Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Bio

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were a rock band formed in Gainesville, Florida, in 1976 out of the earlier group Mudcrutch. The original lineup was Tom Petty on vocals and guitar, Mike Campbell on lead guitar, Benmont Tench on keyboards, Stan Lynch on drums, and Ron Blair on bass. Heartland and Southern rock hits from their catalog include "American Girl," "Breakdown," "Refugee," and "Free Fallin'." Petty and several bandmates received the key to Gainesville in 2006. The group played until Petty's death in 2017; the later lineup included bassist Howie Epstein, then Ron Blair again, plus Scott Thurston and drummer Steve Ferrone.

The band

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  Benmont Tench

  Benmont Tench played piano, organ, and other keyboards, and sang backing vocals, in Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers from 1976 until 2017. He is from Gainesville and had played with Petty in Mudcrutch before the Heartbreakers formed.

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  Steve Ferrone

  Steve Ferrone played drums with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, first as a touring and session drummer after Stan Lynch left and then as a band member from 1999 through 2017.