Formed during the late 1970s new wave of British heavy metal, Def Leppard were at the forefront as gangs of grizzly hard rockers suddenly discovered hairspray, smoke machines and power ballads in the 1980s. Led by Joe Elliott's husky growl, the Sheffield lads built a cult following with the albums On Through The Night (1980) and High 'N' Dry (1981) before their single Photograph (a tribute to Marilyn Monroe) became one of the most requested videos on MTV and sent album Pyromania (1983) to Number 2 in the US charts. Drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm in car crash in 1984 but, using a customised drum kit with his feet doing more of the work, he was able to continue playing and the band returned with the huge US and UK Number 1 album Hysteria (1987), which went on to sell over 20 million copies. Adrenalize (1992) also topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic and Love Bites gave them their first US Number 1 single, before Let's Get Rocked, When Love & Hate Collide and Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad all became big hits. Their 14th studio album Songs From The Sparkle Lounge (2008) reached Number 5 in the US and the band stands as one of the biggest-selling acts of all time with record sales of over 100 million. Artist biography compiled by BDS/West 10. All rights reserved
