Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott Says His Late Father Made ‘Considerable Contributions’ To The Band

Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott is doing his best to cope with the recent loss of his father, and in a new radio interview, he talked about the very important contribution that his dad made to the band.

Elliott spoke with Terrie Carr of WDHA-FM on Monday in advance of the Jersey area Def Leppard/Heart show scheduled for last night (Aug. 3). Elliott remembered his dad as someone who was “highly responsible” for the success of Def Leppard in the “very early days.”

Like most young up and comers, the Leppard guys had big dreams, but they were short on the necessary capital to achieve them, which is where Joe Elliott Sr. came into the picture.

Elliott says that his dad “loaned us some money to make a recording, which basically ended up getting us our record deal.” It was a big save for the members of Def Leppard, and Joe says that without his “considerable contributions,” things might not have come off, so “we owe him a lot really.”

He feels fortunate to have been able to spend as much time with his dad as he did over the years, and says that the loss is “sad,” but he's moving on and “dealing with it as best I can on a daily basis.”

Def Leppard's tour resumed on July 27, and Elliot has noticed a different vibe in the air since he came back. According to the singer, the audiences, knowing what he has been through, have been reacting to the band's shows with a “wave of euphoria,” which he considers almost a celebration because “they're aware of what we've all been dealing with here.”

In fact, the experience reminds the singer of the concerts of a couple of classic rock legends: “You hear these stories about Springsteen or U2 [shows] being like religious get-togethers, these last two shows have been absolutely stunning from that point of view and I hope it carries on for the rest of the tour.”

Def Leppard's summer tour with Heart is currently set to wrap up on September 24 in San Antonio, Texas.