Stephen Maynard Clark, popularly known as Steve Clark, was an English musician and the principal songwriter and lead guitarist for English hard rock band Def Leppard, until 1991 when he died of alcohol poisoning . He was ranked #11 on Classic Rock Magazine’s “100 Wildest Guitar Heroes” in 2007. In 2019, Steve was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Def Leppard in 2009.

AGE OF STEVE CLARK | NATIONALITY

He was born on April 23, 1960 and died on January 8, 1991 at the age of 30. Born in Sheffield, England and dying in London, England, UK, he is of British nationality. His birth sign | zodiac is not yet revealed and will be updated as soon as possible.

HUSBAND OF STEVE CLARK | DIVORCE

At the time of his death, Clark was single and not dating anyone. He had dated Lorelei Shellist, an American model. The two had been together since 1984 but broke up. The model revealed in her autobiography, Runway Runaway, that Steve’s addictions played a major role in their breakup.

After Shellist and Steve ended their relationship, Clark began a new relationship with Janie Dean which lasted until Clark’s death in 1991. Steve Clark had never been engaged to anyone despite rumors and false Shellist statements.

STEVE CLARK FAMILY

He was born to his parents Barrie Clark (father) and Beryl Beckingham Clark (mother). Further details are not yet known. He is likely the only child since details of his siblings are not provided or available from other relevant sources. We’ll let you know as soon as we hear from him.

SONGS BY STEVE CLARK

– Pour sugar on me
– Bites of love
– Photography
– Hysteria

– Armageddon It
– Too Late For Love
– Rocket

– Femmes
– Animal
– Bringin ’On the Heartbreak
– Foolin »

– Let Go
– Rock Rock
– Switch 625
– Rock of Ages

– Gods of War
– Rock Brigade
– Billy has a gun

– High ‘n’ Dry
– Wasted
– Hello America
– Die Hard the Hunter

– Lady Strange
– Run Riot
– Comin’ Under Fire
– Don’t Shoot the Shotgun
– Love and Affection

– You Make Me Run
– Mirror Mirror
– Rocks Off
– Excitable
– Me and My Wine

STEVE CLARK EDUCATION

As far as training is concerned, not much is known. We only know that when he left school, his first employer was an engineering firm called GEC Traction where he worked as a lathe operator. Clark was 3 years into a 4-year apprenticeship with the firm at the time his band Def Leppard signed a professional record deal with Phonogram Records. Further details will be updated as soon as we hear from him.

ALBUMS DE STEVE CLARK

– Hysteria
– Pyromania
– Through the Night
– High ‘n’ Dry
– Where the River Meets the Sea

– Noël à Dixie
– 70’s Club Hits Reloaded Vol.1 (Best Of Dance, House & Techno)
– Le Def Leppard E.P.

– History
– 60’s Club Hits Reloaded, Vol. 1 (Best Of Dance, House and Electro Remix Collection)
– Precious Christmas Favorites

CAREER OF STEVE CLARK

Clark met Pete Willis, the original Def Leppard guitarist and founder at Stannington College in 1978. Willis spotted the blue-eyed 18-year-old blonde reading a guitar book and asked if the latter played guitar . Willis invited him to try out for his band, ‘Def Leppard’ as they were looking to add a second guitarist. Clark auditioned for ‘Def Leppard’ playing Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ‘Free Bird’ unaccompanied.

It was after Clark joined Def Leppard as guitarist that half of the songs for their debut album and independent EP, ‘On Through the Night’ were written. “On Through the Night” reached No. 15 on the UK Chart. He became an indispensable asset to the group in a short time. An adept guitar player, Clark’s skill extends to songwriting and holds credit for 90% of Def Leppard’s songs.

The band worked on ‘High ‘n’ Dry’, their second album, with Pete Willis and Clark sharing lead guitar duties. His talent and exceptional guitar skills inspired the name “The Riffmaster” because he could create great guitar riffs in modern rock. He also made sure the band never strayed from their hard rock roots.

‘Def Leppard’ while working on their third album ‘Pyromania’, in 1982 fired Peter Willis, due to his problems with excessive drinking, and Phil Cohen took his place. Cohen and Clark quickly bonded and were known as the “Terror Twins” due to their strong friendship.

Def Leppard got their big break with the release of Pyromania in 1983, which launched the band into stardom. The album was selling 100,000 copies a week in the United States. “Photograph,” Pyromania’s biggest hit, was riffed by The Riffmaster himself. Their next album, ‘Hysteria’, was released in 1987 and sold around 25 million copies worldwide and 12 million copies in the United States.

STEVE CLARK DEF LEPPARD

They are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 1977 as part of the new wave of the British heavy metal movement. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Joe Elliott (lead vocals), Rick Savage (bass, backing vocals), Rick Allen (drums, backing vocals), Phil Collen (guitars, backing vocals), and Vivian Campbell (guitars, backing vocals). This is the band’s oldest line-up.

DEATH OF STEVE CLARK

He was found dead on his sofa by Dean on January 8, 1991 on a Tuesday, he died at the age of 30. Steve was on six months leave from Def Leppard when he died. The autopsy revealed that his cause of death was respiratory failure caused by a lethal mix of alcohol and prescription drugs. He had a blood alcohol level of 0.30 and morphine in his system.

Daniel Van Alphen, who was Steve’s drinking mate the night before, said they went to a local pub and returned to Clark’s at midnight to watch a video. Clark was buried in Wisewood Cemetery located in Loxley, Sheffield, near the Clark family estate.

STEVE CLARK TRIVIA

He always noted that he was a traditionalist when it came to guitars. He believed in writing the right notes when he was classically trained following the rules of music while his best friend Cohen jammed everything together.

Clark’s style was a mix of melody, cool classic rock and feel. His blues-rock combination had the power to surprise anyone. Steve preferred to play guitars made by Gibson Guitars.

Prior to Hysteria’s world tour, he signed an endorsement with Gibson, and the company made custom guitars for Clark. Clark chose a different way to strum the chords on his guitar. He used a method called inversions which required playing the chord without hitting the root notes first.

Additionally, Steve used triads, which sounded brighter, however, weren’t the standard power chords. It made a significant difference in how the song sounded. Clark showed an interest in music from an early age, attending his first concert with Cliff Richard and the Shadows at the age of 6.

He received his first guitar at the age of 11 which was bought by his father on the condition that he learn to play. Steve studied classical guitar for a year before hearing the music of Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin for the first time at a friend’s house.

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