Def Leppard

Def Leppard is a British heavy metal band that emerged in the late 1970s as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Rick Savage[?] and Joe Elliott[?] formed the band in 1977 in Sheffield (see 1977 in music). They began playing locally and soon added Steve Clark[?] before recording the underground hit Gotcha Rocks Off[?] for Bludgeon Riffola[?], their own label. Rick Allen[?] was added as the permanent drummer, and they signed to Mercury Records[?].

Their major label debut was On through the Night[?] (1980 in music), which was a huge British hit. High N' Dry[?] (1981 in music) brought the band into the mainstream in the United States as a result of the single "Bringin' on the Heartbreak"'s creative MTV video. After switching Willis for Phil Collen[?] due to Willis' alcoholism, Def Leppard released Pyromania, a huge international blockbuster aided by "Photograph" and "Rock of Ages". The follow-up, however, was difficult as they switched producers and, finally, Rick Allen lost his left arm as a result of a car accident.

Allen learned to play the drums using a custom kit designed for him. The album, Hysteria[?], was released in 1987 (see 1987 in music). Sales were slow until the second single, "Animal", became a hit. The album included a total of eight Top 20 singles. Once again, internal problems (including the death of Steve Clarke from a drug overdose) resulted in a long delay before the follow-up could be released. Adrenalize[?] was finally released in 1992; it sold well but was not as successful as hoped (see 1992 in music). They were never able to return to anything but the lower reachs of the charts, despite several singles and albums.