Relentless riffs, steady bass, syncopated drums, and voices rising from the rubble are the recipe for pure rock. Even when repetitive, we never tire of hearing it five decades after AC/DC first formed. In honor of their timeless popularity and loud sound, this article explores 13 quick and interesting AC/DC facts that capture the soul and spontaneity of these rock and roll giants.
1. From Glasgow to Australia
Malcolm and Angus Young’s parents, from Glasgow, Scotland, emigrated to Australia with their children in 1963. One of the sons, Alex, would go on to form Grapefruit, a psychedelic band signed to the Beatles’ label. Alex met the Fab Four in Hamburg, where he also worked as a musician.
2. George Young Musical Career
Another member of the Young family who embarked on a musical career was George, who formed the Easybeats, Australia’s first major musical export, back in the 60s. George Young would later help kick-start the career of AC/DC.
3. Malcolm and Angus Had Various Jobs Before Forming AC/DC
Before starting their rock careers, Malcolm and Angus had various jobs, including working on machines in a factory. Angus worked in a print shop, one of his first jobs being printing a soft-porn magazine called Ribald.
4. Why Are They Called AC/DC?
The name AC/DC was created by the Young brothers after seeing the acronym (which stands for alternating current/direct current electricity) on the back of a sewing machine that belonged to their sister Margaret.
5. AC/DC First Gig
AC/DC’s first concert took place on New Year’s Eve 1973 at a Sydney nightclub called Chequers.
6. Angus Young School Uniform
Angus’s sister, likely using the same machine that inspired the name AC/DC, made his first school uniform, which he popularized on stage. “She told me, ‘This way people would have something to see.’ My brother George told me, ‘Wear it, and you’ll get rich,'” Angus Young recalled.
7. Lineup Changes in the Early Days
In the early days, the lineup of AC/DC was constantly changing. Bon Scott joined the group as a result of one of these changes, replacing Dave Evans. Scott was already a veteran, having been a member of two important Australian bands, the Valentines and the Fraternity.
8. AC/DC at The Marquee Club
In 1976, AC/DC, then living in London to project their international career, secured a residency at the legendary Marquee Club on Monday nights. Their concerts were so explosive and drew such large crowds that they quickly began to break the club’s ticket sales records.
9. Not a Punk Rock Band
At the beginning of their career, AC/DC’s energetic music often served as a basis for them to be classified as punk, which was after all the sound of the moment. However, AC/DC never accepted this label: “We are a rock and roll band and we don’t like being described as punk,” Angus told New York Rocker magazine in 1977.
10. Bon Scott Death
Bon Scott died in February 1980 after choking on his own vomit in the back seat of a friend’s car. The accident happened after a well-fueled night at the Music Machine club, which was later renamed Camden Palace, in London.
11. Angus Young Was a Non-Alcoholic Rock Star
Angus Young, on the contrary, never drank alcohol, contrary to what people think: “I used to go into pubs and order a glass of milk. And believe me, in Australia, you have to be tough to do that. We learned a lot about these kinds of things from what happened to Bon. This is rock, it’s supposed to be fun. It’s not meant to be a tragedy.“
12. Brian Johnson Was a ‘Veteran’ When He Joined AC/DC
Bon Scott’s replacement in AC/DC was Brian Johnson, a former member of Geordie, a group that had four hit singles in ’73 during the glam era. As soon as he joined, Johnson was immediately sent to the Bahamas to start working on the album “Back in Black.”
13. The Fall of the Berlin Wall
Shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Newsweek reported that business in West Berlin record stores had grown by 300 percent. The most sought-after records after unification were those of AC/DC and the soundtrack of the movie Dirty Dancing.
