Rick Savage was born today in 1960 in Sheffield, England. He was a guitar player in local bands before switching to bass and founding one of the highest selling bands in rock history. In 1978 Savage and Def Leppard started their journey toward super stardom with a humble three song EP. By 1979 Def Leppard was part of the vanguard of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal that would change rock and roll forever.
It may be hard to believe that the same band that put out “Pour Some Sugar on Me ” was once a peer of bands like Iron Maiden, Saxon and Diamond Head but it’s true. In 1980 they released their debut album “On Through the Night” and toured the U.S. opening for bands like AC/DC and Ted Nugent. The following year Def Leppard opened for Ozzy Osbourne and released their second album, “High n Dry”. The main single off the album, “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak”, received heavy play on MTV and lit the tinder for the firestorm of success of their next album, “Pyromania” .
“Pyromania” was the second biggest record of the year in 1983, behind only Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”. The album sold over six million copies and Def Leppard began headlining their own shows. Tragedy struck the band when drummer Rick Allen was involved in a car crash and had his left arm amputated. The band continued on with Allen and released their best selling album, “Hysteria”, in 1987.
“Hysteria” established Def Leppard as one of the biggest bands in the world. It sold over 25 million copies and was inescapable on radio and MTV throughout 1988. Inspired by Jackson’s “Thriller” album, Def Leppard endeavored to make every song on the album capable of being a stand-alone single. They fell a bit short of that goal but did release seven singles, six of which reached the Top 20 on the chart.
Savage was diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy in 1994 but he has remained with the band through a career that continues today. Def Leppard has released a number of records since “Hysteria” though none has achieved the same level of success. In 2015 the band released a self-titled album that reached the Top 10 on the album chart. Despite moving over 100 million albums, playing in sold-out stadiums around the world and selling hundreds of thousands of pairs of ripped jeans, tank tops and mullets, Def Leppard is not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Fans of Queen, Def Leppard, Rick Savage and top-notch funky bass in general should check out the song “Man Enough”:
“Man Enough” off the album “Def Leppard” 2015:
“Rock Brigade” off the album “On Through the Night” 1980:
“Bringin’ on the Heartbreak” off the album “High n Dry” 1981:
“Too Late for Love” off the album “Pyromania” 1983:
“Gods of War” off the album “Hysteria” 1987:
