Stephen Arthur Anthony Ferrone (born Ferroni; 25 April 1950) is an English drummer. He was a member of the rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers from 1994 to 2017, replacing original drummer Stan Lynch, and was part of the "classic lineup" of the Average White Band in the 1970s. Ferrone has recorded and performed with Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, Roxy Music, Phil Collins, George Harrison, Duran Duran, Stevie Nicks, Laura Pausini, Christine McVie, Rick James, Slash, Chaka Khan, Bee Gees, Scritti Politti, Howard Jones, Aerosmith, Al Jarreau, Mick Jagger, Johnny Cash, Todd Rundgren and Pat Metheny. Ferrone also hosts The New Guy radio show on SiriusXM's Tom Petty Radio.

Musical career Ferrone played with the band Bloodstone, appearing on their 1975 album Riddle of the Sphinx. He then began playing with Brian Auger's band Oblivion Express, which had previously featured drummer Robbie McIntosh.

McIntosh later joined the Average White Band; however, just after releasing their first number-one album, he died of a heroin overdose. Ferrone was asked to join AWB in his place and stayed with them for the next eight years, recording and playing concert tours to support several hit albums, until AWB broke up in 1982.

Since appearing on Chaka Khan's 1978 debut album, Ferrone went on to play on most of her subsequent albums in the 80s, including "Naughty" with former AWB band member Hamish Stuart. In 1985, Ferrone joined the Saturday Night Live house band and was there for the 1985–86 season. He contributed as session drummer for Duran Duran on the Notorious, Big Thing, Duran Duran, and Thank You albums. He also toured with Duran Duran on the Strange Behaviour Tour in support of Notorious. He also toured and recorded with Eric Clapton from 1986 to 1992. During rehearsals in London for the George Harrison tour, he played drums for Duran Duran at Abbey Road Studios and recorded "Ordinary World". In 1991, Ferrone played drums on the George Harrison tour in Japan including three nights at the Tokyo Dome.

Ferrone met guitarist Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers when the two played a show with George Harrison as part of his Hari and the Hijack band at Royal Albert Hall. He became the band's full-time drummer after the departure of original drummer Stan Lynch in 1994. Ferrone's first album with the band was Tom Petty's second solo outing Wildflowers, released that same year. His first live performance as a member of the Heartbreakers was in Louisville, Kentucky on 28 February 1995.

In November 2002, Ferrone set up Drumroll Studios in Burbank, California with financial advisor Alan Arora and the technical expertise of producer John Jones, with whom he had worked since Duran Duran's "Ordinary World" in 1992. Later, they were joined by guitarist and producer Steve Postell. Together they recorded and produced albums and tracks for a variety of musical acts, as well as film and TV scores.

In 2010, Ferrone played on the eponymous first solo album by Slash, and joined the Italian band Pooh. He also worked on a collaborative project with composer and musician Eric Alexandrakis, guitarist and composer Warren Cuccurullo, and producer and songwriter Anthony J. Resta. Explaining the purpose of that project in a Modern Drummer news release, Alexandrakis said, "The four of us decided to create a scoring collective to pursue scoring projects in TV themes, film and advertising."Jamie Stephens "Staying in tune with his inner Cane" The Miami Hurricane 22 September 2010 para. 5"Modern Drummer Web Update News", Modern Drummer magazine Update News, para. 4, Retrieved 24 September 2010 In August 2018, he was announced as drummer for Dire Straits Legacy prior to their first US tour, consisting of 10 dates.

On 10 July 2019, Ferrone was inducted into the Brighton Music Walk of Fame in his hometown of Brighton, England. That same year, he recorded session drums for Stroke 9's studio album, Calafrio.

As of July 2024, Ferrone is on the road as the drummer for Mike Campbell's solo project, The Dirty Knobs.

