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Mudcrutch was an American rock band from
Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gainesv ...
, whose sound touched on
southern rock Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. History 1950s and 1960s: origin ...
and
country rock Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal sty ...
. They were first active in the 1970s and reformed in 2007, and are best known for being the band which launched
Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the leader and frontman of the Rock music, rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s sup ...
to fame. Mudcrutch formed in Gainesville in 1970 and soon became a popular act across Florida. The band moved to Los Angeles in 1974 to attract the attention of a record company. Though they signed a contract with Shelter Records, they released only one poor-selling single before breaking up in 1975. The following year, former Mudcrutch members Petty, Mike Campbell, and
Benmont Tench Benjamin Montmorency "Benmont" Tench III (born September 7, 1953) is an American musician and singer, and a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Early years Tench was born in Gainesville, Florida, the second child of Benjamin M ...
formed the core of a new band, the Heartbreakers. Most of the original Mudcrutch lineup reformed in 2007 to record their first album as a group, which was followed by a tour. A second album followed in 2016. Petty's death in 2017 effectively dissolved the group; Leadon died in 2023.


History


1970–1975

Mudcrutch was formed in 1970 by
Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gainesv ...
, residents
Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the leader and frontman of the Rock music, rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s sup ...
and
Tom Leadon Tom Leadon ( ; September 16, 1952 – March 22, 2023) was an American musician. He was one of the founding members of Tom Petty's original band, Mudcrutch, and remained its guitarist following its revival in 2007. He was the brother of Berni ...
(brother of
Bernie Leadon Bernard Matthew Leadon III ( ; born July 19, 1947) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Eagles, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Prior to the Eagles, he was a member of thr ...
from
the Eagles The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles, six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s in ...
), then teenagers, who had been playing together in a group called the Epics. Mudcrutch's lineup consisted of Petty (bass and vocals), Leadon (guitar and vocals), Jim Lenahan (vocals), Randall Marsh (drums) and Mike Campbell (guitar). Lenahan was initially the band's lead vocalist, but Petty very quickly also started singing lead on some songs. This incarnation of Mudcrutch issued a locally distributed single ("Up In Mississippi"/"Cause Is Understood") in 1971, with Petty writing and singing both songs. Leadon and Lenehan left the band in 1972 and were replaced by bassist/guitarist/vocalist Danny Roberts and keyboardist
Benmont Tench Benjamin Montmorency "Benmont" Tench III (born September 7, 1953) is an American musician and singer, and a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Early years Tench was born in Gainesville, Florida, the second child of Benjamin M ...
. Ricky Rucker was a part of the band for a short time. Mudcrutch became locally popular and regularly played gigs from central Florida to southern Georgia. In Gainesville, they had a long stint as the house band at Dub's Lounge and organized several well-attended music festivals at "Mudcrutch Farm", a run-down house on a large lot where several band members lived. In 1974, the members of Mudcrutch decided to relocate to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
to try to sign with a major record label. After several rejections, they signed with
Leon Russell Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges; April 2, 1942 – November 13, 2016) was an American musician and songwriter who was involved with numerous bestselling records during his 60-year career that spanned multiple genres, including rock a ...
's independent Shelter Records. The band released one single, "Depot Street" in 1975, which failed to chart. After Danny Roberts left the group, Petty invited Charlie Souza to take over on bass guitar and the band continued recording in Leon Russell's Tulsa studio, and later at his
Encino, California Encino is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. History Etymology The name Encino is the misspelling in masculine of Encina, the Spanish language, Spanish word for "holm oak” (Quercus ilex). The Spanis ...
, home. Discouraged by the group's lack of success, the record company broke up Mudcrutch in late 1975, keeping only Petty under contract. Several months later, Petty regrouped with former Mudcrutch members Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench to form
the Heartbreakers The Heartbreakers (sometimes referred to as "Johnny Thunders' Heartbreakers) were an American punk rock band formed in New York City in 1975. The band spearheaded the first wave of punk rock. History Johnny Thunders (vocals/guitar) and Jer ...
along with fellow Gainesville natives
Stan Lynch Stanley Joseph Lynch (born May 21, 1955) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He was the original drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers for 18 years until his departure in 1994. Early years Lynch was born in Cincinn ...
(drums) and
Ron Blair Ronald Edward Blair (born September 16, 1948) is an American musician notable for being the bassist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He was originally the band's bassist from 1976 to 1981. In 2002, he returned to the group after a 20-year hi ...
(bass).


