Def Leppard
Def Leppard live in 2007 (l-r)Vivian Campbell, Rick Savage, Joe Elliot, Phil Collen
Background information
Also known as	Atomic Mass
Origin	Sheffield, England
Genre(s)	Heavy metal, hard rock,[1] glam metal, pop rock[1]
Years active	1977 – present
Label(s)	Mercury, Universal, Phonogram, Vertigo, PolyGram, Bludgeon-Riffola, Island (US)
Website	Def Leppard Official Site
Members
Rick Savage Joe Elliott Rick Allen Phil Collen Vivian Campbell
Former members
Steve Clark Pete Willis Tony Kenning Frank Noon

Def Leppard are an English hard rock band from Sheffield who formed in 1977 as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Vivian Patrick Campbell (born in 25 August 1962 in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish rock Rick "Sav" Savage (born Richard Savage 2 December 1960, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, where he attended Joseph Thomas Elliott (born 1 August, 1959, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, and educated at King Edward VII School) is the Philip Kenneth Collen (born December 8, 1957 in Hackney, East London England) is the lead guitarist for English rock band Def Sheffield ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Hard rock (also referred to as heavy rock) is a variation of Rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and Psychedelic rock Glam metal (also known as pop metal) is a sub-genre of Heavy metal music that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States. Pop rock is a hybrid of Pop music and Rock music that uses catchy pop style with light lyrics over top of guitar-based songs In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Mercury Records is a Record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Music Group in the US and are both subsidiaries of Universal Music Group (UMG is the largest Business group and family of Record labels in the Recording industry. Phonogram Records was started in 1962 as a joint venture between Philips Records and Deutsche Grammophon. Vertigo Records was the name Philips Records chose in the sixties for its Record label to counter the progressive labels of its rivals EMI (with PolyGram was the name from 1972 of the Major label recording company started by Philips as a holding company for its music interests in 1945 Island Records is a Record label that was founded by British record producers in Jamaica. Rick "Sav" Savage (born Richard Savage 2 December 1960, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, where he attended Joseph Thomas Elliott (born 1 August, 1959, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, and educated at King Edward VII School) is the Richard John Cyril "Rick" Allen (born November 1, 1963, Dronfield, Derbyshire, England) is the drummer for the Philip Kenneth Collen (born December 8, 1957 in Hackney, East London England) is the lead guitarist for English rock band Def Vivian Patrick Campbell (born in 25 August 1962 in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish rock Stephen Maynard Clark ( April 23, 1960 – January 8, 1991) was one of the co-lead guitarists for British Hard rock Peter Andrew "Pete" Willis (born February 16 1960, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, where he attended Tapton Tony Kenning (born Anthony Rueben Kenning) was Def Leppard 's original drummer Frank Noon was Def Leppard 's second drummer replacing original drummer Tony Kenning, and then being replaced himself by Rick Allen. Hard rock (also referred to as heavy rock) is a variation of Rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and Psychedelic rock Sheffield ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (frequently abbreviated as NWOBHM) is a heavy metal music movement that started in the late 1970s in Britain, and achieved Largely on the strength of their albums Pyromania and Hysteria, Def Leppard became one of the top-selling rock bands throughout the 1980s, selling over 65 million albums worldwide, including over 35 million in the United States alone. Pyromania is the third Studio album by British Hard rock band Def Leppard, released in 1983 When adding to this page please ensure that your claims are sourced ^[2]

Contents 1 Music 2 History 2.1 1977–1979 2.2 1980–1983 2.3 1984–1989 2.4 1990–1999 2.5 2000–2007 2.6 2008–Present 3 Band members 3.1 Current members 3.2 Former members 3.3 Touring musicians 4 Side projects 5 Discography 6 See also 7 Notes 8 External links

Music

The music of Def Leppard is a mixture of hard rock, album-oriented rock (AOR), and heavy metal elements, and has been associated more with the glam metal movement of the 1980s than with the NWOBHM of the late 1970s, in large part due to their mainstream success and production. Hard rock (also referred to as heavy rock) is a variation of Rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and Psychedelic rock Album-oriented rock (sometimes referred to as Adult-oriented rock or as West Coast Rock) abbreviated AOR and originally called album-oriented radio Glam metal (also known as pop metal) is a sub-genre of Heavy metal music that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States. The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (frequently abbreviated as NWOBHM) is a heavy metal music movement that started in the late 1970s in Britain, and achieved However, Def Leppard have expressed dislike of the "pop metal" label. ^[3]

