Rick Allen (drummer)
| Rick Allen | |
|---|---|
Allen live with Def Leppard on 13 August 2008 in Winnipeg
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Richard John Cyril Allen |
| Also known as | The Thunder God |
| Born |
1 November 1963 Dronfield, Derbyshire, England |
| Genres | Hard rock, heavy metal, glam metal |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Drums |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Labels | Island, Mercury, Polygram |
| Associated acts | Def Leppard |
| Website | rickallen |
Richard John Cyril "Rick" Allen (born 1 November 1963) is an English drummer who has played for the hard rock band Def Leppard since 1978. He overcame the amputation of his left arm in 1985 and continued to play with the band, which subsequently went on to its most commercially successful phase. He is known as "The Thunder God" by fans.
Allen started playing drums at the age of 9. He performed in bands called Smokey Blue, Rampant, and the Johnny Kalendar Band. When Allen was 14, his mother replied on his behalf to an ad placed by a band called "Def Leppard" looking for a drummer to replace Tony Kenning ("Leppard loses skins" was the ad's headline). Later, on 1 November 1978, his fifteenth birthday, Allen joined the band. In 1979, he dropped out of school (other band members left their jobs around the same time) to concentrate on a career in music. In September 1979, they opened for Sammy Hagar at London's Hammersmith Odeon. Subsequently, Def Leppard played shows as a support act for AC/DC during October and November 1979. Allen celebrated his 16th birthday with a performance at the Hammersmith Odeon. On 14 March 1980, the band released their first album, On Through the Night. Since their first album, Allen still continues to record and tour with the band.
"What I've experienced through losing my arm, I wouldn't change. The human spirit is so strong."
On an unseasonably warm afternoon of 31 December 1984, Allen was involved in an automobile accident with his Dutch girlfriend Miriam Barendsen in the countryside a few kilometres west of Sheffield in the United Kingdom. While trying to pass another car at a high speed, he lost control of his Corvette C4, which hit a dry stone wall and entered a field. He was thrown from the car because his seatbelt had been improperly fastened, causing his left arm to be severed, while his girlfriend only suffered some bruising. Doctors initially reattached Allen's arm, but because of an infection, it had to be re-amputated. His right shoulder was also severely broken in the accident.
Allen initially had doubts about continuing his performances with the band, but was encouraged by the band to continue. Allen, along with a few engineers, later started to design a drum set to assist Allen's drumming. At the time, he was still able to play some drum rhythms with one hand and use his left leg, typically for hi-hat pedals in common drum kits, to play the snare drum. Then-Status Quo drummer Jeff Rich helped and encouraged Allen during his convalescence, and designed an electronic kit Allen could play using only one arm. The Ludwig acoustic drum kit he used on earlier albums High 'n' Dry and Pyromania was later given away by Def Leppard's one-time management. Electronic drum manufacturer Simmons created a kit to their specifications, and Allen made his post-accident debut in 1986 with a well-received set at the "Monsters of Rock" festival at Castle Donington.
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