46 Fun Facts About AC/DC

In which city was AC/DC formed in 1973?

Sydney. Malcolm and Angus Young formed the band there in November 1973 and played their first official gig at the Chequers nightclub that New Year's Eve, then moved base to Melbourne the following year.

Where did the Young brothers find the name AC/DC?

On the adapter of their sister's sewing machine. By the band's account, Margaret Young pointed out the 'AC/DC' marking on her machine, and she later proposed Angus's schoolboy uniform too.

Which costumes did Angus Young try before settling on the schoolboy uniform?

Zorro, a gorilla and Superman. Angus Young wore each on stage until the band wanted a fresh image for a high-profile park gig in April 1974, where he first appeared as a schoolboy.

In which Scottish city were Angus and Malcolm Young born?

Glasgow. The Youngs left in June 1963, after one of Scotland's worst winters on record and TV adverts for assisted passage persuaded the family to emigrate to Australia.

Which guitarist's duckwalk does Angus Young imitate on stage?

Chuck Berry. Berry said the duckwalk began as a childhood trick that amused his family, which he later revived on stage; Angus Young, who names him as an influence, made it part of his own act.

Which older brother of Angus and Malcolm Young co-produced AC/DC's early albums with Harry Vanda?

George Young. He and his Easybeats bandmate Harry Vanda produced every AC/DC album until 1979, when the record label pushed for a producer with a more American radio sound.

Which two bands had Bon Scott sung with before joining AC/DC in 1974?

The Valentines and Fraternity. Bon Scott was co-lead singer of Perth pop band The Valentines, then fronted Adelaide-based Fraternity, before old bandmate Vince Lovegrove introduced him to AC/DC in 1974.

Which Australian-only album supplied most of the tracks on AC/DC's first international release?

T.N.T. Although the 1976 international release borrowed the debut's title, High Voltage, it took seven of its nine tracks from T.N.T. and only two from the debut itself.

Which label signed AC/DC to its first international deal?

Atlantic. Phil Carson signed AC/DC from the label's London office, yet its American arm soon refused to release one of the band's albums.

Which album cover introduced AC/DC's now-famous angular logo?

Let There Be Rock. Typographer Gerard Huerta drew the lettering for the album's 1977 international sleeve, and it was later adopted as the band's permanent logo.

Which AC/DC bassist was fired in May 1977 and replaced by Cliff Williams?

Mark Evans. Back in London after a troubled European tour, he was called to a band meeting and told his services were no longer needed.

Which AC/DC album was recorded on stage in Scotland during the 1978 Powerage tour?

If You Want Blood You've Got It. AC/DC's first live album came from a single show at the Apollo theatre on 30 April 1978; the whole concert was filmed, but the footage has never been released in full.

Who produced AC/DC's 1979 album Highway to Hell?

Mutt Lange. The label first sent Jimi Hendrix's engineer Eddie Kramer, but the band clashed with him and got Lange instead, who delivered AC/DC's first US Top 20 album.

What was the official cause of Bon Scott's death in February 1980?

Acute alcohol poisoning. The coroner recorded acute alcohol poisoning and death by misadventure after Scott was left to sleep overnight in a car in East Dulwich, London, and found dead on 19 February 1980.

Where was Bon Scott buried?

Fremantle, Western Australia. His ashes were interred in the port city where his family had settled in 1956, and so many fans visit that the National Trust has heritage-listed the grave.

Bon Scott spent his early childhood in which Scottish town, also the birthplace of Peter Pan's creator?

Kirriemuir. Bon Scott lived in the small town until his family emigrated when he was six, and it now honours him with an annual festival, Bonfest, and a bronze statue.

Which band was Brian Johnson fronting before AC/DC hired him?

Geordie. Brian Johnson fronted the Newcastle glam-rock band Geordie, who had a 1973 UK hit with 'All Because of You'; Bon Scott had praised his singing after seeing Geordie play.

Which two songs did Brian Johnson sing at his AC/DC audition?

'Nutbush City Limits' and 'Whole Lotta Rosie'. By the band's own account, hearing Johnson belt out the Tina Turner hit and their own song put the first smiles on their faces since Bon Scott's death.

Where was Back in Black recorded?

Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas. A tropical storm hit during the sessions, and Brian Johnson turned it into the 'rolling thunder' and 'pourin' rain' of the album's opening lines.

Why is the cover of Back in Black entirely black?

As a sign of mourning for Bon Scott. The record label resisted the plain black sleeve, but the band refused to budge; the label settled for a grey outline around the logo.

Which AC/DC drummer was fired midway through the 1983 Flick of the Switch sessions after clashing with Malcolm Young?

Rudd. Phil Rudd had already finished his drum parts when he was fired, and the band asked him back in 1994 for five more studio albums.

Which Stephen King film had a soundtrack album by AC/DC called Who Made Who?

Maximum Overdrive. Stephen King, a devoted AC/DC fan, directed the film himself, and the band wrote three new tracks for it, including the title song 'Who Made Who'.

Which producer, known for Aerosmith and Bon Jovi hits, made AC/DC's The Razors Edge in Vancouver?

Bruce Fairbairn. He took over at Vancouver's Little Mountain Sound after the Youngs' older brother bowed out early, and the album became AC/DC's big commercial comeback.

Which drummer played on AC/DC's 1990 album The Razors Edge?