By the release of the Hysteria album, the band had developed a distinctive sound featuring heavy drums and effects-laden guitar sounds overlaid with a multi-layered wall of husky, harmonised vocals. Def Leppard is one of only five rock bands with two original albums selling over 10 million copies each in the U. S. The others are The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Van Halen. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 Led Zeppelin were Pink Floyd are Van Halen is a Hard rock band formed in in 1972 They enjoyed success from the release of their self titled debut album in 1978

History

1977–1979

Rick Savage (bass), Pete Willis (guitar), and Tony Kenning (drums), all students at Tapton School in Sheffield, formed a band called Atomic Mass in 1977. Rick "Sav" Savage (born Richard Savage 2 December 1960, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, where he attended Peter Andrew "Pete" Willis (born February 16 1960, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, where he attended Tapton Tony Kenning (born Anthony Rueben Kenning) was Def Leppard 's original drummer Tapton School is a secondary school located in Crosspool, Sheffield in the UK. Sheffield ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England Following a chance meeting with Willis, Joe Elliott tried out for the band as a guitarist. Joseph Thomas Elliott (born 1 August, 1959, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, and educated at King Edward VII School) is the During his audition, however, it was decided that he was better suited to be lead singer.

Soon afterward they adopted a name proposed by Elliott, "Deaf Leopard. " At Kenning's suggestion, the spelling was slightly modified in order to make the name seem less like that of a punk band and perhaps also as an indirect homage to Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin were

Having rented a practise space in an old spoon factory in Bramall Lane, Def Leppard added a second guitarist, Steve Clark, in January 1978 and spent the following months developing their sound. } Bramall Lane Stadium is the home of Sheffield United Football Club in Sheffield, England and is the oldest major stadium in Stephen Maynard Clark ( April 23, 1960 – January 8, 1991) was one of the co-lead guitarists for British Hard rock In November, just prior to recording sessions for what would be a three-song release known as the Def Leppard EP, Kenning abruptly left the band. The Def Leppard EP is the debut EP by British rock band Def Leppard. He was replaced for those sessions by Frank Noon. Frank Noon was Def Leppard 's second drummer replacing original drummer Tony Kenning, and then being replaced himself by Rick Allen. By the end of the month Rick Allen, then only 15 years old, had joined the band as its full-time drummer. Richard John Cyril "Rick" Allen (born November 1, 1963, Dronfield, Derbyshire, England) is the drummer for the

Sales of the EP soared after the track "Rocks Off" was given extensive airtime by renowned BBC Radio DJ John Peel, considered at the time to be a champion of punk rock and new wave music. John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004 known professionally as John Peel, was an English Disc jockey, radio New Wave is a Rock music genre that existed during the late 1970s and the 1980s

Throughout 1979, the band developed a loyal following among British hard rock/heavy metal fans and were even initially considered the leaders of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (a status eventually claimed by Iron Maiden). Hard rock (also referred to as heavy rock) is a variation of Rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage and Psychedelic rock The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (frequently abbreviated as NWOBHM) is a heavy metal music movement that started in the late 1970s in Britain, and achieved For other uses see Iron maiden. Their growing popularity led to a record deal with the major label Phonogram/Vertigo (Mercury Records in the US).

1980–1983

Def Leppard's debut album, On Through the Night, was released on March 14, 1980. On Through the Night is the debut Album by British Heavy metal band Def Leppard, released in 1980 Although the album hit the Top 15 in the UK, many early fans were turned off by the perception that the band was trying too hard to appeal to American audiences by recording songs like "Hello America" and touring more in the US (supporting Pat Travers, AC/DC, and Ted Nugent). Patrick Henry Travers (born April 12 1954) a native of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a guitarist who began his recording career with AC/DC are an Australian Hard rock band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. Theodore "Ted" Nugent (born December 13, 1948) (aka A performance at the Reading Festival in August (Iron Maiden also appeared) was marred when audience members expressed their displeasure by pelting the band with garbage.

