My Take
Vivian Campbell is one of those guitarists who keeps proving himself in two completely different chapters, and I find that genuinely impressive. He burst onto the scene as the teenage kid from Belfast shredding for Dio in the early eighties — those Holy Diver-era riffs were something else — then reinvented himself as the steady, reliable anchor of Def Leppard after the tragic loss of Steve Clark in 1992. A lot of guitarists would crumble under that kind of pressure, stepping into a beloved band mid-stride, but Campbell made it look natural. And then there's the fact that he kept touring and recording through a serious cancer diagnosis in 2013, which says a lot about the man's grit. Two iconic bands, one career — not bad for a lad from Northern Ireland.
Overview
Vivian Patrick Campbell (born 25 August 1962) is a Northern Irish musician. He came to prominence in the early 1980s as the guitarist of Dio. He has also been the guitarist of Def Leppard since 1992 (following Steve Clark after his death). Campbell has also worked with Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, Sweet Savage, Trinity, Riverdogs, Lou Gramm and Shadow King.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Vivian Campbell
- Name (Japanese)
- ヴィヴィアン・キャンベル
- Reading
- ゔぃゔぃあん・きゃんべる
- Born
- August 25, 1962 (age 63)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Tiger
- Origin
- Belfast, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- guitarist / association football player / session musician / songwriter / rock musician
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.