Steve 'Steamin' Clark was one of the great guitar masters of the 1980s. Known as 'the Riffmaster', he was responsible for some of Def Leppard's most memorable guitar riffs, including songs like 'Bringin' on the Heartbreak', 'Gods of War', 'Wasted', and his incredible guitar masterpiece 'Switch 625'. His work continues to influence musicians today, years after his death.

Early Life

Stephen Maynard Clark was born on 23 April, 1960, to Barry and Beryl Clark in Sheffield, England. He was the oldest of three sons. Showing an interest in music at a very young age, his mother took him to see Cliff Richard and The Shadows at Sheffield City Hall when he was six years old. His father gave him his first guitar at the age of 11, under the condition that he take lessons to learn to play it properly. Steve took classical lessons for a year, providing him with a musical background that would be instrumental in his later success.

A pivotal moment came when Steve heard Led Zeppelin for the first time while at a friend's house. Up until this point, he had been unsure of what type of music he wanted to pursue, but after listening to that record, he knew he wanted to play rock music. He got an electric guitar and spent hours learning to play Zeppelin songs note for note, using his classical training to pick them out by ear. During this time he joined his first band, believed to have been called Electric Chicken.

Joining Def Leppard

By 1978, he had finished school and was working as a lathe operator at a local factory. He met Pete Willis and they began talking about their shared interest - guitars. Pete mentioned that his band was looking for a second guitarist and invited Steve to come to one of the band's rehearsals, which took place in an old abandoned spoon factory in Sheffield. Steve never showed up.

Luckily, Steve ran into Pete again at a Judas Priest concert, along with the band's singer, Joe Elliott. He was invited to audition once again, and this time he went. The band, consisting of original members Pete, Joe, bassist Rick 'Sav' Savage, and drummer Tony Kenning (later replaced by Rick Allen), were immediately impressed with Steve's ability to play Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Freebird' all the way through, especially the extended guitar solo at the end, and he was welcomed enthusiastically into the group. Steve was impressed that Def Leppard had bandmembers who wrote their own material, which was something he'd not experienced before.

The Road to Stardom

After being with Def Leppard for a short while, however, Steve realised that the band wasn't getting anywhere. Though the band rehearsed frequently, they had not yet played a single gig. By June, 1978, Steve was getting frustrated with just rehearsing, so he told Joe that if they didn't get a gig soon, he would quit the band. Joe, afraid of losing such a vital part of the band, set up their first gig at Westfield School, earning them £5.

After the first gig, their popularity began to grow. They did a series of local performances, then, using money borrowed from Joe's dad, they made their first recording, The Def Leppard EP. They received airplay on BBC Radio One, and the EP became a success, due in part to Steve's trademark riffs on songs like 'Getcha Rocks Off'. Not long after releasing the EP, Def Leppard were signed to Phonogram Records. Over the course of the next three albums, they became international rock stars.

Along with fame came all the pressures of being in a rock band. While recording their groundbreaking third album, Pyromania, it became apparent that founding member Pete Willis was boozing to the extent that he was no longer contributing to the band. After several warnings to stop drinking so much, the rest of the bandmembers made the difficult decision to fire Pete.

Terror Twins

Guitarist Phil Collen was chosen to replace Pete. Phil's technical style of playing was a perfect compliment to Steve's sloppier, more laid-back style. The two guitarists soon became close friends and drinking partners. Their various pranks and bar brawls earned them the nickname 'Terror Twins'. However, on one occasion after hours of boozing, Phil woke up to find he had been in a jewellers' shop the night before and had bought a Rolex watch worth thousands of pounds. Steve had also bought a watch and an earring. Alarmed by the fact that he didn't remember buying the watch, Phil stopped drinking alcohol for several months after the incident, and eventually stopped imbibing completely.

Unfortunately, Steve continued to drink heavily. He was found unconscious one night on the streets of Minneapolis with a blood alcohol level of .59 - double the amount that had killed Led Zeppelin's John Bonham. Luckily, Steve escaped death on this occasion. Throughout the late 1980s, although he went into rehab several times, he was never able to break the habit.

The Downward Spiral

Following the tremendous worldwide success of their fourth album Hysteria in 1987, the band went back into the studio to work on their next release, Adrenalize. Steve, who loved playing live more than anything else, had a hard time coping with the perfectionist recording style the band used. Having suffered from depression for several years, he began drinking more and more heavily, to the point that his playing was impaired. Concerned for their bandmate and friend, the others gave him a six-month break from recording to concentrate on getting well. He was due to return in February, 1991, but he never went back.

On 8 January, 1991, after a night of boozing, Steve was found dead at his home in Chelsea by his girlfriend. He was just 30 years old. A coroner found the cause of death to be respiration failure due to a mixture of alcohol, antidepressants, and painkillers (which he had been prescribed for cracked ribs). He was buried in Sheffield's Loxley Cemetery following a private family ceremony.

Moving On

After Steve's death, the rest of the band had to decide whether to continue without him. Agreeing that Steve would have 'been annoyed' if the band called it quits, they resolved to finish the current album as a four-piece, giving Phil the task of interpreting and playing the guitar parts written by Steve before his death. The finished album was dedicated to their late friend. Though none of Steve's guitar playing is heard on Adrenalize, he did co-write six out of ten songs on the album. The album also includes a song written for Steve called 'White Lightning', which was another of his nicknames.

Guitarist Vivian Campbell, formerly of Sweet Savage, Dio and Whitesnake, was chosen to be the band's new guitarist in 1992. Def Leppard continue to record and perform with Vivian.

The Legacy

He could really fill the stage. He used to do the Chuck Berry thing, strutting across the stage. And where Chuck Berry would do it at five miles an hour, Steve would do it 90 in reverse. You had to get out of his way or you were going to get knocked offstage.
- Def Leppard lead singer Joe Elliott

For the fans watching Def Leppard perform live during their tours in the 1980s, Steve was often the most entertaining member of the band. The quiet guitarist who often suffered from stage fright before a show would transform into an energetic rock star, running around the stage and posing, with his trademark Les Paul slung super-low. That image is still how many fans remember him today.

Steve's memory lives on in his family, bandmates, the many songs he co-wrote, and his millions of fans all over the world. Steve 'Steamin' Clark may be gone, but he will never be forgotten.