The band had by then caught the attention of AC/DC producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who agreed to work on their second album, High 'n' Dry, released on July 11, 1981. High 'n' Dry is the second Studio album by British Heavy metal band Def Leppard, released on July 11 1981 (see 1981 in Lange's legendarily meticulous approach in the studio helped them realise their potential better, which is evident on On Through The Night.

Despite the album's unimpressive sales figures, the "Bringin' on the Heartbreak" promo clip became one of the first metal videos played on MTV in 1982, bringing the band increased visibility in the States. " Bringin' On the Heartbreak " is a song originally recorded by British hard rock band Def Leppard. MTV ( Music Television) is an American Cable television network based in New York City. By the time the album was out, a European tour followed. The band opened for Ozzy Osbourne and Blackfoot. John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born December 3 1948) is a British singer Blackfoot is a Southern rock band from Jacksonville Florida. They were formed in 1972 and were contemporaries of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and tried for years to ^[4]

Phil Collen, former guitarist with the glam band Girl, replaced Pete Willis, who was fired on July 11, 1982, due to excessive alcohol consumption on the job. Philip Kenneth Collen (born December 8, 1957 in Hackney, East London England) is the lead guitarist for English rock band Def The band Girl should not be confused with Girl bands. Girl was an English Glam metal band Peter Andrew "Pete" Willis (born February 16 1960, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, where he attended Tapton In Chemistry, an alcohol is any Organic compound in which a Hydroxyl group ( - O[[hydrogen H]]) is bound to a Carbon (Willis would later resurface with the bands Gogmagog and Roadhouse. Gogmagog were a British supergroup that featured former Iron Maiden members Paul Di'Anno and Clive Burr, former White Spirit Roadhouse was a band that included former Def Leppard guitarist Pete Willis. ) This personnel change took place during the recording of their third album, Pyromania, which was released on January 20, 1983 and also produced by Lange. Pyromania is the third Studio album by British Hard rock band Def Leppard, released in 1983

The lead single, "Photograph," turned Def Leppard into a household name, supplanting Michael Jackson's "Beat It" as the most requested video clip on MTV and becoming a staple of rock radio (dominating the US Album Rock Charts for six weeks). Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29 1958 is an American musician entertainer and businessman " Beat It " is a hit single from Michael Jackson 's album Thriller, released in 1983 (see 1983 in music) MTV ( Music Television) is an American Cable television network based in New York City. It also hit #12 on the pop charts.

Fueled by "Photograph" and subsequent singles "Rock of Ages" and "Foolin'", Pyromania went on to sell six million copies in 1983 (at least more than 100,000 copies every week in that year) and was held off the top of the US album charts only by Michael Jackson's Thriller. Thriller is the sixth Studio album by American pop musician Michael Jackson. The album has since been certified Diamond by the RIAA in the US and is considered a classic in both the mainstream rock and heavy metal genres.

Def Leppard's US tour in support of Pyromania began by opening for Billy Squier in March and ended with a headlining performance before an audience of 55,000 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, CA in September. William Haislip "Billy" Squier (born on May 12, 1950 in Wellesley Massachusetts) is a rock Musician.

As a testament to the band's popularity at the time, a US Gallup poll in 1984 saw Def Leppard voted as favourite rock band over peers such as the Rolling Stones, AC/DC, and Journey. Journey is an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1973 However, this popularity was not matched in their native England, a fact that greatly bothered them.

1984–1989

Following their breakthrough, the band moved to Dublin in February 1984 for tax purposes to begin writing the follow-up to Pyromania. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Mutt Lange initially joined in on the songwriting sessions but then suddenly declined to return as producer due to exhaustion. Instead, Jim Steinman (of Meat Loaf's Bat out of Hell fame) was brought in. James Richard "Jim" Steinman (born November 1 1947 in New York City New York is an American record producer Composer, and lyricist responsible for several hit songs Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday; September 27 1947 better known by his stage name Meat Loaf, is an American rock Musician Bat out of Hell is a 1977 album by singer Meat Loaf, songwriter Jim Steinman, and producer Todd Rundgren that became one of the best-selling

