In early 1979, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were a struggling band on the verge of something significant. In quick succession, they secured a new record deal, began writing promising material, and hired Elliot Roberts as their manager. Roberts had previously helped shape the careers of renowned artists such as Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. With these new developments, the band was excited when Roberts called them to their first meeting.
However, the mood shifted quickly when Roberts announced, “There’s gonna be a few changes.” The primary change involved the distribution of income. While all profits from live performances had previously been shared equally among the five members, half of the profits would now go to Petty, with the rest divided among the remaining four members. To make matters worse, Petty was absent from the meeting. Guitarist Mike Campbell, 75, recalls the tension, saying, “After so many years of being ‘all-for-one-and-one-for-all,’ we realized, ‘Oh, we’re at this stage now. We’re going to cut the money down for the rest of the band. Why?’”
Roberts defended the decision by highlighting that Petty wrote most of the songs, sang lead vocals on all tracks, and provided the frontman energy necessary for the band’s success. Despite the explanation, the mood remained tense. In his new memoir, Heartbreaker, Campbell writes that the band’s keyboardist, Benmont Tench, was “furious,” and drummer Stan Lynch was “positively apoplectic.” Lynch even said, “Petty doesn’t even have the balls to show up to the meeting. There’s no way I’m taking this deal.”
Had Lynch’s sentiment prevailed, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers might have disbanded then and there. Instead, Campbell managed to persuade the others to stay. “There was a magic in our music that never would have happened without the five of us together,” Campbell reflects. “Bands are delicate things. Most break up, but we managed to keep ours together.”
The band went on to remain intact for over 40 years, continuing until Petty’s death in 2017 due to an accidental overdose of pain medication he used to manage a severely damaged hip. During their years together, Petty and the Heartbreakers sold tens of millions of albums, including a Greatest Hits collection that sold over 12 million copies. However, keeping the band together for nearly five decades involved numerous compromises and difficult decisions, many of which are chronicled in Campbell’s book. He played the role of peacekeeper between Petty and the other members from the very beginning.
Writing about those years proved challenging for Campbell, who had to balance his love for Petty and respect for his legacy with the reality of their complicated relationship. Despite his candidness, Campbell remains protective of Petty in certain aspects. Reflecting on the pivotal meeting, Campbell acknowledges that if he had been in Petty’s shoes, he likely would have made the same decision. He notes that while the deal was unbalanced, it could have been worse. “Tom could have said, ‘Put these guys on salary,’” Campbell says. “But he made us partners instead.”
Much of this decision was influenced by the band’s humble beginnings. They started out as poor young men from Florida, some of whom, like Campbell, came from broken homes. In his book, Campbell dedicates nearly 200 pages to their years of struggle. “People don’t realize how much sleeping on ratty mattresses and driving in vans in the snow and playing dumpy little gigs goes on,” he remarks. “There’s a lot of build-up.”
Despite the hardships, Petty was always confident in his destiny to become a star. From the start, it was clear who was in charge. The band had originally gone by the name Mudcrutch, but once they secured a record contract, Petty made it clear that whatever name they chose, his name would be at the forefront. When the label initially offered the band a deal, they only wanted Petty to record with studio musicians, a situation Petty reluctantly accepted.
However, it didn’t take long for the label to realize that the band’s unique sound couldn’t be replicated by Petty alone. “There’s a chemistry when guys are in a group, as opposed to hired players who collect a paycheck at the end of the session,” Campbell explains. “And Tom wanted a band.”
The band was thrilled by the recognition but was disheartened when they saw the cover of their first album, which featured only Petty on the front, with the rest of the band relegated to the back cover. Despite this, their 1976 debut and its 1978 follow-up earned them significant radio play with songs like “American Girl” and “I Need to Know,” though the band still made little money from record sales. Their third album, Damn the Torpedoes, marked a turning point, aided by their new manager and the hiring of acclaimed producer Jimmy Iovine.
Iovine, focused on creating hits, openly admitted that he never bothered to listen to side two of any album. “I thought that was the funniest thing he ever said,” Campbell recalls. “And, apparently, it was true.” Iovine’s intense focus on making Petty and the band successful led him to push Lynch’s drumming abilities to the limit. Campbell details in his book how this tension nearly caused Lynch to leave the band.
Despite these difficulties, Damn the Torpedoes became a multi-platinum success, propelled by the hits “Refugee” and “Here Comes My Girl,” both co-written by Campbell. However, the years of tension, especially toward Lynch, did not end there. At one point, Petty even auditioned other drummers behind Lynch’s back.
Campbell praises Lynch in his book, noting that his loyalty to the band helped keep them together. By 1994, however, Lynch left the group, which allowed him to find success working with Don Henley on several hit solo albums. Campbell himself had a key connection to Henley, co-writing the 1984 hit “The Boys of Summer.” Despite the Heartbreakers’ success, Campbell found himself financially strained due to the poor pay scale within the band. His collaboration with Henley became crucial, helping him avoid losing his home.
Though the band’s financial situation improved over time, ego conflicts persisted. In the late 1980s, when Petty decided to work with Jeff Lynne on new material – a role Campbell had traditionally filled – he didn’t inform Campbell until the decision was final. As Campbell puts it, their communication was more “instinctual than direct.” This became especially problematic when Petty’s heroin use began in the 1990s. While only a few knew about it at the time, Campbell never addressed his concerns with Petty, understanding that such a conversation would not have gone well.
“There’s no way Tom would have listened,” Campbell reflects. “You couldn’t talk Tom into anything.” Their mutual attitude was that, when not onstage or in the studio, personal matters were their own.
In one of the book’s most emotional moments, Campbell recounts a time in 1987 when Petty called him to say that he hated what the band had become and wanted to break up. Though Petty apologized the next day, it underscored the reality of being in a band led by one dominant figure. Campbell is honest about the aspects of Petty’s character that made their relationship difficult, particularly his quick temper, strong will, and need for control. These traits, Campbell believes, were significant factors in Petty’s eventual therapy, encouraged by his second wife.
Despite Petty’s temper, Campbell notes that his friend also had a deep sense of loyalty. This loyalty, Campbell believes, contributed to Petty’s untimely death. Even while dealing with extreme pain, Petty stayed on the road to support the large team around him.
Towards the end of his memoir, Campbell recounts Petty’s tragic death. One week after the band’s final show, Petty was rushed to the hospital after he stopped breathing. Campbell received a late-night call to visit his friend, who was being kept on life support so those closest to him could say goodbye. “A terrible sense of finality fell over me,” Campbell writes. “I placed my hand on his shoulder. I finally told him: ‘I love you, brother.’” Reflecting on these moments, Campbell says, “I’m still grieving.”
Today, Campbell fronts his own band, The Dirty Knobs, which has released three albums. Looking back on his life and career, Campbell has no regrets despite the struggles. Writing his memoir was a powerful experience, though he notes it was also emotionally intense. “It’s a deep experience writing about your whole f***ing life!” he says. “You’re reliving some experiences from a long time ago. And when you write about it, it all comes back to you.”
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