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Rick Allen (drummer)

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Richard John Cyril Allen (born 1 November 1963) is an English musician who has been the drummer of the hard rock band Def Leppard since 1978. He overcame the amputation of his left arm in January 1985 and continued to play with the band, which went on to its most commercially successful phase. He is known as "The Thunder God" by fans.[1][2] He is ranked No. 7 on the UK website Gigwise in The Greatest Drummers of All Time list.[3]

Rick Allen
Allen performing in 2018
Allen performing in 2018
Background information
Birth nameRichard John Cyril Allen
Also known asThe Thunder God
Born (1963-11-01) 1 November 1963 (age 61)
Dronfield, Derbyshire, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • activist
InstrumentDrums
Years active1978–present
Member ofDef Leppard
Spouse
Stacy Lauren Gilbert
​
​
(m. 1991; div. 2000)​
Lauren Cuggino Monroe
​
​
(m. 2003)​
Websiterickallen.com

Early life

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Allen was born on 1 November 1963 in Dronfield, Derbyshire to Kathleen Moore and Geoffrey Allen, related to Kevin Wells and started playing drums at the age of nine. He performed in the bands Grad, Smokey Blue, Rampant, and the Johnny Kalendar Band.[4] When he was 14, his mother replied on his behalf to an advertisement placed by a band called Def Leppard looking for a drummer to replace Tony Kenning ("Leppard loses skins" was the advertisement's headline). He later joined the band on 1 November 1978, which was his 15th birthday.[5] In 1979, he dropped out of school to concentrate on a career in music. He celebrated his 16th birthday with a performance at the Hammersmith Odeon, when Def Leppard opened for AC/DC.[6]

Car crash and recovery

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"What I've experienced through losing my arm, I wouldn't change. The human spirit is so strong."

Rick Allen[7]

On the afternoon of 31 December 1984, Allen was involved in a car crash with his then-girlfriend, Miriam Barendsen, on the A57 road in the countryside a few miles west of Sheffield.[8][9] A car in front of theirs deliberately slowed for him to catch up, only to speed up as he tried to pass. This went on for several miles until, in frustration, he accelerated to finally pass, at which point he lost control of the left-hand-drive Corvette C4, which hit a dry stone wall and entered a field. His left arm was entangled in the seat belt and severed, remaining in the car while he was flung out.[10] Doctors initially re-attached it, but it was later amputated due to an infection.[11][12]

Initially Allen felt "defeated" but, buoyed by "family, friends and hundreds of thousands of letters from all over the planet",[10] he decided to continue playing drums with Def Leppard, and adopted a specially designed electronic drum kit.[13] The band took a hiatus from onstage performances until 5 August 1986,[14] (Rick Allen's first live performance since losing his left arm)[15] instead doing a small run of public rehearsal shows in Ireland in advance of their 16 August 1986 Monsters of Rock festival performance at Castle Donington.[16] He has since re-adopted partially acoustic drum kits depending on the setting.[17]

Equipment

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Allen has used custom-manufactured cable routing by Whirlwind. He uses four electronic pedals for his left foot to play the pieces he used to play with his left arm, which from left to right trigger sounds of a closing hi-hat, bass drum, snare drum, and a tom drum.[18]

In 2009, Yamaha announced the addition of Allen to their artist roster. He plays Yamaha Oak Custom drums with a matching subkick.[17] He also uses Remo drumheads (usually he has coated Ambassadors on his drums and a clear Powerstroke 3 on his bass drum), Zildjian cymbals (mostly K customs, Z Customs and A customs), an Ahead drumstick and an LP rock cowbell.[19] He previously used Ludwig Drums, Paiste 2002, RUDE, and Sound Creation cymbals.[20]

Charitable works

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Allen and his wife Lauren Monroe are the co-founders of the Raven Drum Foundation, a charity.[21] Allen also formed the One Hand Drum Company to provide funding for the Raven Drum Foundation. The company primarily sells merchandise featuring "Stick Rick", an illustrated character representing Allen.[22]

