Monday, 28th March 2016
Screenshot by dltourhistory
Def Leppard were awarded a prestigious Silver Clef award in June 1992 and rare footage is available.
The Silver Clef Awards and lunch took place at the InterContinental Hotel, London, England on 26th June 1992. The band members attended the event with their wives.
In the evening the band started their two night run at Earls Court Arena during the UK Adrenalize tour. A number of musicians who were at these awards also attended the band's show and after party including Michael Hutchence from INXS and Brian May and John Deacon from Queen.
Among the awards given out was the Silver Clef award. This is given to artists for outstanding contribution to British music.
The awards benefit the Nordoff Robbins music therapy charity.
Def Leppard were the 17th winners of the award which was first given out in 1976 to The Who.
Other past winners before 1992 included Rod Stewart, Robert Plant, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Queen, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and Genesis.
Elton John won the award in 1979 and presented Def Leppard with their ward at this show.
The short MTV News video shows artists arriving at the hotel and short snippets of Elton's introduction speech.
Joe is also shown talking after getting the award and Sav is interviewed afterwards.
The 2015 ceremony took place on 3rd July and Iron Maiden were given the Silver Clef award.
Elton John - 26th June 1992 Intro Speech Quote
"They are very, very nice and good lads and I won't dwell on the fact it gives me great pleasure to give this years Silver Clef Award to a tremendous bunch of people - Def Leppard."
Joe Elliott - 26th June 1992 Speech Quote
"We've never won an award before so I really don't know what to say on behalf of everybody but thank you very much."
Rick Savage - 26th June 1992 Interview Quote
"It 's a great honour first of all. I mean you only have to look at the acts that have been bestowed the award over the years. People like Paul McCartney, The Who, Elton John we could go on. You know and to be just mentioned in the same breath. We feel very, very humbled and apart from that the just what the actual - the whole organisation is all about is a very worthwhile cause. And so it's just nice to be considered part of it and whatever we can do in the future to keep the organisation running and maybe to even further it, will be be ideal for us. It's just a great organisation."
Joe Elliott/Rick Savage - January 1993 Interview Quotes
Joe - "We got the Nordoff Robbins award for outstanding contribution to British music. And it's easy to kind of forget those things but when you're there and it's like everybody from the music business is all sat there in their little penguin suits and Elton John actually stands up and does a ten minute speech about Def Leppard. It's kind of like. Wow this is a guy that when I was like 16 I queued up to go and see on tour and he's talking about us."
Sav - "He knew more about the band than we did!. It was pretty interesting."
Joe - "Yeah. It was unbelievable. I mean he's actually been - he has always been a bit of a fan."
Sav - "He's a rock fan."
Joe - "Obviously he played with Guns N' Roses at the VMAs in September. And he's, you know, he's actually. For a guy that's renowned as a pop star. He's actually really kinda thought of a real cred within the industry because he's a good guy. And just getting that award was - and when you look at the people that have won it in the past. McCartney, The Who, Robert Plant, Genesis, Pink Floyd. I mean like it really kind of knocked it home that wow, you know, this is the best of British."
"It was really a proud moment to actually be involved and be kind of held in the same kind of light as all those other bands which we'd consider much more - much bigger than we are because when you're actually in a band. It doesn't matter how big it is. You still think you're just little old me and this is Dave Gilmour from Pink Floyd and that's Paul McCartney who used to be in The Beatles and we're all on the same page. You know this thing of people who've won it. It's like it was phenomenal."
- Silver Clef Awards - nordoff-robbins.org.uk
- Def Leppard - Adrenalize Album Section
- Def Leppard - Adrenalize Tour 1992/1993
- Previous News - 28th March 2016