Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Latest about Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Mike Campbell takes a solo on his Telecaster while Tom Petty looks on.
Mike Campbell on what makes the Telecaster magic (even if he thinks they’re kinda ugly)

By Andrew Daly Published

The former Heartbreaker and Dirty Knobs main man on his lifelong love affair with the world's first mass-produced electric guitar

Guitarists
Mike Campbell and Tom Petty perform live in 1981
Mike Campbell on 5 classic Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers tracks recorded with his Fender Broadcaster

By Andrew Daly Published

Campbell's 1951 Broadcaster was integral to that Heartbreakers sound – no matter who was playing it

Guitarists
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers perform onstage during the 'Damn the Torpedoes' tour at the Capitol Theatre, Passaic, New Jersey, June 27, 1980.
How a psychedelic-fueled studio session set Ron Blair on the path to becoming a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

By Brian Fox Published

Ron Blair played bass on the band’s first four albums before quitting and rejoining 20 years later

Bassists
Mike Campbell (left) and Tom Petty (1950 - 2017), both of the group Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, play guitar as they perform onstage at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, March 31, 1983
How Mike Campbell's throwaway lick shaped a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers classic

By Janelle Borg Published

Campbell's guitar noodling and Petty's ear for a good hook resulted in their first Top 40 hit

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Guitarists
Tom Petty & Heartbreakers
Mike Campbell on the riff he wanted to ditch – but Tom Petty made him double down

By Janelle Borg Published

Campbell was forced to get creative to make a Heartbreakers classic

Guitarists
Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performs on stage at United Center on August 23, 2014 in Chicago, United States
How Mike Campbell ended up reconnecting with a classic piece of Heartbreakers gear

By Janelle Borg Published

Turns out, the missing piece of his ideal tone was closer than he thought...

Guitarists
Tom Petty performs onstage in 1981
Tom Petty wanted to turn a catchy riff into a much-needed hit. He didn't stop playing it until he did

By Jackson Maxwell Published

Under pressure to follow up his multi-platinum breakthrough, Damn the Torpedoes, with another best-selling album, Petty wanted a lead single “that had a little lick from the beginning”. That lick proved to be a stubborn one

Guitarists
Mike Campbell of the Dirty Knobs, in hat, shades, guitar in hand
Mike Campbell explains how a lifelong connection with Tom Petty was forged in a matter of days – and the guitar was central to it all

By Andrew Daly Published

As he celebrates the release of his memoir, Heartbreaker, Tom Petty’s right-hand man and dear friend reflects on a career’s worth of enduring hits, and why he “never doubted the music”

Guitarists
Mike Campbell and Tom Petty
How Mike Campbell and Tom Petty developed their Heartbreaker sound – with the help of some choice early gear picks

By Matt Owen Published

Though Petty was in need of a decent electric, the two Heartbreakers quickly landed on a sound that would define their guitar partnership

Guitarists
Left-Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers performs onstage at the Firefly Music Festival at The Woodlands of Dover International Speedway on June 22, 2013 in Dover, Delaware; Right-George Harrison performing at The Cow Palace in Daly City, California on November 7, 1974
The time Mike Campbell asked George Harrison to take over his own guitar solo

By Janelle Borg Published

Campbell recalls rejecting his own solo on the Traveling Wilburys' debut single – and why Harrison's playing style was a better fit

Guitarists
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