“You don’t know about me without having heard a band by the name of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, but that’s okay,” Mike Campbell writes in the introduction to his new book Heartbreaker: A Memoir (out March 18). “We played rock and roll together for a long time. So much …
Read More »See Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' Ground-Shaking 1982 'Wild Thing' Performance
The whole premise of the Troggs’ 1966 hit “Wild Thing” is about this socially disaffected guy, benumbed to sympathy, empathy, and even his own ego — utterly skeptical of any personal joy, a real Freudian basket case — until he experiences a sexual awakening so subtle that he questions his …
Read More »Rare Cameron Crowe-Directed Tom Petty Documentary Gets First-Ever Streaming Release
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission. A rare, 40-year-old Tom Petty documentary from Almost Famous writer-director Cameron Crowe is available to stream for the first time. Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party originally aired on …
Read More »Tom Petty's Keyboardist Benmont Tench Is Ready for His Spotlight
It’s a little more than a decade since Benmont Tench released his debut solo LP, You Should Be So Lucky, but for the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers keyboardist, it feels like a lifetime ago. There’s been a lot of joy in the intervening years, most notably his 2015 marriage …
Read More »My Life With Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Mike Campbell Looks Back
Mike Campbell was always more than just the deeply gifted guitarist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers — songs from “Refugee” to “You Wreck Me,” not to mention Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer,” began with music he wrote. In his essential, vividly told new autobiography, Heartbreaker: A Memoir, due March …
Read More »Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' 'Long After Dark' Gets Deluxe Reissue With Unreleased Songs
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ Long After Dark will get the deluxe treatment this fall with a new reissue that pairs the original 1982 album with an additional disc of unreleased music from the era. Long After Dark Deluxe Edition, out October 18 via Geffen/UMe, boasts a dozen “newly discovered” …
Read More »How Great Was Tom Petty's Influence on Country? Even Dolly Parton and George Strait Sing His Songs
When Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell heard about plans for country greats like Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, George Strait, Chris Stapleton, and Dierks Bentley to honor the band’s music on the covers collection Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty, he felt it made perfect …
Read More »Tom Petty Tribute Shows? Mike Campbell Has 'Mixed Feelings'
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2026, and there’s already talk of a tribute show to mark the occasion. But Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell isn’t sure he wants to do it. “The management said that if we did it, we’d get the original band back …
Read More »Mike Campbell Recruits Chris Stapleton, Graham Nash for New LP 'Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits'
In 1974, Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, and the rest of their band Mudcrutch entered Leon Russell’s the Church Studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to record their first demo tape with producer Denny Cordell. It was a crucial moment that led to the formation of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers two years …
Read More »Dolly Parton Turns Tom Petty's 'Southern Accents' Into a Stunning Country Ballad
Dolly Parton honored Tom Petty with a gorgeous cover of his 1985 song, “Southern Accents,” which will appear on the upcoming tribute compilation Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty. “Southern Accents” is a tender ballad about Southern roots and a down-on-his luck Florida orange-picker. Parton stays faithful …
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