Celebrated guitarist and songwriter Mike Campbell (Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Fleetwood Mac) is set to release his memoir, Heartbreaker, co-authored with Ari Surdoval. The book is due out March 18 via Grand Central Publishing.
Campbell was the lead guitarist for Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers from the band’s inception in 1976 until Petty’s tragic death in 2017. His iconic, melodic playing helped shape the band’s sound, as heard on defining classics like “American Girl,” “Breakdown,” “Don’t Come Around Here No More,” “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” “Learning to Fly,” and “Into the Great Wide Open.”
Together, Petty and Campbell wrote countless songs, including some of the band’s biggest hits: “Refugee,” “Here Comes My Girl,” “You Got Lucky,” and “Runnin’ Down a Dream.” From their early days in Florida to their dizzying rise to superstardom to Petty’s acclaimed solo albums Full Moon Fever and Wildflowers, Petty never made a record without Campbell. Their work together is timeless, as are the career-defining hits Campbell co-wrote with Don Henley (“The Boys of Summer”) and with Petty for Stevie Nicks (“Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”).
But few know of the less-than-glamorous background from which Campbell emerged and the sacrifices it required. His journey was a sometimes grueling dream come true that took him from the very bottom to the absolute top, where Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers would remain for decades, creating an astonishing body of work.
“This is my book,” Campbell says. “It’s the story of a poor kid from Jacksonville, Florida, who realized a dream through music. It’s a long journey through hard work, dedication, and luck. Playing guitar and writing songs has been my inspiration and purpose. It’s a story of hope, redemption, and gratitude—a testament that dreams can come true if you believe in yourself and follow your truth. It took two years to write and is a labor of love. I hope you enjoy the ride!”
“Mike Campbell’s Heartbreaker is everything one hopes for in a rock memoir,” notes Ben Schafer, Executive Editor at Grand Central Publishing. “Like the remarkable body of work he co-created with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, it delivers on every level from beginning to end.”
Brilliant, soft-spoken, and intensely private, Campbell opens up within these pages for the first time, revealing himself as an astute observer of triumphs, tragedies, and absurdities alike, with a songwriter’s eye for detail and a voice as direct and unpretentious as his music.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Mike Campbell was the lead guitarist, co-songwriter, and co-producer of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. He recorded, co-wrote, and toured with the band for over 40 years and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2018 and 2019, Campbell toured globally as the lead guitarist for Fleetwood Mac. He is currently the lead singer and guitarist of Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs, whose most recent critically acclaimed album Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits is out now on BMG. He lives in Los Angeles.
Ari Surdoval (co-author) is the author of the acclaimed novel Double Nickels. He lives outside Nashville with his wife and two children.
ABOUT GRAND CENTRAL
Grand Central is the flagship imprint of Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group. Publishing approximately 85 titles per year across formats, Grand Central is home to many well-known and debut authors of blockbuster thrillers, award-winning literary novels, popular fiction, intimate memoirs, revelatory pop culture autobiographies, and critically acclaimed narrative nonfiction on a range of topics from true crime to popular science.
ABOUT HACHETTE BOOK GROUP
Hachette Book Group (HBG) is a leading U.S. general-interest book publisher composed of esteemed imprints within the publishing groups Basic Books Group, Grand Central Publishing Group, Hachette Audio, Little, Brown and Company, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Orbit, and Workman Running Press Group. They also provide custom distribution, fulfillment, and sales services to other publishers.
Their books and authors have received major honors, including the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, Caldecott Medal, Newbery Medal, Booker Prize, and Nobel Peace Prize. HBG is committed to diversity in its publishing programs and fostering an inclusive culture for all employees and authors. As part of Hachette Livre, the world’s third-largest trade and educational publisher, HBG is proud to be part of a global literary community. Visit hachettebookgroup.com to learn more about HBG imprints.
