Def Leppard

Def Leppard
Def Leppard
	Def Leppard in 2018. From left to right: Phil Collen, Vivian Campbell, Joe Elliott, Rick Savage, and Rick Allen.
Background information
Origin	Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England
Genres	Hard rock; heavy metal; glam metal;
Years active	1977–present
Labels	Mercury; Universal; Phonogram; Vertigo; PolyGram; Bludgeon-Riffola; Island; Frontiers; earMUSIC;
Associated acts	Atomic Mass; Cybernauts;
Website	defleppard.com
Members	Joe Elliott; Rick Savage; Rick Allen; Phil Collen; Vivian Campbell;
Past members	Tony Kenning; Pete Willis; Steve Clark;

Def Leppard are an English rock band. They formed in Sheffield, England in 1976. Its founding members include: lead singer Joe Elliot, bassist Rick Savage, guitarist Pete Willis, and drummer Tony Kenning. When Kenning left the band in 1978, Frank Noon played the drums. The same year, Def Leppard made their first extended play, named The Def Leppard E.P. Frank Noon was replaced by drummer Rick Allen, and guitarist Steve Clark joined the band shortly after. The band was a part of the new wave of British heavy metal in the 1970s and 1980s.

Their first album, On Through the Night (1980), was a hit. In April 1980, Def Leppard signed with Leber-Krebs management. Later in 1980, they went on their first U.S. tour with Ted Nugent, AC/DC, and Judas Priest. In 1981 they released their second album, High ‘n’ Dry. After the album came out, MTV broadcasted Def Leppard for the first time. MTV showed their hit song “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak.”

In 1982, Pete Willis was replaced by Phil Collen. The band started recording their third album with producer Mutt Lange. In 1983, their third album, Pyromania, was released. The single “Photograph” was also released, and the album sold 100,000 copies in a week. In 1984, drummer Rick Allen lost an arm due to a car accident. He started to play with an electronic drum kit, and taught himself how to play the drums with one arm. In 1986, Rick Allen played music with the band for the first time since his accident.

In 1987, the band’s fourth album, Hysteria, was released. The album had 12 singles, and sold 16 million copies. In 1991, guitarist Steve Clark died. He died because of a mixture of alcohol and painkillers. In 1992, Vivian Campbell joined the band. Vivian Campbell was the guitarist for Dio and Whitesnake. That year, the band released Adrenalize. This album was number one on the Billboard 200 music chart for five weeks, and sold six million copies.

In 1993, the song “Two Steps Behind” was used for the end credits of the movie Last Action Hero. The same year, the compilation album Retro Active was released. In 1995, Vault was released. It is an album of all of Def Leppard’s best selling songs. Vault went to number two on music charts in New Zealand. In 1996, the album Slang was released.

VH1 made a “Behind the Music” episode on Def Leppard. Other TV exposure followed, such as “Storytellers”, and “Ultimate Albums.” In 1999, the album Euphoria was released. In 2000, the band was put on the Hollywood RockWalk, a hall of fame for rock musicians in Los Angeles. In 2001, they released their first DVDs, “In the Round, In your Face” and “Historia”. The same year, VH1 broadcast the movie “Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story.”

In 2002, the album X was released. In 2005, the album and DVD “Rock of Ages” is released. In 2006, Def Leppard released their covers album named Yeah!. In 2008, the band’s twelfth album, Songs from the Sparkle Lounge, was released.^[6] The band was put into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.

Discography

Studio albums

On Through the Night (1980)
High 'n' Dry (1981)
Pyromania (1983)
Hysteria (1987)
Adrenalize (1992)
Slang (1996)
Euphoria (1999)
X (2002)
Yeah! (2006)
Songs from the Sparkle Lounge (2008)
Def Leppard (2015)
Diamond Star Halos (2022)

Def Leppard Media

After losing his left arm in a car accident, drummer Rick Allen (pictured in 2018) used his feet to play a custom electronic drum kit.
Guitarist Vivian Campbell in 2003. He joined Def Leppard in 1992.
Def Leppard performing in Wolverhampton in February 2003.
Def Leppard performing in Sacramento in September 2009.
Def Leppard performing an acoustic set in Rosemont, 2012
Def Leppard performing at a charity concert for the Teenage Cancer Trust held at the Royal Albert Hall in 2018.
Joe Elliott is known for his distinctive raspy singing voice.
Sheffield Legends plaque in their home city of Sheffield, England, installed in 2006.