Steve Ferrone: The Legendary Drummer Behind Tom Petty, Average White Band, Eric Clapton, Duran Duran

Episode 89: Steve Ferrone.

A nearly 3 hour deep dive with one of the greatest groove drummers of all time, Steve Ferrone. He joined Average White Band after the passing of their original drummer and went on to create “School Boy Crush,” one of the most sampled grooves in hip-hop history. From there, he played with Duran Duran, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Johnny Cash, and Michael Jackson, before becoming the drummer for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers for the next two plus decades, all the way up until Tom's unfortunate passing.

In this episode, Steve opens up about his journey from Brighton to the biggest stages in the world, his time in the studio with legends like Tom Petty and Rick Rubin, and the philosophy behind his timeless feel and sound.

He also shares stories from recording Unplugged with Eric Clapton, Unchained with Johnny Cash, and why groove always comes first. We talk about the evolution of technology in music, including a hilarious story about click track and Jeff Porcaro, and his personal relationships with George, Tom, Eric and more. Steve is a guy that everyone just wants around.

His work contributed to GRAMMY winning albums with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Wildflowers, Eric Clapton’s Unplugged, Johnny Cash’s Unchained, and Céline Dion’s Falling Into You. He’s also currently the host of The New Guy on SiriusXM. I hope you enjoy my conversation with the legend, Steve Ferrone!

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