On December 31, 1984, drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in a car crash on the A57 in the hills outside Sheffield when his speeding Corvette swerved off the road on a sharp bend and went through a drystone wall. Richard John Cyril "Rick" Allen (born November 1, 1963, Dronfield, Derbyshire, England) is the drummer for the The A57 is a major road in England. It runs east from Liverpool to Lincoln, via Warrington and Manchester, then through the The Chevrolet Corvette is a Sports car that has been manufactured by General Motors since 1953 Despite the severity of the accident, Rick was committed to continuing his role as Def Leppard's drummer. He practised drumming with pillows and realised that he could use his legs to do some of the drumming work previously done with his arms. He then worked with Simmons to design a custom electronic drum kit. Simmons was a pioneering British manufacturer of Electronic drums that supplied electronic kits from 1980 to the early '90s An electronic drum is a Percussion instrument in which the sound is generated by an electronic waveform generator or sampler instead of by acoustic vibration

The other members of the band supported Rick's recovery and never sought a replacement. During this period, Mutt Lange eventually returned to the fold as producer, and Rick's triumphant comeback was sealed at the 1986 Donington Monsters of Rock festival with an emotionally charged ovation after his introduction by Joe Elliott. Donington Park is a site near Castle Donington in North West Leicestershire, England, owned by Donington Ventures Leisure Ltd Monsters of Rock was an annual rock music festival in England held every August at the Castle Donington racetrack from 1980&ndash1996 (with the odd exception Joseph Thomas Elliott (born 1 August, 1959, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, and educated at King Edward VII School) is the

Def Leppard's fourth album, Hysteria, was finally released on August 3, 1987. The second single from the album, "Animal", reached #6 in the UK and finally turned the band into stars in their home country. Hysteria immediately topped the charts in its first week of release.

US album sales were relatively slow (compared to Pyromania) until the fourth single, "Pour Some Sugar On Me". The song hit Number 2, and Hysteria finally reached the top of the US Album Charts in July 1988. The "Pour Some Sugar on Me" video was #1 on Dial MTV for a record 73 days (from May 26-September 5, 1988). Dial MTV was a television series on MTV that played music videos In October, the power ballad "Love Bites" would become Def Leppard's first (and only) Number One single on the Billboard Hot 100, and in January 1989, the band scored another US Top 5 hit with "Armageddon It. " Love Bites " is a Power ballad recorded by British rock band Def Leppard in 1987 on the album Hysteria. "

Hysteria is one of only a handful of albums (and the third in rock history) that has charted seven singles or more on the US Hot 100: "Women" (#80), "Animal" (#19), "Hysteria" (#10), "Pour Some Sugar On Me" (#2), "Love Bites" (#1), "Armageddon It" (#3), and "Rocket" (#12). " Pour Some Sugar on Me " is a song by British Hard rock band Def Leppard from their 1987 album Hysteria. " Love Bites " is a Power ballad recorded by British rock band Def Leppard in 1987 on the album Hysteria. It remained on the charts for three years and has sold 18 million copies worldwide.

Equally as successful was the accompanying Hysteria world tour which ran for 15 months and saw Def Leppard perform "In The Round". The concept proved wildly popular with fans, as evidenced in the videos for "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and "Armageddon It" (and was later used again for the Adrenalize tour). " Pour Some Sugar on Me " is a song by British Hard rock band Def Leppard from their 1987 album Hysteria. Adrenalize is the fifth Studio album by British Hard rock band Def Leppard, released in 1992

In 1989, Def Leppard won Favorite Heavy Metal Artist as well as Favorite Heavy Metal Album (for "Hysteria") during the American Music Awards. It was the first time that a heavy metal category was added to the awards show. (The category has since been deleted. )

By the end of the decade, although Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe, and Bon Jovi had garnered more mainstream exposure, Def Leppard had sold more records than any rock band in the US. Guns N' Roses is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 Mötley Crüe ( IPA pronunciation: /'mɒtliː Bon Jovi is an American Hard rock band from Sayreville New Jersey.

1990–1999

Following Hysteria's mammoth success, the band quickly set out to work on their fifth album, hoping to avoid another lengthy gap. However, Steve Clark's alcoholism issues worsened to the point that he was constantly in and out of rehab. Stephen Maynard Clark ( April 23, 1960 – January 8, 1991) was one of the co-lead guitarists for British Hard rock Alcoholism is a term with multiple and sometimes conflicting definitions Drug rehabilitation (often drug rehab or just rehab) is an umbrella term for the processes of medical and/or psychotherapeutic treatment for dependency Recording sessions suffered from this distraction, and in mid-1990, Steve was granted a six-month leave of absence from the band.

