When Mudcrutch first ambled out of the Northeast Florida woods, radio was strictly terrestrial and pop music was only available pressed into petroleum-based vinyl. Rock was simple, and its lineage was more cleanly traced to its R&B roots.
As a teen, Tom Petty got a job at the Lipham Music store — the hub of the Gainesville music scene — where he was introduced to guitarist Tom Leadon. The pair formed The Epics, who dirtied up their image in 1970 by naming themselves Mudcrutch. The group carved its own unique niche of rock with a sweet blend of Byrdsian twang and British Invasion thrust. Their lineup shifted a few times, but primarily included drummer Randall Marsh and guitarist Mike Campbell. Ever the entrepreneurs, Mudcrutch soon began staging outdoor concerts on the property where they lived and rehearsed ("Mudcrutch Farm"), which gained them a loyal regional following (and later, an eviction). Along the way, they convinced keyboard player Benmont Tench to drop out of prep school and join them.
After a 1974 exploratory trip to L.A., Mudcrutch met producer Denny Cordell, who set them up with a deal with Shelter Records (whose star was co-founder Leon Russell, later a mentor to Petty). Despite producing a handful of solid songs (the jangly "Depot Street" — a clear indication of where Petty's songwriting would go — and a few other tracks can be found on Petty's 1995 Playback box set), internal and external static drove the band to dissolution. Petty was eventually offered a solo deal, and the remains of Mudcrutch became one of the most enduring backing bands in the rock canon — The Heartbreakers.
In the fall of 2007, Petty reconvened Mudcrutch to revisit archived tracks, and record a few new tunes, with a lineup that included Campbell, Tench, Leadon and Marsh.
Provenance: Gainesville, Florida
Latest release: Mudcrutch (2008)
© 2008 Nigel Music Media LLC. Used by permission.
Mudcrutch
