rhythm and lead guitar, bass, harmonica, keyboards (1976–2017; his death)
• Mike Campbell – lead and rhythm guitar, bass, keyboards, mandolin, occasional backing and lead vocals (1976–2017)
• Benmont Tench – piano, organ, keyboards, backing vocals (1976–2017)
• Stan Lynch – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1976–1994)
• Ron Blair – bass guitar, backing vocals (1976–1982, 2002–2017; studio guest appearances from 1982–1985)
• Howie Epstein – bass guitar, rhythm guitar, mandolin, backing vocals (1982–2002; died 2003)
• Scott Thurston – rhythm and lead guitar, keyboards, harmonica, backing vocals (1999–2017; touring and session musician 1991–1999)
• Steve Ferrone – drums, percussion (1999–2017; touring and session musician 1994–1999)

Timeline

• Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1976)
• You're Gonna Get It! (1978)
• Damn the Torpedoes (1979)
• Hard Promises (1981)
• Long After Dark (1982)
• Southern Accents (1985)
• Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) (1987)
• Into the Great Wide Open (1991)
• Songs and Music from "She's the One" (1996)
• Echo (1999)
• The Last DJ (2002)
• Mojo (2010)
• Hypnotic Eye (2014)

• Runnin' Down a Dream, a film documenting the history of the band
• List of awards and nominations received by Tom Petty
• Blue Stingrays, a band featuring Campbell, Tench, and Blair

1. ↑ "Tom Petty, Rock And Roll Hero, Dies At 66 | GRAMMY.com". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 2023-12-11.
2. ↑ Richard Robinson. "Heartbreakers and American Girls: Tom Petty Does It To Have Fun". Hit Parader. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
3. ↑ "Tom Petty". Ultimate Classic Rock.
4. 1 2 "The Mendocino Setlist: February 9-15, 2026". The Mendocino Voice. February 9, 2026. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
5. ↑ Anderl, Timothy (January 8, 2020). "Video Premiere: Gabe Bernini, "Caramel"". Ghettoblaster. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
6. ↑ McCall, Michael (June 12, 1997). "The Best of Luck". Nashville Scene. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
7. ↑ George-Warren, Holly (2000). "Southern Gallery: Tom Petty". Oxford American: A Magazine of the South. Vol. 34.
8. ↑ Anthony, David (October 3, 2017). "Tom Petty Was an All-American Anomaly". VICE. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
9. ↑ Rockwell, John (March 9, 1977). "Cabaret: Tom Petty's Pop Punk Rock Evokes Sounds of 60's". The New York Times. Retrieved February 23, 2024.