Clark never reached the end of his leave, dying from an accidental mix of prescription drugs and alcohol on January 8 1991 in his London home. The remaining band members decided to carry on and recorded the album as a four-piece, with Phil mimicking Steve's style on his intended guitar parts.

Def Leppard's fifth album, Adrenalize, was finally released on March 31, 1992. Adrenalize is the fifth Studio album by British Hard rock band Def Leppard, released in 1992 The album simultaneously entered at Number One on both the UK and US album charts, staying on the latter for 5 weeks. The first single, "Let's Get Rocked," was an instant smash hit, and its video was later nominated for an Best Video of the Year at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards. The following is a list of the MTV Video Music Awards winners for Video of the Year. The MTV Video Music Awards were established in the end of the summer of 1984 by MTV to celebrate the top Music videos of the year

In April 1992, guitarist Vivian Campbell, formerly of Dio and Whitesnake, joined Def Leppard, making his official live debut with his band at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. Vivian Patrick Campbell (born in 25 August 1962 in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish rock Dio is an American heavy metal band led by Vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who formed it in 1982 after leaving Black Sabbath. Whitesnake are an English Hard rock band founded in 1977 by David Coverdale (formerly of Deep Purple) The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness was an open-air concert held on Easter Monday, April 20 1992 at Adrenalize yielded six hit singles and sold 7 million copies worldwide. Adrenalize is the fifth Studio album by British Hard rock band Def Leppard, released in 1992 Another successful world tour followed, but the band's fortunes began to be affected by the rise of grunge and alternative rock. Alternative rock (also called alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative; known primarily in the UK as indie) is a genre of

A collection of b-sides and unreleased tracks recorded between 1984 and 1993, called Retro Active, was released in October 1993, preceded by the success of "Two Steps Behind" (from the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Last Action Hero). Retro Active is an album by British Hard rock band Def Leppard, released in 1993 Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger ( German ˌaɐnɔlt aloʏs ˈʃvaɐtsənɛɡɐ born July 30 1947 is an Austrian American Bodybuilder, Actor Last Action Hero is a 1993 action comedy Film directed by John McTiernan. Another single, "Miss You In A Heartbeat", hit the Top 5 in Canada, becoming one of their biggest hits there. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Retro Active has sold 3 million copies worldwide to date.

Two years later, Def Leppard issued their first greatest hits collection, Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980–1995), which has sold 8 million copies worldwide. Alternate track listings of the album were issued for North America, the UK, and Japan.

The compilation included a new track, the ballad "When Love & Hate Collide," which became their biggest ever hit in the UK, hitting #2. It peaked at #58 in the U. S. On October 23, 1995, the band entered the Guinness Book of World Records by performing three concerts in three continents in one day (Tangiers, Morocco; London, England; and Vancouver, Canada). Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U

Slang, released in May 1996, marked a drastic musical departure for the band by featuring darker lyrics and a stripped-down alternative rock edge. Slang is the sixth Studio album by British Hard rock band Def Leppard, released in 1996 The US audience reception for Slang and its subsequent tour was a major dropoff from a decade earlier, but Q Magazine would nonetheless list Slang as one of the Top Ten Albums of 1996. Slang is the sixth Studio album by British Hard rock band Def Leppard, released in 1996 Q is a Music Magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom, with a circulation of 130179 as of June 2007 Slang is the sixth Studio album by British Hard rock band Def Leppard, released in 1996

VH1 revived the band's fortunes in the US in 1998 by featuring them on one of the first episodes of Behind The Music. VH1 (known as VH-1 Video Hits One from 1985 to 1994 and VH1 Music First until 2003) is an American Cable television Behind the Music was a Television series on VH1 that ran from 1997 to 2006, and continues to air sporadically with new episodes Reruns of the episode yielded some of the series' highest ratings and brought the band's music back into the public consciousness (following years of burial by the alternative rock climate). The episode was even parodied on Saturday Night Live. Saturday Night Live ( SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute American Sketch comedy / Variety show based in New York City

In an effort to capitalise on this new momentum, Def Leppard returned to its classic sound with the 1999 album Euphoria. Euphoria is the seventh Studio album by British Hard rock band Def Leppard, released in 1999 The first single, "Promises", reunited the band with Mutt Lange and hit the US Mainstream Rock charts at #1 for 3 weeks. The album was certified gold in the US and Canada.

