Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers formed in Gainesville, Florida in 1976, with Mike Campbell's guitar and Benmont Tench's keys behind Petty's effortless heartland-rock songwriting. Damn the Torpedoes (1979) is the classic entry; American Girl kicked it all off on the '76 debut. Shop Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers formed in Gainesville, Florida in 1976. The band was fronted by Tom Petty (1950-2017) and featured the longtime core of guitarist Mike Campbell and keyboardist Benmont Tench, with members including Ron Blair, Stan Lynch, and Howie Epstein over the years. Emerging partly from the earlier band Mudcrutch, the Heartbreakers became one of the most respected and commercially successful American rock bands across four decades. This page covers the band's recordings, separate from Petty's solo catalog.
The Heartbreakers played heartland rock, classic rock, and roots rock built on Petty's melodic songwriting, Campbell's distinctive guitar work, and Tench's keyboards. Drawing on the Byrds, the Rolling Stones, and American roots traditions, their tight, radio-defining sound produced a long string of enduring hits and made them stalwarts of American rock radio.
Damn the Torpedoes and the band's catalog have been reissued in anniversary and audiophile editions, and original pressings are widely collected. Box sets compiling the band's recordings and live material are popular collector targets.
Listeners new to the band usually start with Damn the Torpedoes (1979) or the debut. For Petty's solo work, see . For related listening, see .
