Some bands are for a season, while some are for forever! For instance, Lou Gramm’s time with Vivian Campbell when they were in the hard-rock supergroup Shadow King lasted only a year. Although it was a brief duration before the guitarist decided to join Def Leppard, Gramm had great things to say about his former bandmate to Eonmusic.
Shadow King was formed in the hopes of releasing four studio albums; however, after their self-titled album release in 1991, that dream quickly crumbled. The supergroup was only able to take center stage once at the Astoria Theatre in London. That was the only time they performed as a band before everyone decided to go their separate ways.
While Vivian Campbell went to Def Leppard, Gramm rejoined Foreigner. That was the end of what was supposed to be a decent journey in the industry alongside drummer Kevin Valentine and bass player Bruce Turgon; however, it didn’t work out as life had other plans for Campbell waiting for him. Although they disbanded after a year, Gramm had nothing but good things to say about the guitarist.
Lou Gramm’s words in an interview with Eonmusic read:
“It was fantastic. He was a great guy. I enjoyed working with him when we recorded the album and the one show we played. He was very creative. He’s got the true spirit of rock in him, and when Shadow King broke up, I’m glad he moved on to a great band like Def Leppard”.
In the end, Gramm was more than pleased that Vivian was able to be a part of a household band like Def Leppard. For the singer, Campbell had everything a true rocker should have had, and it worked out both in their favor as they went on to achieve great things just separately.
