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Who played when

Lineup & who's who

Mudcrutch had three lineups before it broke up in Los Angeles. The Heartbreakers had five in 41 years, with Tom Petty, Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench there from first show to last. Here is every lineup in order, who played on the solo albums, and the producers, labels, managers, crew and session players who shaped the records.

Every lineup

  1. 1970 – 1972Mudcrutch

    Mudcrutch: the founding lineup sources differ

    Petty and Tom Leadon, who had played together in the Epics, start a new Gainesville band; Marsh and his roommate Campbell come in through a student bulletin-board ad.

    Records "Up in Mississippi Tonight" / "Cause Is Understood" (single, 1971)

    On the road Gainesville and north Florida club and party circuit, including a residency at Dub's Steer Room

    Sources: Mudcrutch - Wikipedia · Mudcrutch: Runnin' Down a Dream (Jaan Uhelszki, Uncut, Sept. 2016, reprinted by Scraps from the Loft) · Tom Leadon - Wikipedia · Mike Campbell (musician) - Wikipedia

  2. 1972 – 1974Mudcrutch
    Mudcrutch top the Rathskeller "All Star Bill"
    Mudcrutch top the Rathskeller "All Star Bill" · shared by C-line

    Mudcrutch: Tench and Danny Roberts era sources differ

    Leadon (who followed his brother Bernie to Los Angeles) and Lenahan leave in 1972, and Tench quits college to join, with Danny Roberts coming in on bass and guitar.

    On the road Florida and Georgia club dates; 1974 scouting trip to Los Angeles with road manager Keith McAllister

    Sources: Mudcrutch - Wikipedia · Tom Leadon - Wikipedia · Benmont Tench - Wikipedia · Mudcrutch: Runnin' Down a Dream (Uncut, via Scraps from the Loft)

  3. 1974 – 1975Mudcrutch

    Mudcrutch: Shelter Records and Los Angeles sources differ

    Roberts leaves, Tampa bassist Charlie Souza joins at Petty's invitation, and the band moves to Los Angeles and signs with Denny Cordell and Leon Russell's Shelter Records, recording in Tulsa and Encino.

    Records "Depot Street" / "Wild Eyes" (single, Shelter, 1975)

    Sources: Mudcrutch - Wikipedia · Mudcrutch: Runnin' Down a Dream (Uncut, via Scraps from the Loft) · Leon Russell - Wikipedia · Tom Petty historical marker, Florida Division of Historical Resources

  4. 1976 – Dec 1981Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
    A You're Gonna Get It! poster, 1978
    A You're Gonna Get It! poster, 1978 · shared by Mudcrutch

    The original Heartbreakers

    After Shelter drops Mudcrutch but keeps Petty, he takes over a demo band Tench and Campbell had formed with fellow Gainesville players Ron Blair and Stan Lynch.

    Records Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1976); You're Gonna Get It! (1978); Damn the Torpedoes (1979); Hard Promises (1981); Stevie Nicks, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" (1981, Heartbreakers as backing band); Del Shannon, Drop Down and Get Me (1981, produced by Petty, Heartbreakers backing)

    Sources: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Wikipedia · Ron Blair - Wikipedia · Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (album) - Wikipedia · Hard Promises - Wikipedia · Stop Draggin' My Heart Around - Wikipedia · Drop Down and Get Me - Wikipedia

  5. 1982 – 1989Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
    A ticket from the Tacoma Dome, 1986
    A ticket from the Tacoma Dome, 1986 · shared by TomFest

    Howie Epstein joins

    Burned-out bassist Ron Blair quits and Howie Epstein, whom Petty had met on the Del Shannon sessions, takes over bass and adds high harmonies.

    Records Long After Dark (1982); Southern Accents (1985); Pack Up the Plantation: Live! (1985); Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) (1987)

    On the road Long After Dark tour (Epstein's live debut 1 Sept 1982, Santa Cruz); 1985 tour recorded for Pack Up the Plantation (with the Soul Lips Horns and the Rebeletts); Bob Dylan's True Confessions Tour (Feb.–Aug. 1986, 60 shows; filmed as Hard to Handle); Bob Dylan's Temples in Flames Tour (Sept.–Oct. 1987, 30 shows)

    Sources: Howie Epstein - Wikipedia · Long After Dark - Wikipedia · Southern Accents - Wikipedia · Pack Up the Plantation: Live! - Wikipedia · Let Me Up (I've Had Enough) - Wikipedia · True Confessions Tour - Wikipedia · Temples in Flames Tour - Wikipedia

  6. 1989 – Oct 1994Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

    Scott Thurston comes aboard; Lynch's last years sources differ

    Scott Thurston is hired as a sideman for the Full Moon Fever tour and stays on, while the core five carry on into the band's last MCA album.

