Died On This Date (November 18, 2017) Malcolm Young / AC/DC Founder & Rhythm Guitarist

Malcolm Young
January 6, 1953 – November 18, 2017

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Malcolm Young, the co-founding guitarist for legendary hard rock band, AC/DC passed away with his family by his side after a long battle with dementia.  Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Young moved with his family to Australia when he was 10 years old.  At 20, he formed AC/DC, which would go on to include his brother Angus Young on lead guitar, and Bon Scott on lead vocals. There were several line-up changes through the years, including the hiring of Brian Johnson on lead vocals after Scott passed away in 1980.  With early Bon Scott fronted albums like T.N.T., Powerage, and Highway to Hell, the band began to build a huge following around the world due in large part to the bigger-than-live sound and image largely conceived by Malcolm.  Their first album with Johnson, 1980’s Back in Black, sent the band’s popularity into the stratosphere. That album alone has sold over 50 million copies while their entire catalog sits at over 200 million in sales.  They are one of the highest-selling bands of all time.

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Died On This Date (February 19, 1980) Bon Scott / Lead Singer Of AC/DC

Ronald “Bon” Scott
July 9, 1946 – February 19, 1980

bon-scott

Bonn Scott was the second lead singer of hard rock juggernaut, AC/DC.  In 1964, Scott formed his first band, the Spektors as their drummer. They eventually morphed into the Valentines, a pop band who scored a bubblegum hit or two in Australia.  For a good laugh, check out their video for “Build Me Up Buttercup.”  That’s Scott on back-up vocals to the right.  After that band broke up in 1970, Scott joined Fraternity, a moderately successful rock band that took him down a more deserved rock path than he was on with his earlier bands.  When Fraternity went on hiatus in 1973, Scott found work as a driver of up-and-coming hard rock band, AC/DC.  At the time, brothers, Angus Young and Malcolm Young who were looking for someone to replace original lead singer, Dave Evans.  Meanwhile, Scott was pestering them about becoming their drummer, but the Youngs soon decided to hire Scott as their lead singer, his gutteral snarl being a better match for their sonic guitars.  The group released their first album, High Voltage in Australia in September of 1974.  By 1979, the band were building a fan base throughout Europe and North America, so when their sixth album, Highway to Hell came out in July of ’79, AC/DC were well on their way to becoming one of the biggest rock band’s of their generation.  The album became their first to crack the U.S. album charts, eventually peaking at #17.  Sadly however, Scott wouldn’t live to enjoy the fruits of the group’s hard work.  On February 19, 1980, he was placed in a parked automobile to sleep off a night of heavy drinking.  When a friend went to check on him some hours later, he found Scott unresponsive, so he was taken to a local hospital where he was listed as dead on arrival.  Bonn Scott died at the age of 33, having choked on his own vomit.  Official documents indicated that he died of acute alcohol poisoning and suffered “death by misadventure.”

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