Happy Birthday Steve Clark
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 skinsman in Rick Allen.
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