    Records Into the Great Wide Open (1991); Greatest Hits (1993; new tracks "Mary Jane's Last Dance" and "Something in the Air" are the band's last recordings with Lynch)

    On the road Full Moon Fever tour (1989), billed as Petty with the Heartbreakers; Thurston's first tour; Into the Great Wide Open tour (29 Aug. 1991 Englewood, Colorado – 2 Apr. 1992 Malmö; Lynch's last full tour); Bridge School Benefit, 2 Oct. 1994 (Lynch's last gig)

    Sources: Scott Thurston - Wikipedia · Scott Thurston oral history - NAMM · Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 1991 (The Petty Archives transcription) · 30 Years Ago: Tom Petty Mends Fences on 'Great Wide Open' Tour - Ultimate Classic Rock · Into the Great Wide Open - Wikipedia · Greatest Hits (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album) - Wikipedia · Stan Lynch - Wikipedia

  7. Oct 1994 – Mar 2002Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
    Tom in San Diego, 2001
    Tom in San Diego, 2001 · photo by Seagle

    Steve Ferrone era with Epstein

    Stan Lynch leaves after the Oct. 1994 Bridge School show and Steve Ferrone, already the main drummer on Wildflowers, takes the drum chair.

    Records Songs and Music from "She's the One" (1996; Curt Bisquera drums on most tracks, Ferrone on two); Johnny Cash, Unchained (1996; band backs Cash, Rick Rubin producing); Echo (1999)

    On the road Ferrone's first show with the band: Louisville, Kentucky, 28 Feb. 1995

    Sources: Steve Ferrone - Wikipedia · Stan Lynch - Wikipedia · Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Wikipedia · Songs and Music from "She's the One" - Wikipedia · Unchained (Johnny Cash album) - Wikipedia · Echo (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album) - Wikipedia

  8. Mar 2002 – Sep 2017Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
    Mike, Steve and Tom in Cleveland, 2017
    Mike, Steve and Tom in Cleveland, 2017 · photo by nurktwin

    Ron Blair returns: the final Heartbreakers lineup

    Howie Epstein leaves the band and founding bassist Ron Blair comes back, first for the Hall of Fame show and then full-time.

    Records The Last DJ (2002; Blair on two tracks, Petty and Campbell play most bass); Mojo (2010); Hypnotic Eye (2014)

    On the road Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction performance, 18 Mar. 2002 (Blair's return; Lynch also reunited for it); 2002 summer tour; Super Bowl XLII halftime show, 3 Feb. 2008; 40th Anniversary Tour (spring–25 Sept. 2017, closing with a three-night run at the Hollywood Bowl)

    Sources: Ron Blair - Wikipedia · Howie Epstein - Wikipedia · The Last DJ - Wikipedia · Mojo (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers album) - Wikipedia · Hypnotic Eye - Wikipedia · Tom Petty - Wikipedia · On This Day in 2017... - American Songwriter

  9. Aug 2007 – 2017Mudcrutch
    Mike, and Tom on bass, at the Fillmore, 2008
    Mike, and Tom on bass, at the Fillmore, 2008 · photo by Zombie Zookeeper

    Mudcrutch reunion

    Petty calls Leadon and Marsh back to play with Campbell and Tench, reviving the pre-Heartbreakers band with Petty back on bass.

    Records Mudcrutch (2008, Reprise; cut in about two weeks in Aug. 2007 at The Clubhouse); Extended Play Live (EP, 2008); 2 (2016, Reprise)

    On the road California tour (Apr.–May 2008); First national U.S. tour (May–June 2016, opened with two Midnight Mission benefit shows in Los Angeles; Herb Pedersen joined; Bunbury and Summer Camp festivals)

    Sources: Mudcrutch - Wikipedia · Mudcrutch (album) - Wikipedia · 2 (Mudcrutch album) - Wikipedia

Who played on the solo albums

1989, MCA

Full Moon Fever

Produced by Jeff Lynne with Tom Petty and Mike Campbell

Played by Petty (vocals, guitars, keyboards); Mike Campbell (lead guitar, bass, mandolin, keyboards); Jeff Lynne (bass, rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals); Phil Jones (drums, percussion); guests George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Jim Keltner, Howie Epstein, Benmont Tench, Alan "Bugs" Weidel. Stan Lynch is not credited.

Recorded mostly in Campbell's garage studio plus Rumbo, Sunset Sound and Sound City; engineers Campbell, Don Smith, Bill Bottrell, Dennis Kirk. MCA initially passed on it.

Sources: Full Moon Fever - Wikipedia · Tom Petty's 'Full Moon Fever' Was Originally Rejected by His Label - Ultimate Classic Rock

1994, Warner Bros.

