Bon Scott

At 33 years old, Bon Scott has this physical status:

Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott (19 July 1946 – 19 February 1980) was an Australian singer, songwriter, and arranger best known for his role as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 to 1980.

At the age of six, he and his family migrated to Australia in 1952, and spent four years in Fremantle, Western Australia.

In 1964, Scott formed The Spektors, the band's drummer and occasional lead vocalist.

He appeared in several other bands, including The Valentines and Fraternity, before replacing Dave Evans as the lead singer of AC/DC in 1974.

Highway to Hell, the band's 1979 album, debuted in the United States, and the band seemed to be on the verge of a commercial breakthrough.

However, Scott died in London on February 19th, 1980, after a night out.

AC/DC briefly considered disbanding, but Geordie, a British glam rock band, recruited vocalist Brian Johnson.

Back in Black, AC/DC's newest album, was only five months later and was a nodo to Scott's death.

In the July 2004 issue of Classic Rock, Scott was ranked as number one on a list of the 100 Greatest Frontmen of All Time."

On their 2006 list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Vocalists of all time, Hit Parader ranked Scott as fifth.

1946–1964: Early years

Ronald Belford Scott was born in Forfar, Scotland, on July 9, 1946, the uncle of Charles Belford "Chick" Scott (1917–1999) and Isabelle Cunningham "Isa" Mitchell (1917–2011). He grew up in Kirriemuir and was his parents' second child; the first-born boy, Sandy, died shortly after birth; Derek, the third child, was born in 1949. His parents owned the family bakery in Kirriemuir's Bank Street. In 1952, the Scott family emigrated from Scotland to Australia.

They grew up in Sunshine, Victoria, and Scott attended Sunshine Primary School near Sunshine Primary School. The nickname "Bon" was acquired shortly after beginning school; because another Ronald was in the classroom, his classmates played on the phrase "Bonnie Scotland." Graeme, a fourth child, was born in 1953.

The family immigrated to Fremantle in 1956. Scott joined the Fremantle Scots Pipe Band, learning the drums. He attended North Fremantle Primary School and later John Curtin College of the Arts until he dropped out at the age of 15. He later worked as a farmhand and a crayfisherman, and then as a trainee weighing machine mechanic. In 1963, he spent a short time at Fremantle Prison's assessment center and nine months at the Riverbank Juvenile Institution, on suspicion of giving a false name and address to the police, unlawful car ownership, and illegally stealing 12 imperial gallons (55 L) of fuel. He tried to join the Australian Army but was refused and described as "socially insecure."

Scott's vocals were inspired by his idol, Little Richard. Scott started the Spektors, a postman, bartender, and truck packer, in 1964. In 1966, they formed the Valentines, co-lead singer Vince Lovegrove with another local band, the Winstons. Many of the Valentines' songs were written by George Young of the Easybeats. "Every Day I Have to Cry" (an Arthur Alexander song that was written and performed) appeared on the local record chart. The Valentines disbanded due to artistic inconsistencies following a widely circulated drug scandal in 1970. After gaining a spot on the National Top 30 with their single "Juliette," the Valentines fell apart due to cultural inconsistency.

Scott immigrated from Adelaide in 1970 and joined the Fraternity, a progressive rock group. Before touring the United Kingdom in 1973, Fraternity introduced the LPs Livestock and Flaming Galah, where they changed their name to Fang. During this period, they held support slots for Status Quo and Geordie, whose frontman Brian Johnson will eventually replace Scott as the lead singer of AC/DC after his death. Scott married Irene Thornton on January 24, 1972, during this period.

Fraternity went on hiatus in 1973, only after returning to Australia from the tour of the United Kingdom. Scott started singing with the Mount Lofty Rangers, a loose band led by Peter Head (né Beagley) from Headband, and they all died around the same time, so the logical thing was to bring together songwriters and experiment with songs. As did Glenn Shorrock's pre-Lower Band, other ex-Fraternity members performed with the band, as did Glenn Shorrock pre-Prince Band. Head also assisted Scott with his original compositions during this period.

"Bon will go to Peter's house after a day of (literally) screaming shit, and he'll bring him musical ideas from his day's work," Vince Lovegrove said. Bon's guitar experience was limited, so Peter began teaching him how to chords and create a song. 'Clarissa', a ballad based on a local Adelaide girl, was one of the songs from these sessions. Bin Up in the Hills Too Long was another example of things to come with Bon's lyrics; simple, smart, sardonic, tongue-in-cheek.

