List of AC/DC members
AC/DC are an Australian hard rock band formed by guitarist brothers Angus and Malcolm Young in 1973. Originally featuring vocalist Dave Evans, bassist Larry Van Kriedt and drummer Colin Burgess, after a number of lineup changes the band settled with Bon Scott on vocals, Mark Evans on bass guitar and Phil Rudd on drums, and released five albums (two limited to Australia) between 1975 and 1977. Due to continuing clashes with lead guitarist Angus Young, Evans was later fired from the band shortly after the release of Let There Be Rock, although "musical differences" was the official reason given for his departure.[1] Cliff Williams was brought in as his replacement,[2] and he remains with the band to this day.
After another two successful albums, as the band were due to start recording again frontman Bon Scott died in London on 19 February 1980 due to alcohol poisoning.[3] The band briefly considered quitting, but later chose to carry on and hired Brian Johnson to take Scott's place as lead vocalist.[4] The group's first album with Johnson was Back in Black in 1980, which is now the second best-selling album of all-time after Michael Jackson's Thriller.[5] After the recording of Flick of the Switch in 1983, Phil Rudd quietly left the band due to problems with drug and alcohol abuse as well as a confrontation with rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young.[6]
Simon Wright joined as Rudd's replacement, performing on the albums Fly on the Wall (1985), Who Made Who (1986) and Blow Up Your Video (1988) during his time in the band. He left the band in 1989, and later explained that he "began to get complacent about things", claiming that he "needed to expand on [his] drumming more".[7] The next drummer to join AC/DC was Chris Slade, who despite being in the band for five years only performed on one studio album, The Razors Edge. In 1994 Slade departed from the band, due to the desire of the Young brothers to return to working with former drummer Rudd, who they said "demonstrated a 'groove' more fitting [to] their style of rock".[8] The lineup of Johnson, Young, Young, Williams and Rudd remained from 1994 until 2014, and released the albums Ballbreaker (1995), Stiff Upper Lip (2000) and Black Ice (2008) in the process. On 24 September 2014, it was confirmed that Malcolm Young had officially departed from the band due to ill health, and would be replaced by his nephew Stevie Young.[9]
Current members
- Angus Young
- Active: 1973 – present
- Regular instruments: lead guitar
- Occasional instruments: rhythm guitar, backing vocals, slide guitar
- Release contributions: all AC/DC releases
- Cliff Williams
- Active: June 1977 – present
- Regular instruments: bass guitar, backing vocals
- Release contributions: all AC/DC releases from Powerage (1978) to present
- Brian Johnson
- Active: April 1980 – present
- Regular instruments: lead vocals
- Release contributions: all AC/DC releases from Back in Black (1980) to present
- Stevie Young
- Active: April–November 1988, 2014 – present
- Regular instruments: rhythm guitar, backing vocals (live only)
- Release contributions: Rock or Bust (2014). Also replaced Malcolm Young for a US tour while he was recovering from health problems.[10]
- Chris Slade
- Active: 1989 – 1994, 2015 – present
- Regular instruments: drums, percussion
- Release contributions: The Razors Edge (1990)
Former members
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malcolm Young | 1973 – September 2014 | rhythm guitar, backing vocals | All releases prior to Rock or Bust (2014) | |
| Dave Evans | December 1973 – September 1974 | vocals | "Can I Sit Next to You Girl" (1974) | |
|
Larry Van Kriedt | December 1973 – February 1974, January 1975 | bass guitar, saxophone | Live performances only. Occasionally switched to saxophone during some gigs.[11] Returned in January 1975 to fill in briefly after Rob Bailey was fired. |
| Colin Burgess | December 1973 – February 1974, September 1975 | drums | Returned in September 1975 to replace Phil Rudd for a few gigs, as Rudd had injured his hand. | |
| Ron Carpenter | February 1974 | drums | Live performances only. | |
| Neil Smith | February–April 1974 | bass guitar | Live performances only.[12] | |
| Noel Taylor | February–April 1974 | drums | Live performances only.[13] | |
| Peter Clack | April 1974 – January 1975 | drums | "Can I Sit Next to You Girl" (1974) and High Voltage (1975) | |