2000–2007

On September 5, 2000, Def Leppard were inducted into the Rock Walk of Fame on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard by their friend Brian May of Queen. Sunset Boulevard is a Street in the western part of Los Angeles County California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles Brian Harold May, CBE Queen were an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist

In 2001, VH1 produced and aired Hysteria - The Def Leppard Story, a biopic that included Anthony Michael Hall as Mutt Lange and Amber Valletta as Lorelei Shellist (Steve Clark's girlfriend). Hysteria - The Def Leppard Story is a 2001 television about the English hard rock/ heavy metal band Def Leppard Michael Anthony Hall (born April 14 1968 known professionally as Anthony Michael Hall, is an American actor producer and director who achieved Amber Evangeline Valletta (born February 9, 1974) is an American model and actress. Stephen Maynard Clark ( April 23, 1960 – January 8, 1991) was one of the co-lead guitarists for British Hard rock The docudrama covered the band's history between 1977 through 1986, recounting the trials and triumphs of Rick Allen and Steve Clark. Rick Allen may refer to Rick Allen (drummer (b 1963 British musician with the rock band Def Leppard Rick Allen (keyboardist (b Stephen Maynard Clark ( April 23, 1960 – January 8, 1991) was one of the co-lead guitarists for British Hard rock The July 18 broadcast still produced some of the channel's highest-ever ratings and is available on DVD.

Def Leppard's tenth album, simply titled "X", was released in July 2002. It saw the band's musical direction moving more towards pop and further away from the band's hard rock roots. In fact, some tracks were produced by the hit factory behind Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys. Britney Jean Spears (born December 2 1981 is an American recording artist and entertainer Backstreet Boys are a Grammy -nominated American pop group They were the first group launched by fallen Boy band mogul Lou Pearlman.

Although greeted with generally positive reviews, X quickly disappeared from the charts, ultimately becoming the band's least successful release. However, the accompanying tour played to the band's strongest audiences since Adrenalize.

An expanded and updated best-of collection, Best Of, was released internationally in October 2004. The North America-only version, Rock Of Ages - The Definitive Collection, was released the following May. Def Leppard would participate at the Live 8 show in Philadelphia and toured in the summer with Bryan Adams. Live 8 was a string of Benefit concerts that took place on 2 July, 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. 2005 also saw the band leave their longtime management team, Q-Prime, and sign with HK Management.

On May 23, 2006, Def Leppard released an all-covers album titled Yeah!. Yeah! is an album of cover versions of 1970s rock hits recorded by Def Leppard. The disc pays homage to classic rock songs of their childhood, originally recorded by ELO, Sweet, The Kinks, Blondie, and Badfinger among others. Sweet is one of the five Basic tastes and is almost universally regarded as a pleasurable experience The Kinks were an English pop and rock group formed in 1963 and categorised in the US as a British Invasion band Blondie is an American rock band that first gained fame in the late 1970s and has so far sold over 60 million records Badfinger was a Rock band formed in Swansea Wales in the early 1960s and was one of the earliest representatives of the Power pop genre It debuted at #16 in the US, their tenth consecutive Top 20 album, and has scanned more than 140,000 copies to date.

The band, along with Queen, Kiss, and Judas Priest, were the inaugural inductees of "VH1 Rock Honors" on May 31, 2006. Queen were an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Kiss (also typeset as KISS) is an American rock band formed in New York City in December 1972 Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in 1970 in Birmingham. The VH1 Rock Honors are an annual ceremony that pays homage to bands who influenced the sound of Rock music. During the show, The All-American Rejects paid homage to the band with a cover of "Photograph". The All-American Rejects are a Rock band sometimes referred to as AAR, from Stillwater Oklahoma formed by Tyson Ritter and Nick Wheeler Soon afterwards, they embarked on a successful US tour with Journey. Journey is an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1973 That October, Hysteria was re-released in a two-disc deluxe edition format, which combined the original album, remastered for the first time, with b-sides, remixes, and bonus tracks from single releases.