Chris Slade. It was his only studio album with AC/DC: when the band wanted to try out their former drummer again in 1994, Slade quit rather than wait on standby.

For which Arnold Schwarzenegger film did AC/DC record 'Big Gun'?

Last Action Hero. 'Big Gun' was written for the 1993 Schwarzenegger film Last Action Hero; Schwarzenegger appears in its video dressed in Angus Young's schoolboy uniform.

Which rock frontman inducted AC/DC into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

Steven Tyler. The Aerosmith singer hailed the band's 'thunder from Down Under' in his speech, then joined AC/DC on stage to sing with them.

Which 1980 single became AC/DC's first US Top 40 hit?

'You Shook Me All Night Long'. Brian Johnson's first single with the band reached number 35 on the Hot 100, a breakthrough no single from the Bon Scott years had managed in America.

Which Marvel film's soundtrack was an AC/DC compilation released in 2010?

Iron Man 2. The 2010 soundtrack gathered fifteen older AC/DC tracks with no new songs, yet only 'Shoot to Thrill' and 'Highway to Hell' are actually heard in the film.

Why did Malcolm Young retire from AC/DC in 2014?

Early-onset dementia. Angus Young said the symptoms had surfaced before the Black Ice album, and that Malcolm had to relearn his own riffs to get through his final tour.

Which singer fronted AC/DC for the rest of its 2016 tour after Brian Johnson risked losing his hearing?

Axl Rose. After doctors told Brian Johnson to stop touring at once, AC/DC postponed ten US shows and later played them with the Guns N' Roses singer at the microphone.

Which song is the opening track of AC/DC's Back in Black?

'Hells Bells'. The band first taped a church bell, but birds taking flight ruined every take, so a foundry cast a one-ton bronze bell specially for the intro.

Which guitar model has been Angus Young's trademark since the early 1970s?

Gibson SG. Angus Young bought his first one second-hand around 1970 and said he played it until the neck warped from all the sweat and water soaking into the wood.

Which Australian TV pop show gave AC/DC crucial national exposure in the mid-1970s?

Countdown. The ABC show's crew filmed the famous clip of the band playing 'It's a Long Way to the Top' on a flatbed truck rolling down a Melbourne street.

Which Black Sabbath member allegedly pulled a knife on Malcolm Young in Sweden during the bands' 1977 tour?

Geezer Butler. By one account the bassist's 'knife' was only a toy flick-knife comb, but after the clash AC/DC were sent home from Black Sabbath's tour the very next day.

Which instrument did Bon Scott play on AC/DC's 'It's a Long Way to the Top'?

Bagpipes. The pipes trade licks with the lead guitar in place of a solo, and after Scott's death the band retired the song from its live set out of respect for him.

Which 1976 AC/DC album was not released in the United States until 1981?

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. The US label passed on it in 1976, then finally released it after the band's 1980 breakthrough; it climbed to number three, higher than Back in Black had.

Which song was the lead single from AC/DC's 1990 comeback album The Razors Edge?

'Thunderstruck'. Angus Young said it grew out of a little trick he had on guitar; the single led off the album that returned AC/DC to multi-platinum sales.

Which 2020 comeback album did AC/DC dedicate to the late Malcolm Young?

Power Up. Every song is credited to Angus and Malcolm Young, because Angus built the album from riffs the brothers had stockpiled before Malcolm's death in 2017.

Who was AC/DC's original lead singer at its formation in November 1973?

Dave Evans. He sang on the debut single, 'Can I Sit Next to You, Girl', but was replaced by Bon Scott within a year as the band dropped its glam-rock image for a harder sound.

In which city did AC/DC headline a free 1991 Monsters of Rock show before one of rock's biggest-ever crowds?

Moscow. Staged at Tushino airfield a month after the failed August coup, the concert was free, which helped draw a crowd estimated at anywhere from 500,000 to 1.6 million.

Which nephew of Angus and Malcolm Young replaced Malcolm on rhythm guitar for Rock or Bust?

Stevie Young. He had already covered for his uncle on a 1988 US tour while Malcolm dealt with a drinking problem, so the band turned to him again when Malcolm retired in 2014.

After Back in Black peaked at number four, which album became AC/DC's first US chart-topper?

For Those About to Rock. It took the US number one that Back in Black never managed, yet it has sold only a fraction of its predecessor's copies there.

Which US retailer had exclusive rights to sell AC/DC's 2008 album Black Ice in its stores?

Walmart. AC/DC refused to sell songs one by one on iTunes, so they took Black Ice to America's biggest physical music retailer instead, and it still debuted at number one.

In which venue was AC/DC's 1996 Ballbreaker World Tour concert film shot?

A Madrid bullring. The band filmed at Las Ventas, the city's great bullfighting arena, on 10 July 1996 and released the result under the title No Bull.

Which producer's Rolling Stone essay called AC/DC 'the greatest rock & roll band of all time'?

Rick Rubin. The Ballbreaker producer wrote that his junior-high classmates all liked Led Zeppelin while he loved AC/DC, hooked after seeing them play 'Problem Child' on TV.

Which AC/DC album did the Youngs' older brother produce alone at Vancouver's Warehouse Studio?

Stiff Upper Lip. Recorded in late 1999 at Bryan Adams's studio, it reunited the band with the brother who had steered their 1970s records, and it was the last album he produced for them.