Personal life Stephen Arthur Anthony Ferrone was born on 25 April 1950 in Brighton, Sussex to a Sierra Leonean father and English mother. Due to appearing Mediterranean at birth, a midwife suggested calling him Tony Ferroni, with his other middle name Arthur taken from his grandfather; after his skin darkened a few days later, his birth certificate was altered to change his surname from Ferroni to Ferrone. When he was 47, Ferrone sought out information regarding his biological father. Startled by the revelation from his mother that his father's surname was in fact Nicholson, Ferrone confided in Tom Petty who assured him that Steve Ferrone was a better name for a drummer than Steve Nicholson.

Discography 1974: Live Oblivion Vol. 1 – Brian Auger's Oblivion Express 1974: Straight Ahead – Brian Auger's Oblivion Express 1974: Burglar – Freddie King 1975: Riddle of the Sphinx – Bloodstone 1975: Cut the Cake (album) – Average White Band (AWB) 1976: Soul Searching – AWB 1976: Larger Than Life – Freddie King 1976: Person To Person (live) – AWB 1976: Real Thing – Real Thing 1977: Benny & Us – AWB 1977: Burnin' At The Stake – Domenic Troiano Band 1977: Up – Morrissey–Mullen 1977: The Atlantic Family Live at Montreux 1978: Warmer Communications – AWB 1978: Chaka – Chaka Khan 1978: Roberta Flack – Roberta Flack 1979: Feel No Fret – AWB 1979: Castles in the Air – Felix Cavaliere 1979: Thighs and Whispers – Bette Midler 1980: Naughty – Chaka Khan 1980: Invisible Man's Band – Invisible Man's Band 1980: Shine – AWB 1980: Volume VIII – AWB 1981: What Cha' Gonna Do for Me – Chaka Khan 1981: Love All the Hurt Away – Aretha Franklin 1982: Cupid's in Fashion – AWB 1982: Changes – Keni Burke 1982: Jeffrey Osborne – Jeffrey Osborne 1982: Chaka Khan – Chaka Khan 1982: Instant Love – Cheryl Lynn 1983: Hearts and Bones – Paul Simon 1983: Stay With Me Tonight – Jeffrey Osborne 1983: In Your Eyes – George Benson 1983: Robbery – Teena Marie 1983: Emergency – Melissa Manchester 1984: I Feel For You – Chaka Khan 1984: Don't Stop – Jeffrey Osborne 1984: Christine McVie – Christine McVie 1985: Glow – Rick James 1985: Cupid & Psyche 85 – Scritti Politti ("Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)", "Don't Work That Hard" and "Absolute") 1985: She's the Boss – Mick Jagger 1985: Gettin' Away with Murder – Patti Austin 1985: 20/20 – George Benson 1985: Take No Prisoners – Peabo Bryson 1985: Say You Love Me – Jennifer Holliday 1986: Souliloquy – Dick Morrissey 1986: Destiny – Chaka Khan 1986: Notorious – Duran Duran 1986: L Is for Lover − Al Jarreau 1986: One to One – Howard Jones 1986: Good to Go Lover – Gwen Guthrie 1986: Back in the High Life – Steve Winwood ("Freedom Overspill") 1986: Enough Is Enough – Billy Squier 1986: Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine – Daryl Hall 1987: Red Hot Rhythm & Blues – Diana Ross 1987: Two Stories – The Williams Brothers 1987: Humansystem – TM Network 1988: Big Thing – Duran Duran 1988: Oasis – Roberta Flack 1988: Positive – Peabo Bryson 1988: The Corporate World – Gail Ann Dorsey 1988: C.K. – Chaka Khan 1988: More Than Friends – Jonathan Butler 1989: A Night to Remember – Cyndi Lauper 1989: When All the Pieces Fit – Peter Frampton 1989: One – Bee Gees 1989: Cosmic Thing – B52's 1989: Journeyman – Eric Clapton 1989: City Streets – Carole King 1990: I'm Your Baby Tonight – Whitney Houston 1990: Making Every Moment Count – Peter Allen 1990: Composition – Anita Baker 1990: Oltre – Claudio Baglioni 1991: 24 Nights – Eric Clapton 1991: Inside Out – Clive