Bon Scott

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Lore & Background

Scott's tenure with AC/DC ended abruptly on 19 February 1980 after a night out in London with former musician and alleged drug dealer Alistair Kinnear. AC/DC briefly considered disbanding, but the group recruited vocalist Brian Johnson of the British glam rock band Geordie. AC/DC's subsequent album, Back in Black, was released only five months later and was a tribute to Scott. It is currently the second-best-selling album of all time. In the July 2004 issue of Classic Rock, Scott was ranked number one in a list of the "100 Greatest Frontmen of All Time." Hit Parader ranked Scott as fifth on their 2006 list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Vocalists of all time.

In Their Own Story

About 11 pm on 3 May 1974, at the Old Lion Hotel in North Adelaide, during a rehearsal with the Mount Lofty Rangers, a very drunk, distressed and belligerent Scott had a raging argument with a member of the band. Scott stormed out of the venue, threw a bottle of Jack Daniel's to the ground, then sped off on his Suzuki GT550 motorbike. Scott suffered serious injuries from the ensuing motorcycle accident, spending three days in a coma and a further 18 days in hospital. During his recovery, Vince Lovegrove introduced him to AC/DC. Lovegrove later recalled: "I had a meeting with Malcolm and Angus, and suggested Bon as their new singer. They asked me to bring him out to the Pooraka Hotel that night... When he watched the band, Bon was impressed, and he immediately wanted to join them, but thought they may be a bit too inexperienced and too young. After the show, backstage, Bon expressed his doubts about them being 'able to rock.' The two Young brothers told Bon he was 'too old to rock.' The upshot was that they had a jam session that night in the home of Bon's former mentor, Bruce Howe, and at the end of the session, at dawn, it was obvious that AC/DC had found a new singer. And Bon had found a new band." Scott replaced Dave Evans as the lead singer of AC/DC on 24 October 1974.

Reader's Guide

Bon Scott's vocals were inspired by his idol, Little Richard. He started his first band, the Spektors, in 1964 as drummer and occasional lead singer. In 1966, they merged with another local band, the Winstons, and formed the Valentines, in which Scott was co-lead singer with Vince Lovegrove. The Valentines recorded several songs written by George Young of the Easybeats. "Every Day I Have to Cry" made the local record chart. In 1970, after gaining a place on the National Top 30 with their single "Juliette," The Valentines disbanded due to artistic differences after a much-publicised drug scandal. Scott relocated to Adelaide in November 1970 after he joined the Sydney-formed progressive rock group Fraternity on lead vocals. They had local chart success with their version of Blackfeather's "Seasons of Change" (March 1971). Fraternity released the LPs Livestock and Flaming Galah before touring the UK in 1973, where they changed their name to Fang. During this time they played support slots for Status Quo and Geordie, whose front man Brian Johnson would eventually succeed Scott as the lead singer of AC/DC after his death. On 24 January 1972, Scott married Irene Thornton. In 1973, just after returning to Australia from the tour of the UK, Fraternity went on hiatus. Scott took a day job at the Wallaroo fertiliser plant and began singing with the Mount Lofty Rangers. During this time, Peter Head helped Scott with his original compositions. One of the songs from these sessions was a ballad called 'Clarissa,' about a local Adelaide girl. Another was the country-tinged 'Bin Up in the Hills Too Long.'

Did You Know?

• Scott spent nine months at the Riverbank Juvenile Institution in 1963 relating to charges including stealing 12 imperial gallons (55 L) of petrol.
• He attempted to join the Australian Army but was rejected and deemed 'socially maladjusted.'
• Scott married Irene Thornton on 24 January 1972.
• In the July 2004 issue of Classic Rock, Scott was ranked number one in a list of the '100 Greatest Frontmen of All Time.'
• AC/DC's album Back in Black, released five months after Scott's death as a tribute to him, is currently the second-best-selling album of all time.