Chris Stapleton Leads Heartbreakers Reunion Honoring Tom Petty at Americana Awards

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Chris Stapleton led the first Heartbreakers reunion with the original lineup in 24 years at the Americana Honors & Awards in Nashville on Wednesday, Sept. 16.

The band - Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Stan Lynch and Ron Blair - performed a set of Tom Petty classics with Stapleton, an 11-time Grammy winner, on vocals. The group opened with "American Girl," "Breakdown" and "You Wreck Me." This marked the first full reunion since their 2002 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.

Later in the set, Steve Ferrone and Scott Thurston joined for "You Wreck Me." This was their first performance with the Heartbreakers since Tom Petty's death in 2017 at age 66.

Stapleton also presented the Americana Association's Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. "It transcends genre, it transcends Americana. It heals and makes you feel good and makes you want to drive too fast. And it makes you want to play music, that's what it did for me. So, tonight, it's my honor and I'm proud to present the Americana Association's Lifetime Achievement Award to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers," Stapleton said.

Tom Petty's daughter, Adria Petty, accepted the award. "It's so cool for dad and the band. There would be a thousand watt smile on his face. My dad achieved a lot in his short 66 years. He was a standard bearer for decency and integrity in business practices. He was one in a billion," she said.

The awards show also honored Dolly Parton and Robert Plant with Lifetime Achievement Awards. Plant attended the event and performed several songs.

In a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone, Campbell said the band would not tour with another person leading after Petty's death.