10 Biggest Backstabbing Moments In Rock History

Rock music has always been about the outlaw mentality. Regardless of what generation you find yourself in, the image that comes to mind when you think of rock music is the lonesome drifter looking to wow the crowds with their magical musical ways. But let's face it...no one really comes into this business to make friends.

Out of all the great bands that have come and gone over the years, no one can really claim to be angels at the end of the day. For as long as the music business has been alive, there have been artists that are pivotal to their respective bands, only to be dropped at the first sign of trouble in between them. It might not even be their decision either, with the rest of the band either ganging up on them out of jealousy or the management deciding that their services are no longer needed.

Though some of these guys may still get their lion's share of respect from their contemporaries, the fact that they can't bask in the glory with their bandmates just stings that much more. They may have put in the work to become rockstars...but this probably wasn't how they imagined their story going when they first started.

When looking at the career trajectory of Def Leppard, it didn't really kick into high gear until they sunk their teeth into the MTV generation. Regardless of how well they may have fared as a more pop centric metal act, the era of Pyromania was where things started to really take off, making them the darlings of the new age of glam metal. Though much of that credit comes down to superproducer Mutt Lange, the Leppards had to lose some skin before moving forward.

Going into the production with most of the songs intact, rhythm guitarist Pete Willis was known as the solid backbone of most Leppard songs, even taking the odd solo here and there. When he showed up to lay down the tracks though, Willis was blitzed out of his mind, having either been drunk from the previous day's work or unwilling to go along with the program. For a producer as meticulous as Lange, this was a recipe for disaster from the word go.

After an attempt to send Pete back home to cool out, the rest of the band ended up drafting in Phil Collen behind his back, who's approach to rhythm and lead was a perfect fit next to Steve Clark. Though Willis still has writing credits on a lion's share of Pyromania songs, the fact that he never got to see it blossom is sure to rub him the wrong way.