Rick Allen

Few other musicians in the history of rock has had to overcome such a severe, career-threatening injury as Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen had to in 1984, when his arm was amputated due to a near-fatal car crash. Born Richard John Cyril Allen on November 1, 1963, in Sheffield, England, Allen took up the drums at the age of 10. By the age of 12, he was accomplished enough to play in local groups, as he soon began emulating such drummers as Led Zeppelin's John Bonham, Thin Lizzy'sBrian Downey, and Queen's Roger Taylor. Shortly after turning 15, Allen spotted an ad in a local newspaper for a group that was looking for a drummer. The group turned out to be Def Leppard, and despite all of its members being several years older than Allen, he got the gig anyway. Since he was still underage, the group would often have to lie about his age to get him into the clubs they were playing, and when they inked contracts, Allen's father had to sign for him.



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