The sound of ‘80s hard rock—defined largely by masses of straggly hair and straight men unabashedly wearing spandex—was in large part crafted by Def Leppard. And though the band played an essential role in the American rock scene, they were actually all from Sheffield, England. They were also a tenacious group of musicians, unwilling to buckle after a tragic accident threatened to dissolve the band and cause them to lose their drummer.

The band formed in 1977, with a great deal of their influence coming from the glam-rock excess of Mott the Hoople and T. Rex. The flamboyance of those glam bands rubbed off on Def Leppard, who started playing local shows and impressing audiences with their own colorful clothing and on stage antics. They were still teenagers when they released their first EP, and in 1980, their debut LP, On Through the Night, turned them into U.K. superstars. The tour that followed helped them cultivate an American fan base.

In 1981, they followed up with their sophomore album, High ‘N' Dry. The record went platinum in the U.S., and MTV helped promote them with the video of “Bringin' on the Heartbreak” playing regularly. But in 1983, Pyromania, their third record, set the charts on fire. The band's singles found plenty of air time on the radio—but a dark turn for the band was lurking right around the corner.

On New Year's Day, the band's drummer, Rick Allen, was injured in a bad car crash. The accident claimed his arm, leaving his future as a musician in doubt. To the surprise of rock fans (and no doubt musicians) everywhere, it didn't deter Allen, who began practicing on an electronic drum set before heading right back to work with his mates. The band would become well-known for their drummer's never-say-die attitude.

The band eventually went back to the studio, recording the album that would become known as Hysteria. Released in 1987, it didn't do as well as previous albums at first. It could have been partly because the band steady began sliding in a more commercial, pop direction, sacrificing their metal roots, but it was probably also because the music scene was changing. Still, once some of the singles trickled out—most notably “Pour Some Sugar On Me”—the record started to sell large numbers of copies. Even with the advent of bands that would become even more defining to late ‘80s rock, like Guns ‘N' Roses, Def Leppard was still the band that rule the roost as far as hair metal was concerned.

The band seemed to be riding high, but the hard rockin' image they portrayed wasn't just for show, and that kind of living eventually caught up with them. After guitarist Steve Clark died from a drug overdose, things went downhill. Their following albums were received poorly by critics, and declining album sales followed.

But now that they're back on the road, you can bet that fans all over will be buying up Def Leppard tickets at http://www.stubhub.com/def-leppard-tickets and seeing the band live.