In return, Scott recorded vocals for Mount Lofty Rangers' songs "Round & Round" and "Carey Gully." Head began releasing these original recordings in 1996, as well as working with producer Ted Yanni, Scott's older brother, to create a wholly new fund for Round & Round & Round that more accurately represented the original intentions Head had. This EP's long out of print and largely bootlegged, it finally received a digital release in June 2010. Head's "Been up in the Hills Too Long" and "Clarissa" tracks have been released in digital format on Scott's "Been Up in the Hills Too Long" and "Clarissa," which were also released in 2011 in digital form.

About 11 p.m. on May 3rd, 1974, when a rehearsal with the Mount Lofty Rangers, a very inebriated, angry, and belligerent Scott had a raging debate with a member of the band. Scott screamed out of the venue, tossing a bottle of Jack Daniel's on the ground, then sped off on his Suzuki GT550 motorbike. Scott sustained significant injuries as a result of his motorcycle crash, spending three days in a coma and a further 18 days in hospital. Vince Lovegrove and his wife, who then operated a travel company, gave Scott odd jobs, including putting up posters and painting the office during his recovery, and just after being introduced to AC/DC who were looking for a new lead singer.

"During another AC/DC visit, George Young phoned me and said the band was looking for a new singer." Bon was the best guy for the job right away, and I told him right away that he was the right one for the job. Bon's injury did not mean he could do well, and it could have been that he was too young (9 years older than Angus at the time) to perform. Nonetheless, I had a meeting with Malcolm and Angus, and I suggested Bon as their new singer. They asked me to accompany him to the Pooraka Hotel that night and then returnstage after the performance. Bon was captivated, and he eagerly wanted to join them, but feared they were too inexperienced and too young. Bon expressed reservations about them being "ready to rock" after the show, backstage. Bon said he was "too old to rock." The upshot was that they had a jam session in Bon's former mentor, Bruce Howe, that night, and that AC/DC had found a new artist at dawn. Bon had discovered a new band.

Scott, Malcolm Young, and his younger brother Angus Young of AC/DC were born in Scotland before emigrating to Australia in their childhood with their family. Fraternity was revived and Scott was replaced by Jimmy Barnes after he was reformed.

"The first time Bon saw AC/DC was in August 1974," Irene Thornton, Scott's wife, later wrote. They were on tour through Adelaide with Lou Reed and Stevie Wright and performed their own show at the Pooraka Hotel. At the Pooraka Hotel in September, it was the first time I saw AC/DC. 'Get up there, Bon,' Vince kept telling her. That night, the band didn't have a singer; they were playing instrumental interpretations of old rock'n' roll standards. The boys ripped through all these classic numbers, before finally stepping onto the stage with enough pressure from Vince. I didn't know that AC/DC had just fired Dave Evans and that Bon was sacked, but they wanted to replace him. The Youngs, like Bon, were Scottish, so there was an instant connection."

On October 24, 1974, Scott Evans replaced Dave Evans as the lead singer of AC/DC, with Evans having personal disputes with band members and executives. Scott's appointment coincided with his time as a chauffeur for the band until an audition led him to lead singer Scott.

AC/DC's first LP in Australia, with the Young brothers as lead and rhythm guitarists, session drummer Tony Currenti (see AC/DC line-ups), and George Young as a temporary bassist. Currenti was hired as a permanent bassist by Phil Rudd and Mark Evans within a few months, and AC/DC's second album T.N.T. was released in Australia in December 1975. The first AC/DC album to gain foreign exposure was a compilation of tracks from the first two albums, as well as High Voltage, which was launched in May 1976. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, another studio album, was released in September of the same year but only in Australia; the album's international version was released in December with a different track listing. The album was not released in the United States until March 1981.

AC/DC's Let There Be Rock and Powerage continued their success in the years. Powerage's 1978 release of Cliff Williams (who had replaced Mark Evans), as well as the harder riffs from Let There Be Rock's blueprint. Only one single single was released from Powerage—"Rock 'n' Roll Damnation," which earned AC/DC their highest chart position at the time, netting #24. If You Want Blood You've Got It. An appearance at the Apollo Theatre in Glasgow during the Powerage tour was captured and released.

Highway To Hell, Robert "Mutt" Lange's sixth album, was released in 1979. It was AC/DC's first LP to crack the top 100, eventually ranking at #17, and it propelled AC/DC to the top of the top charts of hard rock acts, and it was the first LP to break the top 100, eventually reaching #17.

AC/DC appeared on Aplauso TV (Spain) on February 9, 1980, where they appeared on "Beating Around the Bush," "Girls Got Rhythm," and "Highway to Hell"; this would be Bon Scott's last public appearance with AC/DC before his death.

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