And shortly after the bust, Epstein was fired by Petty.

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Carter, daughter of June Carter Cash and granddaughter of Mother Maybelle Carter, took the rap in that case. All rights reserved. Tonight, there was a line early in the show I could just barely sing. "Carter, who is the stepdaughter of Johnny Cash and the daughter of June Carter Cash and country singer Carl Smith, said she was heading to the airport to drop off Epstein to board a flight to Pennsylvania. They were together from approximately 1979 to 1987. Congratulations on this excellent venture… what a great idea! Sign up for our twice-weekly email newsletter for roots music reviews, stories, columns, and more from No Depression. Howie Epstein, bassist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and singer/songwriter Carlene Carter were arrested last night (June 27) in Albuquerque, N.M., after they were stopped in a … His personal problems were vast and serious." [citation needed] He took a gig backing Del Shannon. ", At the time of his passing, Epstein was survived by his brothers, Craig and Bradley Epstein, and daughter, Jamie Leffler, now a member of indie rock band Dwntwn.[6]. And you're kind of used to the idea that it's dying. Epstein and Carter were engaged from the mid- to late-1990s, living together in Tesuque, New Mexico[5] but they never married. That's what a great band's all about. Although best known for his work with the Heartbreakers, Epstein also had talent as a producer. Epstein, a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, played with some of the biggest names in rock ‘n’ roll.

"[citation needed] Howie attended Nicolet High School in Glendale, Wisconsin, graduating in 1973. [6] Additionally, it was reported that he had been extremely distraught over the death of his 16-year-old dog a few days earlier. Howard Norman Epstein (July 21, 1955 – February 23, 2003) was an American musician best known as a bassist with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. [4][6] MTV News reported that Epstein's death was caused by a heroin overdose. Epstein had lived with Carter in a house in Tesuque, a semi-rural village north of Santa Fe that also was the home of the late Roger Miller. When he felt he had gone as far as he could go in Milwaukee, Epstein decided to move to New York City, but before he could pack his gear, he was lured to the West Coast by a drummer friend to play bass in a new band that singer-songwriter John Hiatt was forming in Los Angeles. “My kids thought of Howie as their father. Even Johnny and June, who were in the audience unbeknownst to Carlene, were shocked by that one. We have created a browser extension. Friends said he was taking antibiotics and had recently suffered from flu, stomach problems and an abscess on his leg.

For several years, hardly anyone in Santa Fe knew that Howie Epstein, longtime bass player for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, lived in the area. I just looked at him, he caught my eye like 'Yeah!' Epstein, who was on the way to the airport to catch a plane to make a Petty gig, wasn’t charged. Carter eventually pleaded no contest to a charge of heroin possession in Albuquerque and was sentenced to 18 months probation. Epstein had lived with Carter in a house in Tesuque, a semi-rural village north of Santa Fe that also was the home of the late Roger Miller. Death Epstein and Carter were engaged from the mid- to late-1990s, but they never married. While playing on a Shannon album that Tom Petty was producing (Drop Down And Get Me), Epstein impressed Petty with his ability. 3 broke up and Carter went seven years between albums.

And you just can't imagine that beautiful tree isn't there anymore. That changed in the summer of 2001 when Epstein and his longtime girlfriend Carlene Carter were arrested in Albuquerque for heroin possession. The Heartbreakers are scheduled to play tonight in Scranton, Pa.The district attorney's office was awaiting a completed case from state police to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to prosecute, Deputy District Attorney Richard Bowman said. Death [2] He also produced Eric Andersen's Memory Of The Future (1998). © Copyright 2020 Freshgrass Foundation. "It's been easier than I thought it would be. Epstein died February 23 at age 47 in a Santa Fe hospital.

“I loved him very much,” said Carter in a telephone interview from her home near Nashville the day after Epstein died.

On February 23, 2003, Epstein died from complications related to drug use. "We all kind of thought Howie would get the job," says original Heartbreakers' drummer Stan Lynch. Before hooking up with Petty in the early ’80s, he had backed up the late Del Shannon. The Milwaukee native and Nicolet High School grad (class of 1973) died of apparent complications from heroin use in 2003 at the age of 47. "[1], On September 1, 1982, he made his live debut at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium in Santa Cruz, California, on the tour to promote the album, Long After Dark.

Prior to Carlene Carter, Howie was engaged to and lived with Laurie June, an actress, model, and legal secretary, in Laurel Canyon, California. But anyone who saw the jail mugshot that appeared on the front page of newspapers in New Mexico the day after the arrest knew that something was terribly wrong with Epstein. He made his final appearance with the band when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2002.[2]. He stuck with Hiatt for two years and two albums (Slug Line and Two Bit Monsters)[1][2], Epstein did not start playing the bass until a couple of years before joining the Heartbreakers. Their mortgage company was suing to foreclose on the Tesuque house.

Then she met Howie Epstein… 1 on Hot 100 | Billboard News.

Magocsi said Epstein sometimes spoke of getting back into rehab, specifically a program in California that had helped him before.