Def Leppard began their latest tour, the 52-date "Downstage Thrust Tour", on June 29, which took them across the US and into Canada. The Downstage Thrust Tour is a North American Concert tour by English hard rock band Def Leppard. Support bands were Foreigner and Styx . Foreigner is a rock band formed in New York City in 1976 by veteran musicians Mick Jones and ex- King Crimson member Ian McDonald, Styx ( pronounced: /stɪks/ is an American Rock band. Their hit songs have included " Come Sail Away " " Babe " "

2008–Present

The band's new album, entitled Songs from the Sparkle Lounge, was released worldwide on April 28, 2008 and on April 30, 2008 in Japan. Songs from the Sparkle Lounge is the tenth Studio album and 14th album overall from the English Hard rock band Def Leppard. The album debuted at #5 on The Billboard 200 in America. The first single is entitled "Nine Lives" and features country singer Tim McGraw, who co-wrote the song with Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, and Rick Savage. " Nine Lives " is a 2008 song by British rock band Def Leppard and the lead single to their Songs from the Sparkle Lounge Samuel Timothy "Tim" McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country Singer and actor

A tour in support of the album began on March 27, 2008 in Greensboro, NC,^[5] with Styx and REO Speedwagon joining the band on US dates. Styx ( pronounced: /stɪks/ is an American Rock band. Their hit songs have included " Come Sail Away " " Babe " " REO Speedwagon is an American rock band which grew in popularity in the Midwestern United States during the 1970s and peaked in the early The band will also play several European rock festivals. An arena tour of the UK takes place in June in which the band will co-headline with Whitesnake and be supported by US southern rockers Black Stone Cherry. Whitesnake are an English Hard rock band founded in 1977 by David Coverdale (formerly of Deep Purple) Black Stone Cherry is a Southern rock band formed on June 4 2001 in Edmonton Kentucky, USA The band then returns to Europe before coming back for a second leg of the UK tour in July.

Again they will be joined by Whitesnake; however Thunder will support at these shows. Whitesnake are an English Hard rock band founded in 1977 by David Coverdale (formerly of Deep Purple) The band has announced that due to an upper respiratory tract infection affecting lead singer, Joe Elliott, they will be postponing Canadian dates. Recently, two more shows have been cancelled due to a viral infection affecting Phil Collen.

Band members

For more details on this topic, see Def Leppard band members. The following is a complete chronology of the various lineups of Def Leppard, from the group's inception in 1977 until the present

Current members

• Joe Elliott - lead vocals, additional guitars, keyboards (1977–present)
• Phil Collen - guitars, backing vocals (1982–present)
• Vivian Campbell - guitars, backing vocals (1992–present)
• Rick Savage - bass, keyboards, additional guitars, backing vocals (1977–present)
• Rick Allen - drums, percussion, backing vocals (1978–present)

Former members

• Steve Clark - guitars, backing vocals (1978–1991)
• Pete Willis - guitars, backing vocals (1977–1982)
• Tony Kenning - drums, percussion (1977–1978)
• Frank Noon - drums, percussion (1978)

Touring musicians

• Jeff Rich - drums, percussion (August 5, 6, 7, & 10, 1986 - supplement to Rick Allen)

