Tom Petty’s Original Heartbreakers to Reunite for First Time in Decades for Americana Awards, Fronted by Chris Stapleton; Boxed Set of ’70s Rarities Coming

This week brings news that fans of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have been waiting on for over two decades: the four members of the band's original classic lineup are set to share a stage once more. Chris Stapleton will serve as frontman for the reunion, which takes place during an opening performance at Wednesday's Americana Honors & Awards in Nashville. It marks the first time these four musicians have played together as a group in more than twenty years. The occasion coincides with the announcement of a forthcoming boxed set, Origins 1971-1978, due in November, which will unveil previously unreleased material from the band's formative era.

Accompanying Stapleton at the Americana Awards will be guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, bassist Ron Blair and drummer Stan Lynch. Later in the evening, during the ceremony's closing segment, those four founding members will be joined by two later additions to the group, Steve Ferrone and Scott Thurston. Those unable to attend in person can watch the ceremony through a live stream beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 PT via multiple outlets: video will be carried on NPR Music's YouTube channel and the Americana Music Association's Facebook page, while audio will air on SiriusXM's Outlaw Country channel, clear-channel WSM-AM, and Nashville stations WRLT and WMOT. The following morning, the four original Heartbreakers will appear on an AmericanaFest panel titled "Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers: 50 Years," though that discussion will not be streamed.

Campbell and Tench remained with Petty until his passing in 2017. Blair left the Heartbreakers in 1982 and returned roughly two decades later, while Lynch's permanent exit came in 1994, reportedly after some musical disagreements with Petty, though he maintained friendly relations with his former bandmates. The four did appear alongside Petty as a full unit once after Lynch's departure, performing two songs at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2002. That institution, located in Cleveland, Ohio, has been honoring artists since 1986; Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were inducted in 2002, their first year of eligibility.

For those who cannot travel to Nashville or watch the stream, the major news is the Petty estate and UMe's reveal of what Origins 1971-1978 contains, arriving November 6 to mark the band's 50th anniversary. A previously unheard track, "Parade of Loons," recorded in 1978, is previewing the collection, paired with a music video directed by Peter Sluszka and featuring Iain Armitage of "Young Sheldon." Three configurations will be available: a 5-LP edition, a 4-CD set and an "uber deluxe edition," all of which bundle a Blu-ray and DVD with the audio. The vinyl version includes an 88-page "fanzine" featuring liner notes by veteran rock journalists David Fricke and Bud Scoppa, track-by-track commentary from the original band members, plus archival photos and memorabilia. Fricke, long a senior editor at Rolling Stone, is frequently cited as one of rock criticism's most trusted authorities, and Scoppa's byline has appeared in Rolling Stone, Creem and numerous other outlets.

Those priced out of the full boxed set can still purchase one component sold separately: "No Sleep Til L.A." will be released as a stand-alone LP, CD and limited-edition Zoetrope vinyl. The announcement describes it as "a 12-track document of Tom Petty becoming Tom Petty," tracing the period between the formation of the pre-Heartbreakers group Mudcrutch — which also included Tench and Campbell — and the emergence of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers as the singer-songwriter's definitive band. Seven of those 12 tracks have never been released. The boxed set also features remixed and remastered versions of the band's first two albums, the self-titled debut and "You're Gonna Get It," with extended takes on 11 songs, among them "American Girl" and "Breakdown." Rounding out the package are "Live from the Record Plant 1977," issued in full for the first time; "The Cut Out Bin," collecting five "solo" Petty tracks from his experiments with various musicians before the Heartbreakers' lineup solidified, including a guest appearance by Leon Russell; and the band's 1978 appearance on the BBC's "The Old Grey Whistle Test," with audio restored by Ryan Ulyate. That "Old Grey Whistle Test" set serves as the DVD portion, while the Blu-ray carries all 51 songs in high-resolution stereo, Atmos and 5.1 immersive mixes.