Steve Clark 1960-1991
The words "Def Leppard" have been linked to the words "jinxed" and "cursed" many times in the past.
There are two main reasons for describing the band as such. First, the car accident in which drummer Rick Allen lost his left arm.
Second, the death of guitarist Steve Clark.
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Steve was born on April 23, 1960 in Hillsborough (Northern Sheffield, UK),
Tthe first son of Barry and Beryl Clark. Caught by music at a very young age,
Steve gets his first guitar at the age of 11, and learns to play classical guitar -- until he hears what Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page can do with his Les Paul. From that moment, Steve knows what he wants: to play rock & roll
.
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IIn 1978, Steve is at a Judas Priest show in Sheffield, where he bumps into Pete Willis and Joe Elliott. They both invite him to come down to the Bramall Lane spoon factory, where the young musicians, along with Tony Kenning and Rick "Sav" Savage, rehearse with their band. After Steve plays some very impressive guitar parts, the rest of the band agree that Steve is the guitarist they're looking for to write and play their own material with
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On the third Def Leppard release, "PYROMANIA", it shows why Steve deserved his nicknames "Steamin'" and "Riffmaster": "TOO LATE FOR LOVE", "FOOLIN'" and "PHOTOGRAPH"
are songs that are still popular among the fans, enough to be part of a current Def Leppard set list. During the recordings of that album, Pete Willis was replaced by Phil Collen. The combination Steve/Phil proved to be a perfect one. Both guitarists knew how to challenge, complement and inspire eachother, both on stage, off stage, and in the studio: on "HYSTERIA", the band sounds tighter than ever, with Steve and Phil being the perfect guitar tandem.
The long tour to promote "HYSTERIA" got the band into the world of drugs and alcohol even more than they were at the time. While Steve was a heavy drinker already, life on the road didn't make it easier for him. On stage, Steve was the guitar god. Off stage, he was unhappy and depressive, reaching for the bottle far too often.
After the tour, Steve's alcoholism got worse. He checked into rehab several times to get rid of the bottle which seemed to control his life more and more. During the recordings of the band's next album, things did not get better. Towards the end of 1990, the four other band members gave Steve a 6-month leave of absence, to get the "rock star" pressure off his chest and get himself together.
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On January 8, 1991, even before those 6 months were over, Steve Clark died alone in his London home at the age of 30. After taking a fatal combination of prescription drugs and alcohol, Steve's battle with alcohol came to an end. Unfortunately, Steve Clark lost.
