Rick Savage
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Rick "Sav" Savage (born December 2, 1960, Sheffield, England) is the bassist and founder of English rock band Def Leppard. He is affectionately called "Sav" so that there won't be any confusion between him and another Rick in the band - drummer Rick Allen. He is the only musician to remain in the band since they first began under the name "Atomic Mass" in 1977.
Biography
When he was very young, Savage learned to play guitar along with his older brother, playing to songs like Rod Stewart's "Maggie May" and Don McLean's "American Pie". During those years, he also pursued a career as a professional football player with the Sheffield United. When it came time to decide, Savage chose music and formed a band with a few school mates including Tony Kenning and eventually Pete Willis. The young band was called Atomic Mass and they mostly played Queen, Slade, Deep Purple and other popular covers.At one point it was decided that Pete was the better guitar player so Savage picked up the bass. The band was also looking for a singer around the time, when they met Joe Elliott. After auditioning him, the band regrouped and changed their name to Def Leppard.
Savage contracted Bell's Palsy disease in the 90's, causing his facial muscles to weaken, become partly paralyzed. From an Interview by Gordon Shearer on [DefLeppard.com]
Shearer: "What about when you developed your Bell's Palsy? Did that change the way you dealt with things? Lots of gossip, lots of comments. I could imagine going from the position that you were in - from ultimate rock sex god to...."
Savage: "It was hard to come to terms with and to understand why. I found it was easy to get into the 'why me?'-syndrome. Partly because of the disability. It was more not being able to eat properly or not being able to sleep without putting a patch on your eye because your eye wouldn't close and things like that. The effect that it has on your everyday life was the hardest thing. In comparison, it was a very minor debilitating disease. It keeps you humble seeing what Rick Allen went through and how he had to deal with things. So, I would rather have not got the disease, but I did and you make the best of what you got."
Personal life
Savage currently lives in Sheffield with wife Paige and their two sons, Tyler and Scott, and Paige's daughter Jordan, from a previous relationship. When he's not touring, Sav likes to spend time with the kids, watch Sheffield Wednesday football (soccer), and play golf.See also
External links
- [Sav.net] The Rick Savage Website.
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