Def Leppard Caricature

Def Leppard Caricature, illustrated here on October 9th, 1987 in Sheffield, UK with (L to R) Rick Allen (drums), Phil Collen (guitar), Joe Elliot (vocals), Rick Savage (bass) and Steve Clark (guitar).

Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England.
The group originated from a band called Atomic Mass in 1977.

Joe Elliott proposed the name “Deaf Leopard” which was originally a band name he thought of while designing band posters in art class. At Tony Kenning’s suggestion, the spelling was slightly modified in order to make the name seem less like that of a punk band.
In January 1978, Steve Clark joined the band. According to Elliott, he successfully auditioned for the band by playing Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird” in its entirety.
By the end of November, 1978 Rick Allen, then only 15 years old, joined the band as it’s full time drummer.

Throughout 1979, the band developed a loyal following among British hard rock and heavy metal fans and were considered among the leaders of the new wave of British heavy metal movement.
Phil Collen joined the band in July, 1982.

On December 31, 1984, drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in a car crash on the A57 in the hills outside the band’s home city of Sheffield when he lost control of his Corvette.
Despite the severity of the accident, Allen was committed to continuing his role as Def Leppard’s drummer and realized 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.

Steve Clark’s alcoholism worsened to the point that he was constantly in and out of rehab. Recording sessions suffered from this distraction, and in mid-1990, Clark was granted a six-month leave of absence from the band.
Clark died from a mix of prescription drugs and alcohol on January 8, 1991, in his London home at age 30.

The band has eleven studio albums containing all of their greatest hits: “Photograph”, “Pour Some Sugar On Me”, “Animal”, “Rock Of Ages”, “Bringin’ On The Heartbreak”, ‘Foolin”, “Hysteria”, “Promises”, “Love Bites” and “Rocket” to name a few.

Def Leppard were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.

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