Def Leppard is an English-based rock band that originated in 1977 in Sheffield, England. Three teenage boys, Rick Savage, Pete Willis and Tony Kenning, created Def Leppard which was originally called Atomic Mass in the year 1977. Rick Savage played bass, Pete Willis played guitar and Tony Kenning played the drums. Later, Joe Elliot auditioned for the role of guitarist for the band but, the other members believed his skills would be better suited as the lead singer. With the newest addition to the band, Elliot suggested that the group’s name be changed from Atomic Mass to Deaf Leppard. Tony Kenning recommended the name be slightly misspell, out of fear the group would sound a little too punk rock, making the name of the band Def Leppard. In
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Def Leppard was in a prime position to cash in and become a notable rock band. The group recorded a privately made EP, called “Getcha Rocks Off”. The EP sold its initial twenty-four thousand copies in a very short amount of time; this surprised the band members. Peter Mensch, the manager for AC/DC, discovered the group and convinced Polygram to sign them to a record deal. “In 1980, the chart breaking “On Through the Night” was released, climbing all the way to number 51 in the United States. “We actually wrote the first album nine months before ever playing a live concert,” Willis told Guitar Player. “We wanted to do it right from the start and be polished” (Def Leppard: For the Record). Six songs on the album like “Sorrow is a Woman” and “Wasted” were recorded in only eighteen days to meet the album’s deadline. David Fricke stated in Rolling Stone that the group “…displayed a wisdom beyond their years. Def Leppard took the timeworn basics of heavy metal and gave them a punky Eighties overhaul and came up with, uh, heavy melody. “On Through the Night” is awfully impressive for a band making its vinyl debut” (Def Leppard: For the Record). With the new publicity and attention from the general public, Def Leppard opened for Sammy Haggar and AC/DC in the United Kingdom before opening for the very famous Ted Nugent in
Def Leppard was in a prime position to cash in and become a notable rock band. The group recorded a privately made EP, called “Getcha Rocks Off”. The EP sold its initial twenty-four thousand copies in a very short amount of time; this surprised the band members. Peter Mensch, the manager for AC/DC, discovered the group and convinced Polygram to sign them to a record deal. “In 1980, the chart breaking “On Through the Night” was released, climbing all the way to number 51 in the United States. “We actually wrote the first album nine months before ever playing a live concert,” Willis told Guitar Player. “We wanted to do it right from the start and be polished” (Def Leppard: For the Record). Six songs on the album like “Sorrow is a Woman” and “Wasted” were recorded in only eighteen days to meet the album’s deadline. David Fricke stated in Rolling Stone that the group “…displayed a wisdom beyond their years. Def Leppard took the timeworn basics of heavy metal and gave them a punky Eighties overhaul and came up with, uh, heavy melody. “On Through the Night” is awfully impressive for a band making its vinyl debut” (Def Leppard: For the Record). With the new publicity and attention from the general public, Def Leppard opened for Sammy Haggar and AC/DC in the United Kingdom before opening for the very famous Ted Nugent in