Angus Young was just a regular boy who hated school. His oldest brother, George Young, had achieved some success with his popular Aussie outfit, the Easybeats. His older brother Malcolm had already set his sites on become a rock and roll star, and he talked Angus into learning the guitar and joining his band. Angus instantly liked the rock and roll lifestyle, because he realized he wouldn’t have to go back to school if he could make a career of playing the guitar. So, taking advise that was given to him by his sister, he began donning his school uniform on stage, and it didn’t take long before the band was known for the guy in the schoolboy uniform. They gigged local clubs and festivals, gaining popularity fast by mixing popular cover songs with original, beat-driven rock. Angus adapted well to the stage, as he was young and handsome and capable of running back and forth across the stage all night long. The band, who now called themselves AC/DC, moved to Melbourne, where they met Phil Rudd and Dale Evans. Soon they fired Dale Evans and replaced him with their limo driver, Bon Scott, who had some experience with singing and playing the drums. The band’s new lineup soldiered on to produce High Voltage and TNT. Both of these albums would go on to be considered AC/DC classics, but neither sold well at the time of release. AC/DC didn’t gain a following until they toured outside of Australia. Fans from other countries loved AC/DC’s gimmicks and hard-pounding, sexy rock and roll. Let There Be Rock was their breakthrough album in the UK, which included the chart-topping “Whole Lotta Rosie.” It was 1979’s Highway to Hell, however, that would confirm their stardome. Sadly, however, it was AC/DC’s last album with Bon Scott. Scott passed away after a drinking binge on February 19, 1980. Coroners say that he choked on his own vomit.

The death of Scott sent ripples through the AC/DC camp, and it was uncertain whether the band would continue without him. Scott’s mother, however, contacted Angus and Malcolm and told them to continue on because that’s what Bon would want, and the Young brothers set out to find a suitable replacement. The man who proved to be more than adequate for the job was Brian Johnson, and the band quickly went into the studio. Months later, they released Back in Black. Black would prove to be AC/DC’s greatest album ever, reaching number one around the world, and catapulting the members into superstar status. Since the Black album, however, AC/DC hasn’t diverted from the “tried and true” formula that keeps cranking out hits. They have seen a couple of top ten singles, such as “Who Made Who,” off the album by the same name, and their newest release, “Stiff Upper Lip.” Angus is still pumping away at his guitar, and there will no doubt be more top ten hits for AC/DC in the future.