newsheaven

In his latest memoir titled "Heartbreaker," Mike Campbell recounts an incident from the early '70s when Tom Petty—his bandmate in Gainesville, Florida-based cover group Mudcrutch—played one of his compositions. While Petty was playing the chords for what would become the hit single "Don’t Do Me Like That" on FM radio, Campbell remarked to him, "If only I had the talent to pen something as great as this; I'd gladly sacrifice my right arm." At the time, Campbell was an exceptionally talented guitarist brought up by his mother alone, striving fervently to escape poverty through professional music. Meeting Petty coincided with him taking menial low-paying jobs and contemplating enlistment in the armed forces. "My aim was always to play guitar just so I could dodge regular employment or signing up for the Air Force," states Campbell. "If someone offered me money to perform, then playing guitars was exactly what I intended to pursue....