"We actually wrote the first album nine months before ever playing a live concert," Willis told Guitar Player. In 1980 the chartbreaking On Through the Night was released, climbing all the way to number 51 in the United States. AC/DC manager Peter Mensch picked up the group and convinced Polygram to sign them to a deal. They recorded a privately made EP, Getcha Rocks Off, which sold out its initial 24,000 copies. "We always thought our songs would be good enough to get us by," Allen told John Swenson in Rolling Stone.īritain experienced a new wave of heavy metal as the 1980s rolled in, and Def Leppard was in a prime position to cash in. With a twin guitar assault reminiscent of Wishbone Ash, they began gigging in bars with a repertoire that included 50 percent of their own originals. ![]() In July of 1978 they made their debut at Westfield School in Sheffield earning a grand total of $12.00. With the addition of Elliott and drummer Allen, they changed their name to Deaf Leppard and later dropped the a. Already playing with Savage on bass in the band Atomic Mass, Willis asked Clark to sit in, and he soon joined the group. Guitarist Willis was studying engineering at college when he met fellow axeman Clark. ![]() "I figured out fairly early that I wasn't gonna be a brain surgeon or a nuclear physicist," he told Rolling Stone, "so I fantasized about rock and roll." Before employment as a van driver, lead singer Elliott used to dream about forming a band in school, creating song lists, logos, and band names while others in his class were studying. The group's five original members, Joe Elliott, Pete Willis, Steve Clark, Rick Savage, and Rick Allen, all lived in the steel-producing town of Sheffield, England. Tragedy has plagued the group throughout its 20-plus year history, but the band continues to write and record, finding success with almost every release. In a genre known for cliched riffs and monotonous beats, these heavy metalheads have created a sound of their own while becoming one of the top-selling groups in rock 'n' roll. "This band frequently transcends the mundane through sheer musical energy and playing ability," wrote Jim Schwartz in Guitar Player. ĭespite an average age of only 18, Def Leppard burst onto the heavy metal scene in 1980 like a group of seasoned veterans. Prime, 729 Seventh Ave., 16th Floor, New York, NY 10019. Addresses: Record company-Island Def Jam Music Group, 825 Eighth Ave., New York, NY 10019. Members include Rick Allen (born on November 1, 1963, in Sheffield, England), drums Vivian Campbell (born on August 25, 1962, in Belfast, Northern Ireland joined group, 1992), guitar Steve Clark (born on April 23, 1960, in Sheffield, England died on January 8, 1991), guitar Phil Collen (born on Decemjoined group, 1982), guitar Joe Elliott (born on August 1, 1959, in Sheffield, England), vocals Rick Savage (born on December 2, 1960, in Sheffield, England), bass Pete Willis (born on February 16, 1960, in Sheffield, England group member, 1977-82), guitar. ![]() If you would like to share Def Leppard lyrics with other users of this site, please see the bottom of this page on how to submit Def Leppard lyrics.
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