They are perhaps Sheffield’s most famous musical export, certainly when it comes to the number of records shifted.
Def Leppard, who formed in the city in 1977, have sold more than 100 million records worldwide.
They are one of just five rock bands with two original studio albums, Pyromania and Hysteria, which have sold more than 10 million copies in the US.
In 2019, the band, whose biggest hits include Pour Some Sugar on Me and Love Bites, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Last year, Def Leppard were given a heroes’ welcome when they performed to a pack out crowd at Bramall Lane, just days after a much more intimate homecoming gig at Sheffield’s iconic Leadmill nightclub.
How much do you know about the Def Leppard and their Sheffield roots?
Here are nine fascinating facts about the band’s early days, including their first ever gig and one of their most seminal performances.
1. Joe Elliott came up with the band name at school
Joe Elliott came up with the name for the band two years before they actually formed. He explained how the moniker first came to him while he was studying at King Edward VII School. Fed up with drawing fruit and flowers in art class, he asked to design posters for rock shows. He started making posters for real bands, like the Beatles and Rolling Stones, before inventing his own band, Deaf Leopard. He even reviewed the made-up band for a creative writing assignment at school. The spelling was changed later, after the band formed. | Danny Lawson/PA WirePhoto: Danny Lawson/PA Wire
2. Joe Elliot wanted to be band's guitarist
When Joe Elliott first met Pete Willis, he initially asked if Willis' new band, Atomic Mass, which included drummer Tony Kenning and bassist Rick Savage, needed another guitarist. He was told it didn't but they were looking for a singer. Despite never having sung outside the shower, Elliott volunteered to fill the role and the rest is history. | PA / PA Wire / PA ImagesPhoto: PA
3. First rehearsals took place in a spoon factory
The band's first rehearsal took place in a spare room at a Sheffield spoon factory. Elliott was asked to sing Suffragette City, by David Bowie, and did enough to impress the others. Elliott said of his singing, "I learned as I went along." | Sheffield NewspapersPhoto: Sheffield Newspapers
4. Missed bus was band's 'Sliding Doors' moment
Def Leppard might never have existed had an 18-year-old Joe Elliott not missed his bus one day in the autumn of 1977. Walking home, he met a 19-year-old Pete Willis and asked if he could join Willis' newly-formed band, Atomic Mass, which also included drummer Tony Kenning and bassist Rick Savage. That band would become Def Leppard. | Getty ImagesPhoto: Dave Hogan/Getty Images