Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American rock band formed in Gainesville, Florida, in 1976, and active until Tom Petty’s death in 2017. Compared with most bands of that longevity the roster was remarkably stable: only eight musicians were ever official Heartbreakers, and three of them, Petty, Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, were there for the entire run. Here is the complete list of members, with instruments and years.
All Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Members
| Member | Instruments | Years active |
|---|---|---|
| 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 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 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) |
Who Was in the Original Line-Up (1976)
The Heartbreakers grew out of Mudcrutch, the Gainesville band Petty and lead guitarist Mike Campbell formed in 1970, with keyboardist Benmont Tench joining in 1972. Mudcrutch moved to Los Angeles in 1974, signed to Leon Russell’s Shelter Records, and broke up after its 1975 single “Depot Street” failed to chart. Petty stayed with Shelter as a songwriter and solo artist, and in 1976 he reunited with Campbell and Tench, adding fellow Gainesville expatriates Stan Lynch on drums and Ron Blair on bass. That five-piece made the self-titled debut album, which found early success in the UK before “Breakdown” and “American Girl” took hold in the United States.
How Howie Epstein Replaced Ron Blair (1982)
Blair, weary of the touring lifestyle, left in 1982. For the fifth album, Long After Dark (1982), he was replaced by Howie Epstein, formerly of Del Shannon’s backing band. Blair still made studio guest appearances between 1982 and 1985, but the Petty, Campbell, Tench, Lynch and Epstein line-up was the Heartbreakers through the rest of the 1980s and into 1991, the period that produced Southern Accents, Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough) and, under Petty’s own name, Full Moon Fever (1989).
Who Joined and Left in the 1990s
Multi-instrumentalist Scott Thurston joined for the tour behind Into the Great Wide Open in 1991, playing rhythm guitar and secondary keyboards. Stan Lynch, who had moved back to Florida, was persuaded to return for one last session on the 1993 Greatest Hits track “Mary Jane’s Last Dance”, then left the band in 1994. Dave Grohl sat in for a number of performances but declined to join, choosing instead to start Foo Fighters.
The band was then officially a quartet with no permanent drummer. Steve Ferrone, who had played on Petty’s solo album Wildflowers, took the drum stool for live shows from 1995. After Echo (1999), on which the official band was still the four-piece of Petty, Campbell, Tench and Epstein, both Ferrone and Thurston were promoted to full membership, and both stayed Heartbreakers for the rest of the band’s existence.
Why Ron Blair Returned (2002)
Blair rejoined for the 2002 tour, replacing Epstein, the man who had once replaced him, because of Epstein’s deepening personal problems and drug abuse. Blair played on two tracks of The Last DJ (2002). Howie Epstein died in 2003 at the age of 47. From 2002 the line-up was fixed for the final fifteen years: Petty, Campbell, Tench, Blair, Thurston and Ferrone.
How the Heartbreakers Ended (2017)
The Heartbreakers’ last show was at the Hollywood Bowl at the end of the 2017 fortieth-anniversary tour, closing with “American Girl”. On the morning of October 2, 2017, Petty was found unconscious at home in full cardiac arrest and died later that day at UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, aged 66. In his final interview he had said the band would probably disband if one of its members died or became too ill to perform, and the Heartbreakers did not continue under that name. Campbell, Tench and Ferrone have since played together, including as the house band for the Light Up the Blues benefit concert in April 2018.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Members FAQ
Who were the original members of the Heartbreakers?
Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Stan Lynch and Ron Blair.
Who played bass for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers?
Ron Blair from 1976 to 1982 and again from 2002 to 2017, and Howie Epstein from 1982 to 2002.
Who were the drummers?
Stan Lynch until 1994, then Steve Ferrone, first as a touring musician and from 1999 as a full member.
Are the Heartbreakers still together?
No. The band ended with Tom Petty’s death in 2017, and the surviving members have only played together at one-off events since.
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