Ron Blair
Bassist
Best known for his work with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, this American bassist played with the band during the 1970s and early 1980s and rejoined the group in the early 2000s.
Before joining Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, he performed with a Gainesville, Florida band called RGF.
He recorded the four initial Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers albums, although his bass lines were sometimes re-recorded by Donald Dunn and other session bass guitarists.
The son of a United States Navy Officer, he spent his childhood in Hong Kong, Japan, and numerous American states. After living in Georgia and Florida for a time, he relocated to Los Angeles, California.
When he left Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers in 1982, he was replaced by fellow bassist Howie Epstein. Following Epstein's 2003 death, he returned to the band.