Reformation: 2007–2017

In August 2007, Tom Petty invited Randall Marsh and Tom Leadon, original members of Mudcrutch, to reunite with Heartbreakers Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell to reform Mudcrutch. They recorded an album, '' Mudcrutch'', which was released on April 29, 2008, by
Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Green Day, En ...
, and contains 14 old and new tracks. "We would play and then we would just talk about the old days," said Leadon. The band toured briefly in California to promote the album throughout April and the beginning of May 2008. The album hit number 8 on the
Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...
albums chart. Fans who bought tickets to the tour through
Ticketmaster Ticketmaster Entertainment, LLC is an American ticket sales and distribution company based in Beverly Hills, California, with operations in many countries around the world. In 2010, it merged with Live Nation under the name Live Nation Ente ...
were given six free downloads from the album. On November 11, 2008, a live EP titled '' Extended Play Live'' was released. All tracks were recorded live in April 2008. On the same day American music channel
VH1 Classic MTV Classic (formerly VH1 Smooth, VH1 Classic Rock, and VH1 Classic) is an American pay television network owned by Paramount Media Networks. It was originally launched in 1998 as "VH1 Smooth", an adult contemporary and smooth jazz channel. It ...
broadcast a documentary about the band. According to ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'', Mudcrutch intended to reconvene August 2015 to begin work on a new album. The group was originally going to begin work on the album in January of that year, but things were pushed back eight months due to medical issues that guitarist Tom Leadon was experiencing. In February 2016, prior to the announcement that they were releasing a second album, Mudcrutch was announced as a headliner for both the 2016 Bunbury Music Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the 2016 Summer Camp Music Festival in Chillicothe, Illinois. The band's second full-length album, ''2'', was released May 20, 2016, on Reprise Records. Preceding the album's release was a single, "Trailer", as well as "Beautiful World" and "Hungry No More". The album hit number 10 on the
Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Sometimes, a rec ...
albums chart. Less than three days after the album was released, the band embarked on their first national tour in support of the album. The tour began the same way their 2008 tour did: with two benefit shows for the Midnight Mission (on May 23 and 24, 2016, in Los Angeles).
Herb Pedersen Herbert Joseph Pedersen (born April 27, 1944, in Berkeley, California) is an American musician, guitarist, banjo player, singer-songwriter, and actor who has played a variety of musical styles over the past fifty years including country, blueg ...
, who is also credited on ''2'', joined Mudcrutch on the tour. Petty died on October 2, 2017, of
cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...
, while Leadon died on March 22, 2023, of natural causes. Both deaths effectively ended the possibility of any further Mudcrutch activity.


Personnel


Band members

*
Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the leader and frontman of the Rock music, rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s sup ...
– bass (1971–1974, 2007–2017; his death), backing vocals (1971–1973, 2007–2017), lead vocals, harmonica (1971–1975, 2007–2017), rhythm guitar (1973–1975), keyboards (1971–1973) * Mike Campbell – lead and rhythm guitar (1971–1975, 2007–2017), mandolin, occasional lead vocals (2015–2017) *
Tom Leadon Tom Leadon ( ; September 16, 1952 – March 22, 2023) was an American musician. He was one of the founding members of Tom Petty's original band, Mudcrutch, and remained its guitarist following its revival in 2007. He was the brother of Berni ...
– lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1971–1972, 2007–2017; died 2023), occasional lead vocals (2007–2017) * Jim Lenahan – lead vocals (1971–1972) *
Benmont Tench Benjamin Montmorency "Benmont" Tench III (born September 7, 1953) is an American musician and singer, and a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Early years Tench was born in Gainesville, Florida, the second child of Benjamin M ...
– keyboards, backing vocals (1973–1975, 2007–2017), occasional lead vocals (2007–2017) * Randall Marsh – drums (1971–1975, 2007–2017), occasional lead vocals (2015–2017) * Danny Roberts – bass, rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1973–1974) * Charlie Souza – bass (1974–1975)


Timeline


Discography


Studio albums


Live albums

* 2008: '' Extended Play Live'' * 2017: ''The Very Best Performances from the 2016 Mudcrutch Tour''


Singles

* 1971: "Up in Mississippi Tonight" b/w "Cause Is Understood" (Pepper 9449) * 1975: "Depot Street" b/w "Wild Eyes" (Shelter SR-40357) * 2008: " Scare Easy" (March 25, 2008) * 2016: "Trailer" (March 25, 2016) * 2016: "Hungry No More" * 2016: "I Forgive It All" * 2017: "How Much Do You Need" (SiriusXM Exclusive)


Music videos

* 2008: "Scare Easy" * 2008: "Lover of the Bayou" * 2016: "I Forgive It All" * 2019: "Crystal River"


Also appears on

* 1995: '' Playback'' (
box set A boxed set or (its US name) box set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box, hence 'boxed', and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists ...
compilation by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) * 2018: ''
An American Treasure ''An American Treasure'' is a 2018 compilation album and box set of Tom Petty, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch released by Reprise Records on September 28, 2018. The set includes several rare and unreleased songs alongside more obs ...
'' (box set compilation by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) * 2019: '' The Best of Everything'' (compilation album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)


References


External links

*
Ultimate Classic Rock
– New album information
Mudcrutch in 2008
– Coverage and photos of Mudcrutch's return. {{Authority control 1970 establishments in Florida 2017 disestablishments in Florida American country rock groups Southern rock musical groups from Florida Musical groups from Gainesville, Florida Musical groups established in 1970 Musical groups disestablished in 1975 Musical groups reestablished in 2007 Musical groups disestablished in 2017 Tom Petty Reprise Records artists