Richard "Rick" Savage, born December 1960 in Yorkshire, England, is bass guitarist and a founding member of Def Leppard. He and Joe Elliott are the only two remaining original members of the band.
In 1976, Savage was working to form a band, and the group auditioned Joe Elliott. Later they hired guitarist Steve Clark and changed their name to Def Leppard. He has performed on every album.
In 1994, Savage contracted Bell's Palsy, which is a temporary paralysis of facial muscles.
Def Leppard released X, their eighth studio album (and tenth album overall) July 30, 2002. The album was a departure from their previous sound and did not sell as well as the previous albums. It did not receive any RIAA certifications.
X generated three singles, Now, Four Letter Word and Long, Long Way to Go. Now made it to #23 and Long, Long Way to Go made it to #40, their last Top 40 hit.
Def Leppard released their 10th studio album, Songs from the Sparkle Lounge, April 25, 2008 in Europe, and four days later in the U.S. The title refers to a backstage tuning room at shows where Def Leppard would work on new material.
The first single from the album was Nine Lives which featured country mega-star Tim McGraw, and it was released on April 27.
Songs from the Sparkle Lounge debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200. All the songs were written or co-written by Joe Elliott, Vivian Campbell and Phil Collen, except for Nine Lives, which McGraw helped write.
Def Leppard released their debut album On Through the Night, March 14, 1980. Although it only reached No. 51 on the Billboard 200, it received positive reviews and was certified platinum in May 1989.
It featured Screamin' Joe Elliott (vocals), Steve Clark (lead guitar), Rick Savage (bass guitar), Rick Allen (drums) and Pete Willis (rhythm guitar).
Def Leppard released their 4th studio album, Hysteria, August 3 1987, and has become their best-selling album to date. It has received critical acclaim from all over the world, selling over 12 million albums (certifying it diamond, i.e. >10M) in the U.S. where it reached #1 on the Billboard 200. Currently, it is the 51st best-selling album of all time.
According to Wikipedia, Q Magazine readers voted it the 98th Greatest Album of All Time. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it #464 on the list of the 500 Greatest Albums of all Time.
The album was released over 3 years after Pyromania, their breakout album, in 1983. Drummer Rick Allen lost an arm after a car crash in 1984. Producer Mutt Lange dropped out early in the album's production but returned a year later. Lange was also involved in an auto accident but recovered quickly and Joe Elliott suffered a bout of mumps. Still, they managed to pull off one of the greatest!
Joe Elliott, born August 1, 1959 in Yorkshire, England, is best known as the lead singer for Def Leppard. He is one of the two founders of Def Leppard with Rick Savage. With Elliott at the helm, Def Leppard has been nominated for numerous American Music Awards and won Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Artist in 1989 and their album Hysteria won Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock Album the same year. I've been a fan of theirs ever since Pyromania was released in 1983.
Def Leppard released their third studio album, "Pyromania" January 20, 1983, one of my most favorite albums of all time. It was the first to feature Phil Collen on guitar. It reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and No. 18 on the UK Albums chart. It sold over ten million copies in the US, and was certified diamond by Recording Industry Association of America. "Rock of Ages" and "Photograph" both reached #1 on the Mainstream Rock Chart.
