Latest about Mike Campbell
How Mike Campbell survived his toughest audition — in front of Tom Petty
The guitarist didn’t have the gear but he had the chops, and that was all that really mattered
Mike Campbell shares the best and worst of his years as Tom Petty’s guitar partner
Read one of Guitar Player's top stories of 2025
Tom Petty and Mike Campbell on the song they couldn’t give Stevie Nicks — and the one they did that became a hit
Asked to write a song for Nicks, Petty nearly gave away a cut he considered one of his best
Tom Petty and Mike Campbell on how a chance meeting saved the Heartbreakers’ debut single from oblivion
Petty was so excited to find the hook, he called the band back in the studio to remake the song — at four in the morning
Tom Petty on the song that defined him as a new kind of guitar-slinging American rocker
The tune went on to challenge the norms for music videos with a storytelling approach that was unique for the time
Roger McGuinn on Bob Dylan’s big breakthrough, meeting the Beatles — and his question after hearing Tom Petty for the first time
The folk-rocker peels back the curtain on his friendships with a host of fellow music icons
Mike Campbell on the time he broke his guitar in two onstage with Bob Dylan with just one wrong move
The guitarist bought the 1962 Gibson SG with another guitar for just $120 and famously played it for his guitar solo on Tom Petty's "Runnin' Down a Dream"
Tom Petty's throwaway guitar riff turned out to be one of the Heartbreakers' biggest hits — thanks to Rick Rubin
Producer Rick Rubin discovered the tossed-off riff on a cassette of demos Petty gave him and thought it was the better than anything else on the tape
