Def Leppard Lead Rock Hall Class Of 2019

(hennemusic) Def Leppard are offering thanks to fans as they celebrate news of their induction into the 2019 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. The UK outfit were one of seven acts confirmed Thursday for entry into the Cleveland-based institution next spring, alongside Stevie Nicks, The Cure, Janet Jackson, Radiohead, Roxy Music and The Zombies.

"Thank you so much for voting for us," says frontman Joe Elliott and the band in a new video they released to celebrate the big news. "We will be there in March because you voted for us."

"Now we can stop holding our breath and go, 'Great! How wonderful to be in the same club as The Rolling Stones and The Beatles and The Who and Queen and etc., etc.'," expanded Elliott in a session with Rolling Stone. "It's nice. It's a good club to be in."

The current lineup of Elliott, guitarists Phil Collen and Vivian Campbell, bassist Rick Savage and drummer Rick Allen will be inducted alongside original members Pete Willis and the late Steve Clark, who died in 1991 at the age of 30 of an accidental overdose of a combination of alcohol and multiple prescription drugs.

Asked about Willis' possible attendance at New York's Barclays Center in March, Elliott says, "Pete is invited. Absolutely. Whether he comes or not is up to him. We might have to drag him there by his hair. But he deserves to be inducted since he was involved in the first three albums. A lot of people aren't aware that he did play until halfway through Pyromania. He contributed as much as anybody on the first two albums. Of course he deserves to get in."

With 11 studio albums to their credit, Def Leppard have sold more than 100 million records worldwide since the release of their 1980 debut, "On Through The Night."

In addition to Elliott, the group's longtime members also shared their thoughts on the honor. "Being inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame puts Def Leppard in a class of peers that we've always appreciated and admired," says Rick Savage. "We're looking forward to the ceremony."

Drummer Rick Allen adds: "What an honor for Def Leppard to be included in this year's induction with so many other talented and deserving artists."

"Coming into Def Leppard after stints with other bands, it was immediately apparent to me that Leppard had ambition far beyond most," explains Campbell, who joined the lineup in 1992. "As a fan from the early years, I'd heard that ambition in the music, blending genres to craft the unique Leppard sound. After 26 years as the new guy, I can assure you that the work ethic and the collective focus of this band is just as strong to this day."

Guitarist Phil Collen feels the induction news wraps up another big year for Def Leppard: "We started 2018 off at the Royal Albert Hall and to now cap it all off with a nod into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is brilliant."

The 2019 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place at the Barclays Center in New York on March 29, 2019; ticket on-sale dates for the event will be announced in January. Watch the video here.

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