Died On This Date (February 19, 1980) Bon Scott / Lead Singer Of AC/DC
themusicsover Ronald “Bon” Scott
July 9, 1946 – February 19, 1980
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.”
What You Should Own
Kelly Groucutt is best remembered as a bassist and occasional lead singer for popular English rock band, Electric Light Orchestra. He played in the group from 1974 to 1983, the band’s most successful period. His talents can be heard on such classic albums as Face The Music, A New World Record, and Out Of The Blue. Groucutt released his only solo album in 1982. It included some help from a few ELO band mates. He left ELO in 1983, but participated in spin-off groups during subsequent years. Kelly Groucutt was 63 when he passed away on February 19, 2009. His death was the result of a heart attack he had suffered the previous day.
Miika Tenkula was the founding lead singer, guitarist and primary songwriter for Finnish death metal band, Sentenced. Originally formed as Deformity in 1998, Sentenced released several albums over the next seven years. The group broke up in October of 2005, and on February 19, 2009, Miika Tenkula died of a heart attack brought on by a then unknown heart defect. He was 34.
Mike Bloomfield was an influential electric guitarist who came on like a sonic boom during the ’60s Chicago blues revival. Bloomfield took Chicago by storm, winning early accolades from the likes of Buddy Guy, Bob Dylan and B.B King. In 1964, Bloomfield was signed to Columbia Records by legendary talent scout and producer, 