Ron Blair

Ron Blair was the original bassist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, bringing to the group his understanding of the blues and his skills on the electric bass. The band was formed in 1976 and Ron stayed on until 1982 when he took a twenty-year hiatus. He returned to the band in 2002 and stayed on until Tom Petty’s untimely death in 2017. Ron spent much of his NAMM interview talking about the roots of his music and the respect he has for the blues artists who inspired him to play music when he was a kid.