Griffin 1991: Love Life – Akiko Yano 1992: Unplugged – Eric Clapton 1992: Road to Freedom – Grayson Hugh 1992: Live in Japan – George Harrison with Eric Clapton and Band 1992: The Right Time – Etta James 1992: The Woman I Am – Chaka Khan 1992: Secret Story – Pat Metheny 1993: Spin 1ne 2wo – Spin 1ne 2wo 1993: The Wedding Album – Duran Duran 1993: The Sun Don't Lie – Marcus Miller 1993: Tutte Storie – Eros Ramazzotti 1993: Head to Head – Jonathan Butler 1993: Soul on Board – Curt Smith 1993: Taxi – Bryan Ferry 1993: Love Remembers – George Benson 1993: Independence – Lulu 1993: Clive Griffin – Clive Griffin 1994: Wildflowers – Tom Petty 1994: Letters Never Sent – Carly Simon 1994: Hold On – Alan Frew 1994: Mamouna – Bryan Ferry 1994: Rhythm of Love – Anita Baker 1994: That Secret Place – Patti Austin 1995: Playback – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 1995: Shadow Man – Sasha Gracanin featuring Mick Taylor 1995: New Beginning – Tracy Chapman 1995: HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I – Michael Jackson 1995: Thank You – Duran Duran 1996: Las Cosas Que Vives – Laura Pausini 1996: Unchained – Johnny Cash 1996: I'm Doing Fine – Dan Hill 1996: Sutras – Donovan 1996: Songs and Music from She's the One – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 1996: Falling into You – Céline Dion 1998: One Moment in Time – John Jones 1998: Another World – Brian May 1999: Echo – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 1999: Breakdown – Melissa Etheridge 1999: Timbre – Sophie B. Hawkins 2001: Trouble in Shangri-La – Stevie Nicks 2002: The Last DJ – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 2002: Twisted Angel – LeAnn Rimes 2002: Escapology – Robbie Williams 2003: It Up: Steve Ferrone and Friends Live at La Ve Lee 2003: Dragonfly – Ziggy Marley 2004: Live at Shibuya Public Hall – Tokyo, Japan 1983 — George Duke Band 2004: Freak Out – Chris Catena 2004: In The Meantime – Christine McVie 2004: My Everything – Anita Baker 2004: Peace... Back by Popular Demand – Keb' Mo' 2004: Come As You Are — Mindi Abair 2004: Keep It Simple — Keb' Mo' 2006: More Head – Steve Ferrone's Farm Fur 2006: Fast Man Raider Man – Frank Black 2006: Suitcase — Keb' Mo' 2007: "Zen Blues Quartet" – with Tim Scott, Jeff Young and John March 2008: The Black and White Years – The Black and White Years 2009: black n white album – John Jones 2009: The Live Anthology – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 2009 "Zen Blues Quartet, Again and Yet again" with Mike Finnigan, Tim Scott and John March 2010: Slash – Slash 2010: Mojo – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 2010: Dove Comincia il Sole – Pooh 2010: I Feel Like Playing – Ronnie Wood 2011: In Your Dreams – Stevie Nicks 2011: Dedicated – A Salute to the 5 Royales – Steve Cropper 2014: Live – Steve Ferrone & Friends 2014: Hypnotic Eye – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 2014: Fly Rasta – Ziggy Marley 2015: Today Is Christmas – LeAnn Rimes 2015: Postcards In Real Time – Unquiet Nights 2016: Ziggy Marley – Ziggy Marley 2017: Three Sixty – The 360 Band 2017: Bidin' My Time – Chris Hillman 2018: Traces – Steve Perry 2021: Mo'Live – Steve Ferrone & Friends II 2024: Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits - Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs

References

External links

2015 Audio interview with Steve Ferrone from the I'd Hit That podcast Gretsch Signature Series Drums – Current Artist Profile, Steve Ferrone Steve Ferrone and Friends website