There may be no more appropriate day for me to wrap up my journey with Mike Campbell's "Heartbreaker: A Memoir" than the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer's 75th birthday.

The longtime lead guitarist for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers has crafted a heartbreaker of a memoir, a book destined to be among the year-end lists of best memoirs with practically everything you could possibly want from a rock & roll memoir.

Campbell was with Petty the entire way from the band's inception in 1976 through Petty's tragic death at age 66 in 2017. While Petty was always front-and center, Campbell's memorable melody making helped develop and form the foundation for the band's instantly recognizable sound on classics such as "American Girl," "Breakdown," "Don't Come Around Here No More," "Mary Jane's Last Dance," "Into the Great Wide Open" and others. Campbell often provided the music that served as a perfect companion to Petty's lyrics including songs like "Refugee," "Here Comes My Girl," "You Got Lucky," and "Runnin' Down a Dream" among others.

If there's one thing that surprised me about "Heartbreaker," it's that Campbell writes with tremendous vulnerability about everything from his early childhood with a single mother struggling in minimum wage jobs in Jacksonville, Florida through the unexpected gift he received from that same mother of a $15 pawn shop guitar for his 16th birthday through the early days with Mudcrutch that would serve as the foundation for what would become a Petty-centered Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Campbell writes with respectful candor, his clear-eyed vulnerability recalling his extreme lows, glorious highs, and everything in-between.

Sure, we get some of the music icon storytelling including experiences with such artists as Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Stevie Nicks, Don Henley, and a host of others. These stories are a delight and will practically have you imagining them directly in front of you as Campbell reflects on recording sessions, friendships, producing and more.

Campbell, who has been married to longtime wife Marcie since the early days of the band, recounts his own struggles with drugs and how he eventually pulled out while many of his peers did not. He tells the story of his bandmates with respect and affection, offering up explanations of sorts for how things changes and why personnel would come and go. It's clear he embraces those, especially longtime drummer Stan Lynch whose post Petty life seems to have affirmed his immense talent in a way he never really received while with the band.

Throughout "Heartbreaker," Campbell writes with such a warmth and honesty that you can't help but immerse yourself in his writing. There was the chance encounter with a high school guidance counselor that ended up inspiring him, very unexpectedly, to enroll in the University of Florida. This, in turn, led to his initial meeting with Petty and a lifelong musical journey.

I keep going back to the vulnerability in "Heartbreak," but it's truly remarkable. Campbell writes honestly about the mixed emotions and desire for "more" that served as a frequent companion as Petty was often deemed the genius while Campbell was part of the "band." Perfectly balancing that desire for more with a gratitude for what was, Campbell perfectly peels back the curtains on what it feels like to be part of an iconic Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band. He writes with an almost schoolboy enthusiasm about his experiences with Dylan, Jeff Lynne, George Harrison, meeting Johnny Cash, finding his voice with Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac, and encounters we knew about and encounters we didn't.

Notoriously soft-spoken, it's almost remarkable that Campbell has even offered up this memoir. You can't help but think he believed Petty would always be the one to do so. However, "Heartbreaker: A Memoir" is a sublime experience offering impossible to forget insights on Campbell and the band's triumphs, tragedies, relationships, recording, and so much more.

Again, "Heartbreaker," at least for me, is easily one of my favorite musical bios of all-time with an honest, vulnerability, air of confidence, and sense of awe that grabbed me and never let me go. It's heartfelt and exhilarating as we really learn how music saved this throwaway kid and his this immensely talented musician and songwriter lived his life in music through his music, talent, genuine friendships, more than a little luck, and songs we'll likely never forget.