Mudcrutch: the band that links Tom Petty and the Eagles
We all know it’s a small world, but we probably don’t expect much crossover in the backstories of our favourite artists, given all the infamous tales of the vicious throat-cutting and backstabbing that goes on in the music industry. Rock and roll is a notoriously fickle business, but as it turns out, there’s one band that links the two behemoths of Tom Petty and the Eagles.
Petty or Eagles diehards are likely familiar with the name Mudcrutch, but for the rest of the world, this was indeed a little-known band that broke this lineup of later rock gods into the music landscape. It consisted of Petty and guitarist Mike Campbell, but also Tom Leadon, younger brother of Bernie Leadon, who would go on to Eagles acclaim.
Like many early bands, Mudcrutch weren’t able to stand the test of time nor gain much publicity when they were together, but nonetheless, the members did not follow the same route as other famous rockstar spats. Leadon and Campbell went on to form part of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, spawning a whole host of hits and worldwide fame. Although Mudcrutch’s ambitions seemed like a pipe dream by comparison, it definitely taught them the tricks of the trade in order to go on and conquer the scene.
But there is a little more to this story. Back at Mudcrutch’s conception, Petty had been eyeing up Leadon after his previous band, The Continentals, had split up. This group also featured the other Leadon brother, as well as Don Felder, who would eventually go on to form the Eagles together. At this point, however, they made another band called The Maundy Quartet – and with the younger Leadon free, Petty nabbed him for Mudcrutch.
Obviously, the members of both bands went on to much bigger and better things in the long run, but they equally never forgot their roots. Ten years before Petty’s untimely death in 2017, Mudcrutch reformed, much to the delight of cult fans and produced a self-titled album of both new and old tracks. It got to number eight on the Billboard chart, and as such, the band continued working together throughout 2008 with a tour, EP, and documentary being released.
Further to this, Mudcrutch vowed to keep working alongside their other projects, and in 2016 released a follow-up record, 2. Tragically, of course, the future wasn’t to be, with Petty’s passing a year later and Leadon’s death in 2023, aged 70. However, the legacy of Mudcrutch – both in terms of the music they produced and the experiences it provided them with in order to later gain critical acclaim – will always be remembered as the catalyst for some rock and roll game changers.
As we’re all bound to know too well, any group of guys can get together, form a band, and think they’re going to be the next big thing. But aside from overt talent, what it really takes is a bit of brain power and a hell of a lot of determination – which Tom Petty and co. demonstrated by the bucketload. There’s a good reason why only the best truly crack the scene, and there’s no doubt that in some form or another, Mudcrutch were always destined to do so.