Personal life

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Allen was married to Stacy Lauren Gilbert from 1991 to 2000. In 1995, he was arrested for spousal abuse and was sentenced to a work crew and ordered to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.[23] He is married to Lauren Cuggino Monroe, who is also a musician and he has contributed to some of her albums.[24] He is a vegan.[25]

On the weekend of 12 March 2023, while standing in the parking valet area of the Four Seasons Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he was staying for a performance at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Allen was attacked by a "spring-breaker" who intentionally ran toward and collided with him, knocking him to the ground. He sustained a head injury. The attacker was apprehended and charged with several crimes.[26]

References

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  1. ^ Gold, Adam (7 August 2009). "Def Leppard's Rick Allen: The Cream Interview [Updated]". Nashville Scene. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  2. ^ Rager, Eleanor (7 August 2017). "The Thunder God". Medium. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  3. ^ "The Greatest Drummers Of All Time!". gigwise.com. Gigwise. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  4. ^ "Artist Biography". Zildjian. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  5. ^ Kielty, Martin (27 November 2018). "40 Years Ago: Rick Allen Joins Def Leppard". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  6. ^ "Def Leppard Drummer Rick Allen Is Helping Wounded Veterans Through Healing Art". WCBS-FM 101.1. 11 January 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  7. ^ Jeffrey, Laura (2010). Def Leppard: Arena Rock Band. Enslow. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-766-03234-7.
  8. ^ "Rick Allen | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  9. ^ Wilkening, Matthew (31 December 2014). "The Day Def Leppard Drummer Rick Allen Lost His Arm in Car Crash". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  10. ^ a b Clash, Jim. "Def Leppard's Rick Allen On The 1984 Corvette Accident That Took His Arm". Forbes.com. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  11. ^ Fricke, D., and M. Selinger. "To Hell & Back. (Cover Story)." Rolling Stone 629 (1992): 38. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  12. ^ Stevens, Christine. "Reclaiming the Rhythm: An Interview with Rick Allen." Percussive Notes 08 2002: 54, 56. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  13. ^ Rick Allen (19 August 2016). "Def Leppard: the story behind Rick Allen's triumphant comeback". Classic Rock Magazine. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  14. ^ "Def Leppard: The story behind Rick Allen's triumphant comeback". 19 August 2016.
  15. ^ "Def Leppard Cork, Ireland 1986 Setlist".
  16. ^ "Def Leppard's Rick Allen: Perseverance". Modern Drummer Magazine. 16 December 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  17. ^ a b Yamaha Welcomes Legendary Rick Allen to its Drum Roster | Yamaha Artists. Yamaha.com (16 October 2009). Retrieved on 15 September 2011.
  18. ^ "Whirlwind / Def Leppard". Archived from the original on 19 November 2005. Retrieved 20 March 2023.
  19. ^ "Def Leppard Drummer Rick Allen Welcomes PMC's "Roadie for a Day" Grand Prize Winner". PlayDrums.com. 26 September 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  20. ^ "Def Leppard's Rick Allen". Modern Drummer Magazine. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  21. ^ "Raven Drum Foundation: Celebrity Supporters". Look to the Stars. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  22. ^ O'Connor, Mike (14 January 2020). "Rick Allen – The One-Armed Drummer from Def Leppard (His Modified Drum Set, The Accident)". Electronic Drum Advisor. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  23. ^ "Def Leppard drummer charged in attack". UPI. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  24. ^ "Def Leppard News - Rick Allen Produces Wife Lauren Monroe's New Single Give". Def Leppard Tour History. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  25. ^ "Def Leppard's Rick Allen Announces New Vegan Bag Collection". lntvglobal.com. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  26. ^ St. Martin, Emily (17 March 2023). "Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen attacked by a spring breaker in Florida". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
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