Def Leppard

Def Leppard, British rock band that was one of the prime movers of the new wave of British heavy metal in the 1980s and remained popular in concert into the 21st century. The original members were Pete Willis (b. February 16, 1960, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England), Rick Savage (b. December 2, 1960, Sheffield), Joe Elliott (b. August 1, 1959, Sheffield), and Tony Kenning. Later members included Steve Clark (b. April 23, 1960, Sheffield—d. January 8, 1991, London, England), Phil Collen (b. December 8, 1957, London), Rick Allen (b. November 1, 1963, Dronfield, Derbyshire, England), and Vivian Campbell (b. August 25, 1962, Belfast, Northern Ireland).

Formed in Sheffield by teenagers Willis, Savage, and Elliott in 1977, at the height of punk rock, Def Leppard forged an accessible melodic version of heavy metal that was slower to catch on at home than in the United States, where a new British Invasion of pop-oriented heavy metal bands revived the fading genre. After releasing an extended-play record on their own label, the band reached the British charts with their first album, On Through the Night (1980). Wide exposure for music videos that capitalized on the band’s good looks pushed High ’n’ Dry (1981), Def Leppard’s second album (and their first with producer-cowriter Robert [“Mutt”] Lange), to sales of two million copies. However, it was the metal classic Pyromania (1983), with hits such as “Photograph” and “Rock of Ages” and sales of more than 10 million copies, that assured the group’s place in rock history.

Amid this success came difficulties. In 1982, during the recording of Pyromania, guitarist Willis, who had a drinking problem, was fired and replaced by Collen. The following year drummer Allen lost his arm in an automobile accident, but a customized drum set allowed him to continue with the band. In 1987 Def Leppard released Hysteria, which sold more than 14 million copies and generated several hit singles, among them “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Love Bites.” In 1991 guitarist Clark died of a drug overdose, and, though the band continued to produce hits, especially with Adrenalize (1992), it never regained its exalted status. However, it remained a popular concert draw. In the 21st century Def Leppard’s recorded output concentrated on re-releases and live albums, interspersed with the studio albums Songs from the Sparkle Lounge (2008) and Def Leppard (2015).