Died On This Date (November 18, 2017) Malcolm Young / AC/DC Founder & Rhythm Guitarist
themusicsover Malcolm Young
January 6, 1953 – November 18, 2017
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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Vince Lovegrove was a famous Australian artist manager, television producer, journalist, and one-time pop star himself. As a singer, Lovegrove performed with several Perth bands during the early ’60s. In 1966, he founded the Valentines in which he sang co-lead with future AC/DC front man, Bon Scott. In fact, it was Lovegrove who ultimately introduced Scott to the other members of AC/DC who of course, went on to become a rock and roll dynasty. The Valentines scored several Australian hits before disbanding in 1970. Lovegrove went on to become a pop music journalist, writing for such magazines as Go-Set and Immedia!. As a manager, Lovegrove, at one point or another, oversaw the careers of AC/DC, Cold Chisel, Jimmy Barnes, and the Divinyls. During the mid ’80s, Lovegrove’s wife, Suzi Sidewinder, was diagnosed with HIV. Prior to this knowledge, Suzi passed the virus along to their then-unborn son, Troy Sidewinder, while he was in her womb. Suzi died of AIDS in 1987, while Troy passed away from it in 1993. Lovegrove forged on as an HIV awareness activist, educating people that the virus was much more than a “gay disease.” He made two very personal and critically acclaimed documentaries on the subject, Suzi’s Story, and A Kid Called Troy. Lovegrove continued writing and performing well into the 2000s. Vince Lovegrove was killed in an automobile accident on March 24, 2012. He was 64.
