This is the official website in memory of the late, great guitarist of Def Leppard.
http://www.steveclarkguitar.com/
Born April 23, 1960 Died January 8, 1991 Steve Clark was one of the co-lead guitarists for British Hard Rock band Def Leppard up until his tragic death in 1991.
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 to see
The Shadows perform when he was six. At eleven, he asked his father for a guitar, and his father gave him one, on the condition that Steve would learn to play.
His favourite guitarist was
Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page; after hearing
"How Many More Times," he fell in love with the sound and knew he wanted to continue with a musical career. He soon exchanged his acoustic guitar for an electric. After that, Steve started learning some
Led Zeppelin songs note by note, improving his style and technique in one. More evidently because he loved
Jimmy Page, Clark only used Gibson guitars during his timeline with
Def Leppard.
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 spot in the band and joined Def Leppard in January 1978. According to Joe Elliott in Behind the Music, Clark auditioned for Def Leppard by playing all of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird".
While a guitarist for Def Leppard, he was one of the main contributors to the band's music and lyrics. More importantly, Clark threatened to leave the band if they didn't go out and play. Considering the impact he had on the band's skill level and songwriting, lead singer Joe Elliott scrambled to find a suitable gig. 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. A notable song in mind that shows Steve Clark's iconic guitar riffs is 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 auditioned for 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. Clark and 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.
The other members of Def Leppard looked upon Steve as a great entertainer as he always certainly did live. His musical work was only interrupted by his severe addiction to alcohol.
Band member Joe Elliott said while other band members were out playing soccer, visiting family, or watching a movie, the only thing Steve was interested in was drinking alcohol or playing guitar. In fact, one night in Minneapolis, Steve was found unconscious with a blood/alcohol level of .59, almost double that of John Bonham at his death.
Since the late 1980's, Clark's addiction to alcohol was damaging the guitarist's musical career. He often showed up intoxicated, causing problems in the recording sessions for Hysteria. His role with the band was limited anywhere but onstage, in which he was always ready and sober for the concerts the band were a part or the part of. During the Hysteria 1988 World Tour, Steve played different intro riffs for three famous Def Leppard songs "Gods of War" and then with Phil Collen on "Bringin' on the Heartbreak" and "Hysteria"
The 1992 song White Lightning on the album Adrenalize was written about Steve Clark, because the members nicknamed him "White Lightning" for his preference to use only white clothes up on stage often, and for his powerful guitar riffs that defined Def Leppard's stance in the music industry.
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". His distinctive style can be heard in particular on "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).
He contributed to half of the songs on the band's 1992 album "Adrenalize" just prior his death.
In 1991, Clark was found dead on his couch by Janie Dean -- his girlfriend at the time. The autopsy revealed he died from a mixture of anti-depressants, painkillers (used for a rib injury), and alcohol. There was no evidence of suicidal intent.
At the time of his death, he was on a six-month leave of absence from Def Leppard. The band had allegedly grown despondent over their repeated, failed efforts to help Clark and decided time off was the only solution.
Steve's remains are buried at Wisewood Cemetery in Hillsbrough, Sheffield, near his family's house.
Tesla, who opened for Def 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)".
Clark used Gibson Les Paul and Gibson Firebird guitars. He also occasionally used Gibson EDS-1275 guitars in concert. He has also used Hamer Standard and Fender Stratocaster guitars.
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