With a distinctive edge to their sound Def Leppard surfaced on the British rock scene in 1977 from Sheffield, England. There were many bands in the 80's that rocked harder and were more dangerous than Def Leppard, but few others captured the spirit of the times quite as well. Def Leppard have succeeded in winning fans world over with their brand of rock music with a touch of melody, and it is a testimony to their talent that their songs are still loved and listened by young and old alike.

Current Members:

Joe Elliott (Lead vocals), Phil Collen (Guitars), Vivian Campbell (Guitars), Rick Savage (Bass), Rick Allen (Drums)

Def Leppard during their early days

The seeds of a marvelous journey for Def Leppard were sown when Rick Savage (Bass) and Pete Willis formed a band in their late teens in 1977. Soon they were joined by vocalist Joe Elliot and they started playing in local Sheffield pubs. The band released their debut EP Getcha Rocks Off, on their own label, Bludgeon Riffola. The EP became a word-of-mouth success, earning airplay on the BBC. Thus propelling the band members to fame while they were still in their teens.

Following the release of Getcha Rocks Off, Rick Allen was added as the band's permanent drummer, and Def Leppard quickly became the subject of the British music weeklies. Soon, they signed with AC/DC's manager, Petter Mensch, who helped them secure a contract with Mercury. On Through the Night, the band's full-length debut, was released in 1980 and instantly became a hit in the U.K., also earning significant airplay in the U.S., where it reached number 51 on the charts.

Over the course of the year, Def Leppard relentlessly toured Britain and America, including opening slots for Ozzy Osbourne, Sammy Hagar, and Judas Priest. High 'n' Dry followed in 1981, and it became the group's first platinum album in the U.S., thanks to MTV's strong rotation of "Bringin' on the Heartbreak." MTV would be vital to the band's success in the '80s.

As the band recorded the follow-up to High 'n' Dry with producer Mutt Lange, Pete Willis was fired from the band for alcoholism, and Phil Collen, a former guitarist for Girl, was hired to replace him.

A Rock N Roll moment for guitarist Phil Collen

1983's Pyromania broke through in the US and put the band in the forefront of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Their music was distinctive in its use of heavy audio processing to achieve a high-tech, futuristic effect and its rich vocal harmony.

It would be four years before the next album was released, during which time drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in a car accident and taught himself to use his legs to play drums on a custom kit made for him. Meanwhile the band stood by him and didn't seek a replacement while he recuperated.

Def Leppard finally completed their fourth album, now titled Hysteria, early in 1987, releasing it that spring to lukewarm reviews. The record was slow out of the starting gates -- "Women," the first single, failed to really take hold. But with the second single, "Animal," Hysteria began to take off. It became the group's first Top 40 hit in the U.K., but more importantly, it began a string of six straight Top 20 hits in the U.S., which also included "Hysteria," "Pour Some Sugar on Me," "Love Bites," "Armageddon It," and "Rocket," the latter of which arrived in 1989, a full two years after the release of Hysteria. During those two years, Def Leppard was unavoidable -- they were the kings of high-school metal, ruling the pop charts and MTV, and teenagers and bands alike replicated their teased hair and ripped jeans, even when the grimy hard rock of Guns N' Roses took hold in 1988.

In the early '90s as the band set to work on their record to follow up Hysteria. During the recording, Steve Clark died from an overdose of alcohol and drugs. Clark had long had a problem with alcohol, in fact, his abuse was so crippling that Collen had to play the majority of the guitar leads on Hysteria. Following Clark's death, Def Leppard resolved to finish their forthcoming album as a quartet, releasing Adrenalize in the spring of 1992. Adrenalize was greeted with mixed reviews, and even though the album debuted at number one and contained several hit singles, including "Let's Get Rocked," "Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad," and "Make Love Like a Man," the record was a commercial disappointment in the wake of Pyromania and Hysteria. After the release of Adrenalize, the group added former Whitesnake guitarist Vivian Campbell.

In 1995 the band released their greatest hits compilation "Vault" which contained a new track "When Love and Hate Collide" the track went on to become their first and only US number one hit. The band soldiered on and released Slang in summer of 1996, the album received mixed reviews from the critics. Undaunted, Def Leppard went back into the studios again and the result was 1999's Euphoria with the band's patented pop metal sound. The record despite having memorable numbers like "Demolition Man" and "Promises" failed to make a mark in the markets. The latest by Def  Leppard was Yeah!, a collection of covers by the bands that have influenced the band's music over the years.

Def Leppard's Staying Power as a band can not be doubted as they are one of the few bands form the British wave of heavy metal who are still holding on to their guns and going great while many of their contemporaries have laid down their axes. Currently, Def Leppard are in studios working on their new album which is said to be ready for release in 2008.

Trivia

1) Def Leppard established itself as a tireless touring band, even making it into the Guinness Book of World Records by playing three concerts on three continents (Africa, Europe and North America) in a single day. They continue to tour today, most recently with Journey in summer 2006.

2) By the band's own reckoning, they have performed in front of more than 50-million people and sold more than 65-million albums worldwide.

3) Def Leppard's best selling single, Photograph, was inspired by a picture of Marilyn Monroe Joe Elliott had on his bathroom wall.

 

4) Def Leppard's album, Pyromania, sold so well that only the epic selling Michael Jackson opus, Thriller, held it off

5) Leppard formed their first label Bludgeon Riffola, with a ú150 loan from Joe Elliott's father.

6) Def Leppard were first called 'Atomic Mass', the name was then changed to Deaf Leopard, which was reworded to form Def Leppard.

7) The drummer Rick Allen has only one arm since their album Hysteria.