During
their long and winding career, British pop-metallists Def Leppard
witnessed countless highs and lows, but one of the group's most
devastating tragedies would have to be the death of original guitarist
Steve Clark. Born on April 23, 1960, in Sheffield, England, Clark first
learned to play classical guitar as a youngster before shifting his
attention to electric guitar and learning from such '70s hard rock masters
as David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, and Thin Lizzy. Clark was invited by his
friend Pete Willis to try out for Leppard in 1978, who promptly landed the
gig by playing a perfect note-for-note rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd's jam
classic "Free Bird." He joined a lineup that consisted of singer
Joe Elliot, bassist Rick Savage, Willis (who also played guitar), and a
procession of drummers, before finding their permanent skins man in Rick
Allen.
Beginning early in his career, Clark exclusively played Gibson Les Pauls
(obviously patterned after the same brand/style of guitar championed by
the likes of Led Zep's Jimmy Page, Bowie's Mick Ronson, and Lizzy's Scott
Gorham) and as evidenced on such early Def Leppard compositions as
"Wasted" and "High N' Dry (Saturday Night)," Clark had
a knack for penning memorable riffs. Leppard quickly built a following
around their hometown before issuing an independent EP on their own, soon
after signing with the Mercury label. The group's sound seemed better
suited for American radio and Leppard showed early on their talent for
merging anthemic choruses together with melodic rock (as well as
effortlessly crafting sweeping power ballads) à la such U.S.
chart-toppers/arena headliners Foreigner, Van Halen, and Journey. It
wouldn't be long before Clark and his bandmates soon joined the
aforementioned groups as one of the most popular rock bands in the U.S.,
as 1980's On Through the Night and 1981's High 'n' Dry set the stage for
Leppard's big commercial breakthrough, 1983's Pyromania (during which time
Willis was replaced by newcomer Phil Collen).
Not only was the
album one of the year's biggest hits, it's since
gone on to become one of rock's all-time classic releases. But following
up the huge smash proved to be difficult for the group and Clark's
drinking and substance abuse problems began to get out of control. Add to
it a horrible car accident that Allen suffered during the recording
sessions (which led to his left arm being amputated) and it appeared as
though Leppard was kaput. But they were able to put their problems behind
them and issued a just-as-wildly successful follow-up in 1987, Hysteria.
While one would assume that such massive success would prove quite
fulfilling, it proved not to be the case for Clark; his confidence
dwindled and his alcohol and drug abuse worsened, resulting in his
bandmates convincing their friend to enter a rehab facility. But despite
Clark's best efforts to straighten his life out, the guitarist was found
dead in his London apartment on January 8, 1991, at the age of 30. Def
Leppard opted to carry on with former Dio/Whitesnake guitarist Vivian
Campbell, issuing the oft-delayed Adrenalize in 1992, which featured a
tribute to their fallen comrade, "White Lightning." Clark's
tragic story was re-told two separate times by the U.S. television network
VH1 years later with a Def Leppard episode of the station's popular Behind
the Music series, as well as a made-for-TV movie that focused on the
group's checkered career, Hysteria: The Def Leppard Story.
~
Greg Prato, All Music Guide
