Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers emerged as one of the earliest representatives of the heartland rock genre, a style of music that focuses on story-telling and the social conditions of the average working class person. Other major first-generation heartland rock acts include Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, John Mellencamp, and Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band.

Tom Petty was the lead vocalist of the American hearland rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Throughout his career, he was also known as "Charlie T. Wilbury Jr." and "Muddy Wilbury.” In addition to his duties with the Heartbreakers, Tom Petty has led a successful solo career and played in other bands like Mudcrutch and the Traveling Wilburys. His death in 2017 caused the formal disbandment of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers formed on November 9, 1976.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers formed in Gainesville, Florida.

The band was originally composed of five founding members:

• Tom Petty as frontman, singer-songwriter, and rhythm guitarist
• Mike Campbell on lead guitar
• Ron Blair on bass
• Stan Lynch on drums
• Benmont Tench on keyboard

In 1982, Blair left the band and was replaced by Howie Epstein who departed in 2002. Blair then returned and stayed with the band until Petty’s death in 2017, at which time the band officially broke up.

Additionally, in 1994 drummer Stan Lynch was replaced with Steve Ferrone who remained with the Heartbreakers until 2017.

In 1976, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released their first single "Breakdown." At that time, it failed to chart, but when it was re-released in 1977, it reached number 40 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it the band’s first Top 40 hit.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers performed at the Super Bowl Half-Time Show between the New York Giants and New England Patriots on February 3, 2008.

Tom Petty died on October 2, 2017, two weeks before his 67th birthday. He was found unresponsive in his California home and pronounced dead at 8:40 p.m. After an autopsy, his cause of death was announced to be an accidental drug overdose. The coroner detected toxic levels of opioids, antidepressants, and sedatives in his blood.

Stan Lynch, the band's drummer from 1976 to 1995, and Howie Epstein, the band's bassist from 1982 to 2002, are both Jewish.

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers has had 1,315 concerts.

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers is most often considered to be Rock, Pop Rock, Singer-Songwriter, Hard Rock, Classic Rock, Folk Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Blues Rock, Soft Rock, Country Rock, Album Oriented Rock (AOR), Mellow Gold, Power Pop, and Southern Rock.

The last Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers concert was on December 23, 2023 at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, New York, United States. The bands that performed were: Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers / Ron Ely.

The songs that Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers performs live vary, but here's the latest setlist that we have from the February 28, 2020 concert at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, United States:

1. Wildflowers
2. Learning to Fly
3. Listen to Her Heart
4. Don't Do Me Like That
5. Handle With Care
6. Into the Great Wide Open
7. Room at the Top
8. Even the Losers
9. The Waiting
10. You Don't Know How It Feels
11. Mary Jane's Last Dance
12. A Woman in Love (It's Not Me)
13. Love Is a Long Road
14. You Wreck Me
15. Runnin' Down a Dream
16. Breakdown
17. Here Comes My Girl
18. Free Fallin'
19. I Won't Back Down
20. I Need to Know
21. American Girl
22. Refugee
23. Free Girl Now