Wildflowers

Produced by Rick Rubin, Tom Petty, Mike Campbell (Ryan Ulyate on one later-issued track)

Played by Petty and Campbell (guitars, some bass); Benmont Tench (keyboards); Howie Epstein (bass on some tracks); Steve Ferrone (drums on most tracks); Ringo Starr (drums on two tracks); percussion Lenny Castro and Phil Jones; Michael Kamen orchestration; Carl Wilson backing vocals. Stan Lynch drums only on an outtake.

Recorded July 1992 – April 1994 at Sound City and Ocean Way; engineers Jim Scott, David Bianco, Richard Dodd. First Petty release on Warner Bros.

Sources: Wildflowers (Tom Petty album) - Wikipedia

2006, Warner Bros./American Recordings

Highway Companion

Produced by Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Mike Campbell

Played by Essentially a trio: Petty (vocals, guitars, bass, drums, harmonica, keys); Mike Campbell (lead and 12-string guitar, vibraphone); Jeff Lynne (bass, rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals).

Ryan Ulyate recorded and mixed; Alan "Bugs" Weidel credited for session supervision and guitar tech.

Sources: Highway Companion - Wikipedia

Who's who

Gainesville

Where it started: the teachers, the store and the first bands.

Bernie Leadon early 1970s

Tom Leadon's older brother, a Gainesville musician who co-founded the Eagles. Tom followed him to Los Angeles when he left Mudcrutch, and the Eagles recorded a Tom Leadon co-write.

Sources: Tom Leadon - Wikipedia

Producers

The people in the chair beside Tom in the studio.

Robbie Robertson 1985

The Band's guitarist is listed among the producers of Southern Accents, which also features his former bandmates Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel as guests.

Sources: Southern Accents - Wikipedia

Engineers

Who recorded, mixed and mastered the records.

Labels

Shelter to Reprise, and the fights in between.

Leon Russell 1974–1976

Pianist and bandleader who co-founded Shelter Records and owned the Church Studio in Tulsa, where Mudcrutch signed its first record deal and did some of its Shelter recording. He left Shelter in 1976 after a split with Cordell.

Sources: Leon Russell - Wikipedia · Shelter Records - Wikipedia

Shelter Records 1974–1979

The Russell–Cordell label (founded 1969) that signed Mudcrutch, released "Depot Street," and issued the first two Heartbreakers albums. It was distributed by ABC in the mid-1970s, which is how Petty's contract ended up in the 1979 fight with MCA.

Sources: Shelter Records - Wikipedia

MCA Records 1979–1991

Bought ABC in 1979 and sued when Petty argued his contract could not be handed over without his consent; the fight ended with a deal on MCA's Backstreet imprint. MCA later clashed with Petty over the $9.98 list price for Hard Promises, passed at first on Full Moon Fever, and released through Into the Great Wide Open.

Sources: Damn the Torpedoes (album) - Wikipedia · Hard Promises - Wikipedia · Into the Great Wide Open - Wikipedia · Tom Petty's 'Full Moon Fever' Was Originally Rejected by His Label - Ultimate Classic Rock

Backstreet Records 1979–1983

MCA subsidiary launched in 1979; signing Petty as its first big act settled the ABC/MCA dispute. It released the band's three Jimmy Iovine-era albums before being folded into MCA.

Sources: Backstreet Records - Wikipedia

Record-business people

Executives behind the deals and the disputes.

Managers

Crew

The people who kept the show on the road.

Session players, singers and friends

Guests and hired hands on the records and on stage.

The Rebeletts (Pat Peterson and Caroll Sue Hill) and the Soul Lips Horns 1985

Touring backing singers and horn section (Jimmy Zavala, Lee Thornburg, Nick Lane) added for the 1985 shows captured on Pack Up the Plantation.

Sources: Pack Up the Plantation: Live! - Wikipedia

Jon Brion 2002

Producer-arranger credited with orchestration and conducting on The Last DJ.

Sources: The Last DJ - Wikipedia

Films and books

Directors and writers who told the story.

Peter Bogdanovich 2007

Director of the four-hour documentary Runnin' Down a Dream, which premiered at the New York Film Festival in October 2007 and won a Grammy for Best Music Film; he also shares credit on the companion book.

Sources: Runnin' Down a Dream (film) - Wikipedia

Gillian Armstrong 1986

Australian director who filmed Hard to Handle, the HBO concert special of Dylan and the Heartbreakers shot in Sydney in February 1986.

Sources: True Confessions Tour - Wikipedia

Julien Temple 1989

British filmmaker who co-directed the "Free Fallin'" video with Piers Garland.

Sources: Free Fallin' - Wikipedia

Where sources disagree on a date (when Scott Thurston joined, when Howie Epstein started, when Benmont Tench joined Mudcrutch) the lineup is marked "sources differ." Family members aren't listed. Know something we've got wrong? Tell us.