| Rob Bailey | April 1974 – January 1975 | bass guitar | "Can I Sit Next to You Girl" (1974) and High Voltage (1975) | |
|
Bon Scott | September 1974 – February 1980 | vocals | All AC/DC releases from High Voltage (1975) to Highway to Hell (1979) |
| Russell Coleman | January 1975 | drums | Performed at a small number of gigs during the first week of January 1975, immediately before Phil Rudd was hired.[14] | |
| Paul Matters | February–March 1975 | bass guitar | Recruited at George Young's suggestion, Matters was fired after 11 gigs.[15] | |
| Mark Evans | March 1975 – June 1977 | bass guitar | All AC/DC releases from T.N.T. (1975) to Let There Be Rock (1977) | |
|
Simon Wright | July 1983 – November 1989 | drums, percussion | Fly on the Wall (1985), Who Made Who (1986) and Blow Up Your Video (1988) |
|
Chris Slade | November 1989 – August 1994 | drums, percussion | The Razors Edge (1990), Live (1992) and "Big Gun" (1993) |
Session musicians and temporary replacements
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis Laughlin | 1974 | vocals | Band manager who occasionally filled in for Dave Evans for live performances. | |
| George Young | 1974, 1975 | bass guitar, backing vocals, rhythm guitar, drums | Contributed various instruments, mainly bass guitar, on High Voltage (1975) and several subsequent albums, but was only credited as a producer. He often filled in on bass guitar at live shows during 1974–75.[16] | |
| John Proud | 1974 | drums | Contributed to High Voltage (1975) as a session musician. Uncredited.[17] | |
| Tony Currenti | 1974 | drums | Contributed to High Voltage (1975) and the "High Voltage" single as a session musician. Uncredited.[18] | |
| B.J. Wilson | 1983 | drums | Was brought in to record tracks for the Flick of the Switch (1983) album following Phil Rudd's departure from the band. His contributions were ultimately not used on the album and Simon Wright joined the band shortly thereafter.[19] | |
| Paul Greg | 1991 | bass guitar | Replaced Cliff Williams for a few shows on the US leg of the Razor's Edge tour, when Williams was ill.[20] | |
| Bob Richards | 3–4 October 2014 | drums | Replaced Phil Rudd for the filming of the "Rock or Bust" and "Play Ball" videos in London as Rudd was unable to attend due to family emergency.[21] Richards did not contribute musically. |
Timeline
References
- ^ "AC/DC". MILESAGO: Australasian Music & Popular Culture 1964-1975. Ice Productions. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ Marky Billson (29 August 2008). "Let There Be Rock". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Richard Jinman (19 February 2005). "25 years on, AC/DC fans recall how wild rocker met his end". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Greg Prato. "Biography". Brian Johnson. Allmusic. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ "The 50 best-selling albums ever". NME. 21 October 2010. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Eduardo Rivadavia. "Biography". Phil Rudd. Allmusic. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ "Drummer Simon Wright On AC/DC, Ronnie James Dio And Dio Disciples". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. 17 August 2011. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ "Former AC/DC Drummer Chris Slade Interviewed At NAMM (Video)". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. 31 January 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ "AC/DC 'ROCK OR BUST'". Alberts Management. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
- ^ Wall, p.386–88
- ^ Mick Wall, "AC/DC: Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be, Phoenix, 2012, p.59
- ^ Wall, p.62–65
- ^ Wall, p.62–65
- ^ Wall, p.132
- ^ Wall, p.141
- ^ Mick Wall, "AC/DC: Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be, Phoenix, 2012.
- ^ Wall, p.124
- ^ Wall, p.124
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=JMwfax4vtHwC&pg=PA58&lpg=PA58&dq=B.J.+Wilson+ac/dc&source=bl&ots=OZXH_nEXJ5&sig=P4HrumjjydvvqCG7gmeQYDgRG_8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hUxfVMiSLM6cyASq0IDwBg&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=B.J.%20Wilson%20ac%2Fdc&f=false
- ^ Masino 2009, p. 178.
- ^ "AC/DC's Phil Rudd sits out video shoot; ex-Shogun drummer Bob Richards steps in". Blabbermouth. 6 October 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
