Rick Allen (b. 1963)

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Biography

Richard John Cyril Allen 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 1985 and continued to play with the band, which went on to its most commercially successful phase. Known as "The Thunder God" by fans, he is ranked No. 7 on Gigwise in The Greatest Drummers of All Time list.

Timeline

The story of Rick Allen, told in moments.

1984 Event

Lost his left arm in a car crash on the A57 near Sheffield. His Corvette left the road. Surgeons reattached the arm but infection set in. It was amputated weeks later. He was 21.

What went through your mind after the crash? Did you ever consider giving up? How did losing your arm at 21 reshape your identity?

1986 Life

Returned to Def Leppard using a custom electronic drum kit designed by Simmons. Foot pedals triggered sounds his left arm used to play. He never considered quitting.

How did you learn to play drums with foot pedals? Was designing the custom kit exciting or frustrating? What made you certain you'd return to the band?

1987 Event

Played on Hysteria, which sold over 25 million copies worldwide. "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and "Love Bites" both hit number one. Nobody buying the album knew the drummer had one arm.

Did anyone buying Hysteria know you had one arm? How does 25 million copies feel when every beat cost extra effort? Was 'Pour Some Sugar on Me' your comeback anthem?

Artifacts (15)

The Moving Pageant: A Literary Sourcebook on London Street Life, 1700-1914

The Moving Pageant is the first annotated anthology of writings on London street life. It comprises nearly one hundred extracts from over two centuries of literary life, including pieces by: *...

2006

Works Read Talk

The Disoriented Dutchman's Gold Mine

Joe Waltz is the great-grandson of the famous Lost Dutchman, Jacob Waltz. The location of the gold mine was lost with the death of Joe's grandmother, or so he thought. His parents have been...

2014

Works Read Talk

Two PIs Are Better Than One

Two private investigators are on the trail of a potential bank robbery they believe will happen the weekend of the Route 66 Days Parade in Flagstaff, Arizona. Working together on the case will either...

2014

Works Read Talk

Proctology Treasure

Dr. Simon Glover is thrown into the public eye when he wins the National Lottery. In a cruel twist of fate, though, he is shortly thereafter diagnosed with terminal cancer. Having no living relatives,...

2014

Works Read Talk

Robots: Explore the World of Robots and How They Work for Us

Robots exist for so many different reasons. Many robots replace humans, whether it’s because a situation is dangerous or just tedious. There are rover robots to explore space and drone robots that...

2015

Works Read Talk

Toast: The Ride To Hell, Book 1

After the Nuclear Holocaust The only inhabitable places left are Taswegia and New Haka. ……….Emergency! Alex Brand reporting. A force calling themselves, ‘The Alliance’ has landed at all major ports in...

2021

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The New Chinese Province

Join Egras and Einna as they swage their way through the aftermath of what is being described as a subtle Invasion. Both are part of an Elite team gathered by a joint ASIO/CIA force. These forces, the...

2025

Works Read Talk

Toast Book 2: Hells Salvation

After the Nuclear Holocaust, Dick, Patch and their close friends are fighting for their lives against unbelievable odds. The only inhabitable places left are Taswegia and New Haka. Two ex-Navy...

2025

Works Read Talk

Toast Book 2: Hells Salvation

After the Nuclear Holocaust, Dick, Patch and their close friends are fighting for their lives against unbelievable odds. The only inhabitable places left are Taswegia and New Haka. Two ex-Navy...

2025

Works Read Talk

Hells Retaliation. Toast 4

The war rages on. The TRF’s devastating raids at Dove have delivered another crushing blow to the NK Alliance, following their losses at Sand Alley and the fall of the Peninsular. General Jun Lee is...

2025

Works Read Talk

My parents are Albanian, and people started calling me 'Bebe' for short.

heast of Debar and separated by Mavrovo National Park. In the Albanian language, bletë means "bee". She said, "My parents are Albanian, and people started calling me 'Bebe' for short." She and her...

Works Talk

The Essentials of Science, Grades K-6: Effective Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment (Priorities in Practice)

Provides program ideas and practices that will prepare school science programs for stricter new learning objectives and performance goals.

2006

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The Essentials of Science, Grades 7-12: Effective Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment (Priorities in Practice)

Where is U.S. secondary-level science education heading today? That's the question that The Essentials of Science, Grades 7-12 sets out to answer. Over the last century, U.S. science classes have...

2007

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Inside Pitch: Insiders Reveal How the Ill-Fated Seattle Pilots Got Played Into Bankruptcy in One Year

The story of Major League Baseball's shortest-lived team and its quirky characters--from the dugout to the front office. The year 1969 ushered a new Major League Baseball team into Seattle: the...

2020

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If you want to hit me in the face, I had them press charges to the other guy. I ...

people removed from the audience during a concert in Wisconsin for throwing items in her direction. "If you want to hit me in the face, I had them press charges to the other guy. I would love to...

Works Talk

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