Steve Clark
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Stephen Maynard Clark (April 23, 1960 – January 8, 1991) was the co-lead guitarist for British rock band Def Leppard until his death in 1991.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Childhood and Adolescence
Clark was born and raised in Hillsborough, the north-western suburb of Sheffield, England. From an early age he showed interest in music. His mother even took him to a concert by The Shadows was when he was 6. At 11 he asked his father for a guitar, and he agreed if he learned to play.
His favorite guitarist was Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, and after hearing "How Many More Times" he fell in love with the sound and knew that he wanted to continue with a musical career. He soon replaced his classical guitar with an electric one. After that, Steve started learning some Led Zeppelin songs note by note, which helped him improve his talent and technique.
[edit] Career and Technique
Before joining Def Leppard in 1978, he played cover songs with his small band, Electric Chicken, in Sheffield. Around that time, he met Pete Willis (Def Leppard's original guitarist/founder.) Steve asked for a slot in the band and joined Def Leppard in January 1978, as a guitarist and ended up being one of the main contributors to the band's music and lyrics. More importantly, Steve Clark threatened to leave the band if they didn't stop rehearsing and actually play a gig. Considering the impact he had on the band's skill level and songwriting, lead singer Joe Elliott scrambled to find a suitable gig for the band. The rest as they say is history.
He and Pete Willis shared lead guitar duties, but many of the band's gems could be attributed to Clark's virtuosity. One track of note was the instrumental Switch 625 off of High 'n' Dry.
When Willis was asked to leave due to his drinking problem, former Girl guitarist Phil Collen was asked to join the band. Elliott gave Collen a copy of Stagefright, a track off the band's Pyromania album, asking Collen to come up with a solo for the song. The next day, Collen played the solo for the band and he was in. Steve and fellow Leppard guitarist Phil Collen were dubbed the Terror Twins in homage to Aerosmith's Toxic Twins (Steven Tyler and Joe Perry). Over the years, Collen quit drinking, stopped eating meat and adopted a healthy lifestyle; Clark did no such thing...
He is best remembered for the powerful riffs that drove Def Leppard's first four albums in the 1980s, for which he was also nicknamed as "The Riffmaster". Some of the songs he can be more appreciated are "Wasted" (from On Through the Night); "Bringin' on the Heartbreak" (from High 'N' Dry); "Die Hard the Hunter" (from Pyromania); and "Gods of War" (from Hysteria).
In addition to his ingenuity for songwriting, Steve possessed considerable technical skill on the guitar, as is showcased in the solo from "Run Riot" from Hysteria. However, during the Hysteria recording sessions, Steve would show up too intoxicated to record his solos, and as a result, almost all of Def Leppard's solos on that album are performed by Phil Collen.
He also contributed songwriting on the band's 1992 album "Adrenalize" before his death.
[edit] Death
In 1991, Clark was found dead on his couch by his girlfriend at the time - Janie Dean. The autopsy revealed he had died from a mixture of anti-depressants, painkillers (because of a rib injury) and alcohol with no evidence of suicidal intent [1]. He had battled with alcoholism for a long time and had gone through clinical treatment for many years.
At the time of his death, he was in the middle of a six-month leave of absence from Def Leppard. Several members had grown despondent over their repeated, failed efforts to help Clark, and decided that a leave would be the only solution.
His personal struggles were well documented in the VH1 biopic Hysteria - The Def Leppard Story.
The Mariah Carey ft. Boyz II Men song "One Sweet Day" was partly written in honor of his death.
[edit] Gear
Clark used Gibson Les Paul and Gibson Firebird guitars. He also occasionally used Gibson EDS-1275 guitars in concert.
[edit] Trivia
- Born on the same day as actress Valerie Bertinelli (Eddie Van Halen's estranged wife).
- For his audition into Def Leppard he played all of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird"(according to Joe Elliott in Behind The Music).
- He worked the idea of "Wasted" while riding on a bus to practice, supposedly literally walking into the rehearsal area, picking up his guitar and playing it for his bandmates.
- Tesla, who opened for Leppard on the Hysteria tour, recorded a tribute to Steve Clark on their Psychotic Supper album, called "Song & Emotion (To Our Friend, Steve 'Steamin' Clark)".
- Mariah Carey wrote a song inspired by his death that she re-worked and recorded with Boyz II Men and Walter Afanasieff. The song was "One Sweet Day," which became popular in 1995 and topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 16 weeks.
- Joe Elliot called him "The next Johnny Thunders"
[edit] External links
- Steve Clark @ Def Leppard UK
- Tesla - Song & Emotion Live @ YouTube.com
[edit] See also
| Def Leppard |
| Joe Elliott | Vivian Campbell | Phil Collen | Rick Savage | Rick Allen |
| Steve Clark | Pete Willis | Tony Kenning | Frank Noon |
| Discography |
|---|
| Studio Albums: On Through The Night | High 'n' Dry | Pyromania | Hysteria | Adrenalize | Retro Active | Slang | Euphoria | X | Yeah! |
| Compilations and extended plays: Def Leppard EP | First Strike | Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980-1995) | Best of Def Leppard | Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection |
| Singles: Bringin' on the Heartbreak | Rock of Ages | Animal | Pour Some Sugar on Me | Love Bites | Armageddon It | Rocket | Let's Get Rocked |
| Concert Tours |
| Early Tours 1978/79 | On Through The Night World Tour | High 'n' Dry World Tour | Pyromania World Tour | Hysteria World Tour | Seven Day Weekend Tour | Slang Tour | Euphoria World Tour 1999-2001 | X World Tour 2002/2003 | Rock Of Ages Tour 2005 | YEAH! Tour 2006 |
| Related Articles |
| Robert John "Mutt" Lange | Terror Twins |
![[1]](http://defleppardfrequency.homestead.com/files/BandProfileSCPhoto01.jpg){kind=link}