Side projects

Phil Collen played guitar, uncredited, on Sam Kinison's "Wild Thing" from 1988. Joseph Thomas Elliott (born 1 August, 1959, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, and educated at King Edward VII School) is the Philip Kenneth Collen (born December 8, 1957 in Hackney, East London England) is the lead guitarist for English rock band Def Vivian Patrick Campbell (born in 25 August 1962 in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish rock Rick "Sav" Savage (born Richard Savage 2 December 1960, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, where he attended Richard John Cyril "Rick" Allen (born November 1, 1963, Dronfield, Derbyshire, England) is the drummer for the Stephen Maynard Clark ( April 23, 1960 – January 8, 1991) was one of the co-lead guitarists for British Hard rock Peter Andrew "Pete" Willis (born February 16 1960, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, where he attended Tapton Tony Kenning (born Anthony Rueben Kenning) was Def Leppard 's original drummer Frank Noon was Def Leppard 's second drummer replacing original drummer Tony Kenning, and then being replaced himself by Rick Allen. Jeff Rich (born 8 June 1953, Hackney, London) is an English rock Drummer, who is best known as a former drummer Samuel "Sam" Burl Kinison ( December 8 1953 &ndash April 10 1992) was an American The video featured members of Poison, Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe, Guns N' Roses, Ratt, and Aerosmith. Poison is an American Hard rock band that achieved great success and popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s Bon Jovi is an American Hard rock band from Sayreville New Jersey. Mötley Crüe ( IPA pronunciation: /'mɒtliː Guns N' Roses is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 Ratt is an American Glam metal band that formed in San Diego and enjoyed significant commercial success in the 1980s Aerosmith is an American Hard rock band sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston " and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band"

Collen also produced and played on the 1991 album On The Edge from Australian band BB Steal.

Joe Elliott sang lead vocals on two tracks on Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood's 1992 solo album, Slide On This. Ronald David "Ronnie" Wood (born 1 June 1947 in Hillingdon London) is an English rock Guitarist and Bassist best known Slide on This is the title of Ron Wood's fifth solo album It failed to chart in U His then-wife Karla appeared in the video for "Always Wanted More".

Various members of Def Leppard have played on tribute records for Jeff Beck, AC/DC and Alice Cooper. Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck (born June 24, 1944 to Arnold and Ethel Beck in Wallington, England) is an English AC/DC are an Australian Hard rock band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier; February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer songwriter and musician whose career spans five

Joe Elliott performed on two tracks to the soundtrack of the 1996 Sheffield-set motion picture, When Saturday Comes, the title track and an instrumental, "Jimmy's Theme".

Cybernauts was a side project consisting of Joe Elliott and Phil Collen teamed with members of the Spiders From Mars (David Bowie's former band), minus the late Mick Ronson. Cybernauts were a David Bowie cover band featuring Def Leppard members Joe Elliott and Phil Collen, former Spiders From Mars members Joseph Thomas Elliott (born 1 August, 1959, in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, and educated at King Edward VII School) is the Philip Kenneth Collen (born December 8, 1957 in Hackney, East London England) is the lead guitarist for English rock band Def David Bowie (ˈboʊiː born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 is an English Musician, actor producer, and arranger. Mick Ronson (26 May 1946 &ndash 29 April 1993 was an English Guitarist, Composer, Multi-instrumentalist, Arranger and producer The group played several shows, covering Bowie's Ziggy Stardust-era songs and released one internet only album (since deleted).

Phil Collen has a side band called Man-Raze, which is set to release its debut album at some point in 2008. Man Raze are a 3-piece alternative rock band from London England featuring Phil Collen, Simon Laffy and Paul Cook.

Vivian Campbell joined former Foreigner vocalist Lou Gramm and bassist Bruce Turgon on the one-album project Shadow King, in 1991. Vivian Patrick Campbell (born in 25 August 1962 in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish rock Lou Gramm (born Louis Grammatico on May 2, 1950 in Rochester, New York) is an American rock vocalist and Bruce Turgon is a bass guitarist who has played in several bands throughout his career including Showcase Black Sheep, Shadow King, and Foreigner.

Vivian Campbell has played with two side bands in recent years, Clock and the Riverdogs, and recorded a solo album, Two Sides of If, released in 2005. Vivian Patrick Campbell (born in 25 August 1962 in Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish rock For the 1990's dance act see Clock (dance act Clock is a band featuring Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell and P The Riverdogs is a rock band founded in Los Angeles in the early 1990s

Discography

For more details on this topic, see Def Leppard discography. The Discography of Def Leppard, a English -based heavy metal band consists of 11 Studio albums 3 Compilation albums 1 Extended

See also

• List of best-selling music artists
• List of best-selling albums worldwide
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart
• Terror Twins - Steve Clark and Phil Collen

Notes

External links

• Def Leppard Official site
• Def Leppard MySpace
• Def Leppard @ Sheffield Walk of Fame
• Def Leppard at the Open Directory Project

The Open Directory Project ( ODP) also known as dmoz (from directory

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