Def Leppard
English rock band, pioneers of new wave of British heavy metal.
Def Leppard, an English rock band from Sheffield, formed in 1976 and rose to fame in the early 1980s as part of the new wave of British heavy metal. With over 100 million records sold worldwide, they are among the best-selling music artists ever. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
Quick Facts
- Alias
- Atomic Mass (1976–1977); Ded Flatbird (2013)
- Origin
- Sheffield, England
- Genre
- Hard rock
- glam metal
- pop metal
- arena rock
- heavy metal (early)
- Years active
- 1976–present
- Spinoffs
- Cybernauts
- Current members
- Rick Savage
- Joe Elliott
- Rick Allen
- Phil Collen
- Vivian Campbell
- Past members
- Steve Clark
- Pete Willis
- Tony Kenning
Facts from the source article.
History
The band originated as Atomic Mass in 1976, formed by Tapton School students Rick Savage, Tony Kenning, and Pete Doubleday. Pete Willis joined in 1977, and after several lineup changes, Joe Elliott auditioned as a guitarist in November 1977 but became lead singer. Elliott proposed the name Deaf Leopard, which was modified to Def Leppard. Steve Clark joined in January 1978. Kenning left abruptly in November before recording sessions for The Def Leppard E.P.; Frank Noon replaced him for those sessions, and by month's end 15-year-old Rick Allen became the permanent drummer. The EP gained attention after BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel played "Getcha Rocks Off". Throughout 1979 the band built a following among British hard rock and heavy metal fans and were considered leaders of the new wave of British heavy metal movement. They signed with Phonogram/Vertigo (Mercury in the US). Original management MSB was fired after a fistfight between Pete Martin and Joe Elliott; the band then approached Peter Mensch of Leber-Krebs management, who became their manager.
Musical style and influences
Def Leppard's music is described as hard rock, glam metal, pop metal, arena rock, and power pop, with early work characterized as heavy metal. Their sound combines hard rock, AOR, pop, and heavy metal elements, featuring multi-layered harmonic vocals and melodic guitar riffs. The band disliked being branded as new wave of British heavy metal, stating their music was not like Iron Maiden's. In the mid-1980s they were associated with the glam metal scene due to mainstream success and glossy production, though they rejected that label. By Hysteria they developed a sound with electronic drums, effects-laden guitars, and husky harmonized vocals. Joe Elliott cited Ian Hunter and Mott the Hoople as early influences. The band's lyrics include themes of sexual intercourse.
Legacy
Def Leppard are among only five rock bands with two original studio albums selling over 10 million copies each in the US: Pyromania and Hysteria, both Diamond-certified by the RIAA. Both albums appear on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The band were among the most successful of the new wave of British heavy metal bands in the early 1980s, combining metal's raw power with pop melody and vocal harmonies. Their early album On Through the Night appealed to metal fans like Dimebag Darrell and Jeff Hanneman, while later albums like Hysteria appealed to a broad audience. In 2006 they received a Sheffield Legends plaque. Joe Elliott has said the band feels it does not receive respect from the British music press and was barred from BBC's Later with Jools Holland for being "not cool enough". In 2025 Ultimate Classic Rock named them among glam metal's "Big Four"; in 2026 Loudwire named them among '80s rock's "Big Four".
Side projects
Phil Collen played uncredited guitar on Sam Kinison's "Wild Thing" in 1988 and produced/played on BB Steal's 1991 album On the Edge. Joe Elliott sang lead on two tracks of Ronnie Wood's 1992 solo album Slide on This. Elliott performed on two tracks for the 1996 film When Saturday Comes and sang/co-wrote the opening track on Mick Ronson's Heaven and Hull. Cybernauts, a side project with Elliott and Collen plus members of The Spiders From Mars, played Bowie covers and released an internet-only album. Vivian Campbell played with Clock and Riverdogs, released a solo album Two Sides of If in 2005, and toured with Thin Lizzy in 2011. Collen fronts Man Raze with Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook and former Girl bandmate Simon Laffy, releasing albums Surreal (2008) and PunkFunkRootsRock (2011). Elliott fronts Down 'n' Outz with members of The Quireboys, playing covers of Mott the Hoople and related artists, releasing two studio cover albums, one of original material, and one live album. Campbell reunited with original Dio members as Last in Line, releasing Heavy Crown in February 2016.
More in New Wave of British Heavy Metal Musical Groups
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