An Albuquerque attorney representing them declined to comment.Copyright 2001 Associated Press. “I loved him very much,” said Carter in a telephone interview from her home near Nashville the day after Epstein died. Investigators were told Epstein had been using heroin. On the day of his death, Howie was driven to St. Vincent Hospital in Santa Fe, New Mexico by his girlfriend, who described him as "under distress". Epstein and Carter were engaged from the mid- to late-1990s, living together in Tesuque, New Mexico [5] but they never married. Consequently, when Ron Blair, who had been bassist with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers since their inception in 1976, announced that he was quitting due to burnout from the band's heavy touring schedule, Epstein was recruited to replace him. We respect your privacy and will never sell our email list to a third party. It sounded great, it sounded like a double track. It will enhance any encyclopedic page you visit with the magic of the WIKI 2 technology. "He seemed to have a real good feeling for what we were doing. I've always considered myself a good team player and that's the way that the Heartbreakers operate. Epstein was a member of the Heartbreakers until his departure due to his failing health caused by his heroin addiction. In later interviews, Tom Petty admitted that Epstein's behavior had become unpredictable: "He was just degenerating on us to the point where we thought keeping Howie in the band was actually doing him more harm than getting rid of him.

Carter was driving a sport utility vehicle on Interstate 25 when they were pulled over by Trooper James Bergman for speeding, state police said. They were together from approximately 1979 to 1987. His father, Sam, was a top local record producer who worked with various rock and roll and soul groups in the 1950s and 1960s. Although toxicology reports were not complete more than a month later, authorities said it looked like a heroin overdose. Early life Epstein was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and grew up in a musical household. Marriage No. Would you like Wikipedia to always look as professional and up-to-date? Epstein played bass on recordings by Eric Andersen, Bob Dylan,[4] Carlene Carter, Johnny Cash, John Hiatt, Stevie Nicks, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, John Prine, Linda Ronstadt, Del Shannon, The Textones, The Village People and Warren Zevon.

"I had a tendency to play real busy, from all the years of playing rhythm guitar". Howie Epstein would have turned 55 yesterday. Website by, Support nonprofit, independent music journalism.

[1] Epstein found a natural style, which he said emphasised "simplicity, playing in the pocket, getting into a steady groove.

Prior to Carlene Carter, Howie was engaged to and lived with Laurie June, an actress, model, and legal secretary, in Laurel Canyon, California. Early life.

It showed a ghostly, weather-beaten face with eyes that had obviously stared into the abyss. Tom Petty commended Epstein on his collaborative efforts: You gotta love him, I don't know if I ever tell him how good he is. Howard Norman Epstein (July 21, 1955 – February 23, 2003)[1] was an American musician best known as a bassist with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Ric Robertson – “Louisiana Love Thing”Check it out. It will enhance any encyclopedic page you visit with the magic of the WIKI 2 technology. You could also do it yourself at any point in time. Wham! To install click the Add extension button. ✪ Jakob Dylan inducts Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - 2002, ✪ Howie Epstein: 'Thunderbird' (Epstein/Lamek). We had a good life together for 15 years.”. Carter's vocals on the title track "I Fell In Love" earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 1991.

Bergman said he checked the vehicle's registration and discovered it was reported stolen in Santa Fe on March 15.Police said 2.9 grams of heroin and drug paraphernalia were found inside the SUV. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Howie played mostly rhythm guitar or mandolin and sang in a number of both rock and roll and country Milwaukee bands[1] that were regionally popular, including MHB Experience, Egz, Winks, Forearm Smash, and The Craze. Epstein was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,[1] and grew up in a musical household.

The source code for the WIKI 2 extension is being checked by specialists of the Mozilla Foundation, Google, and Apple. "This Day in Music Spotlight: The Heartbreaking Loss of Howie Epstein : February 23, 2003", "Howie Epstein Dies — Bassist played with Tom Petty for twenty years", "Howie Epstein, Bassist for Tom Petty, Dies at 47", "Former Tom Petty Bassist Howie Epstein Dies At 47". Taken in the early 1980s, it showed a fresh-faced, curly-haired Epstein. It made me feel great, 'cause I know he was thinking the same thing, 'I know he's tired, I'll cover him. I was already familiar with most of their music just because I'm a fan of the Heartbreakers, so it wasn't like I was coming in cold. “He was one of the most talented, most generous, most wise people I ever met,” said Alex Magocsi, a Santa Fe drummer who had recently started a band with Epstein jokingly called the Bottom Feeders. Prior to Carlene Carter, Howie was engaged to and lived with Laurie June, an actress, model, and legal secretary, in Laurel Canyon, California.

", After joining the Heartbreakers, he started to take up the bass seriously. Howard Norman Epstein (July 21, 1955 – February 23, 2003) was an American musician best known as a bassist with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers..

I was thinking, 'Oh boy, I hope I can do this ... ' I got to it and I heard Howie singing it with me over his mic.