Def Leppard 'still going strong'

Def Leppard could well claim the title of the world's most successful heavy metal band, or rock band, or pop group -- or at least a combination of all three genres of music -- thanks to such hit songs as "Bringin' on the Heartbreak," "Photograph," "Love Bites," "Pour Some Sugar on Me," "Hysteria," "Armageddon It," "Animal," "Rocket" and "Women."

"We're just a real band that still tours, and we actually sing," says guitarist Phil Collen. "I think we've toured every year for 32 years and stayed fairly busy."

Def Leppard was to perform at North Little Rock's Verizon Arena back in February, but illness caused the band to reschedule several cities. They'll make up for it with a show at 7 p.m. Wednesday, joined by opening acts REO Speedwagon and Tesla.

The legendary band got its start in 1977 in Sheffield, England, when bassist Rick Savage (and others who soon departed) assembled a group that included lead singer Joe Elliott, who suggested the band's name. Guitarist Steve Clark joined a year later, as did drummer Rick Allen. In 1982, Phil Collen, who had played guitar in the glam rock band Girl, replaced original member Pete Willis.

Tragedy soon entered the picture, with Allen losing his left arm in a car crash in 1984 and Clark losing a long battle with alcoholism in January 1991. Allen found ways to continue as a drummer, and guitarist Vivian Campbell (formerly of Dio and Whitesnake) took on the role of the second guitarist and became the cog in the well-oiled Def Leppard lineup that has remained steady since 1992. Savage, Allen, Collen and Campbell contribute backing vocals.

"We're still going strong with no end in sight," says Collen, who released a book, Adrenalized: Life, Def Leppard, and Beyond, in October. That was about the time the 11th Def Leppard studio recording, a self-titled project -- and the band's first album since 2008 -- was released. As if those projects were not enough to keep Collen busy, he has a side project, Delta Deep (more on that later).

"Def Leppard has been touring in many parts of the world, not just the USA or Europe," he says. "We started a world tour last April in Canada, and have just slowly been adding new 'legs' of the tour."

Collen notes in his book that he determined that he would take a different path than Clark had, even though the two guitarists had been known for their partying proclivities as "the terror twins" at the time of Clark's death. Rather than continue down the rock star path of hard living, Collen, now 57, decided to give up drinking. He had become a vegetarian and later, a vegan.

"It's been more than 25 years since I had a drink," he says. "When I noticed that I didn't have to spend hours being hungover, I started doing things to get and stay fit, from running to pushups, lifting weights and even martial arts."

Interviewed after David Bowie's death, Collen recalled when he and Elliott played with Bowie, Mick Ronson and Ian Hunter and the members of Queen at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992.

"Bowie was such an important influence in my life, beginning when I was 14," Collen says. "When someone was doing what Bowie did, I just gravitated to it. He was an amazing songwriter and it was just fantastic for Joe and I to play with him at that event."

Collen's current side project, Delta Deep, features singer Debbi Blackwell-Cook, drummer Forrest Robinson and bassist Robert DeLeo, formerly with Stone Temple Pilots. The singer is the godmother of Collen's wife, Helen, and sang at their wedding.

"We had sung around the house and it was so good we just had to take it to another level," Collen says. "It's really been an inspiring development. It's a lot different approach to touring than Def Leppard. As Delta Deep, we're going about in a Ford Expedition."

He says that group is also hoping to get to Little Rock.

Style on 05/10/2016