Tom Petty plays bass?

[Howlin' Hanson]

I just saw a video on VH1 Classics (labeled Classic Currents) of a group named Mudcrutch featuring a bearded Tom Petty playing a red Ric. Looks like a reunion of his original band.

This was news to me, but TBers in the know, please reveal what you know of Petty's bass history! Please?

 

[James Hart]

he play bass in the Traveling Wilburys some?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=D_aOBOqncvQ
http://youtube.com/watch?v=exbxo07WEHE

 

[Sneckumhaw]

He did mime the bass in the Wilburys videos, but it was actually Jeff Lynne on the records.

Mudcrutch is pretty cool.

 

[JimmyM]

Yep, Tom started as the bassist in Mudcrutch. They used to play in my home town a few times and were fairly popular on the club circuit in Fla. Then Tom decided he had to be supreme leader and moved to LA and the rest is history.

 

[Sneckumhaw]

I also think he played bass on a tune with Johnny Cash on one of the American Recordings albums.

 

[corinpills]

Tom plays bass on a few Heartbreakers songs as well (it's a little early to go digging through album credits, you'll just have to believe me). He has a Hofner violin bass that he uses a lot.

 

[ReeveBob]

Played bass and drums (and guitars) on one of his solo albums. Tom Petty could do whatever the shag he wanted.

 

[Michedelic]

Tom Petty appeared as a bassist with Shelter labelmate Dwight Twilley on a lip-synched TV shot. Some might remember Twilley's modest mid-70's hit, "I'm On Fire" before he was on MTV with "Girls" in the early 80's. Since TP's first album hadn't really taken off yet, I'm sure he was doing any kind of side gig for cash flow. He might have actually done some real gigs with Twilley, who did some backing vocals on that first album, but I'm not up on deep TP trivia, so I don't know for sure...



If you're not familiar with "Fire", it's one of the great overlooked power pop rockers of the 70's...

 

[IamGroot]

Thanks for posting this. I didnt know Tom played bass. Very solid musicianship.