Jump to content

Malcolm Young

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 111.223.87.245 (talk) at 10:36, 19 November 2017 (He's British. Born in Scotland.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Malcolm Young
Young in 2010
Young in 2010
Background information
Birth nameMalcolm Mitchell Young
Born(1953-01-06)6 January 1953
Glasgow, Scotland, UK
OriginSydney, Australia
Died18 November 2017(2017-11-18) (aged 64)
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
  • producer
Instruments
  • Guitars
  • vocals
Years active1969–2014
Labels
Websiteacdc.com

Malcolm Mitchell Young (6 January 1953 – 18 November 2017) was a musician and songwriter, best known as a co-founder, rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist and songwriter for the hard rock band AC/DC. Except for a brief absence in 1988, he was with the band from its November 1973 beginning until retiring in 2014 for health reasons. Young and the other members of AC/DC were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

Though his younger brother Angus is the more visible of the brothers, Malcolm was described as the driving force and the leader of the band. In 2014, he stated that despite his retirement from the band, AC/DC was determined to continue making music with his blessing.[1] As the rhythm guitarist, he was responsible for the broad sweep of the band's sound, developing many of their guitar riffs and co-writing the band's material with Angus. He was married to Linda Young and had two children, Cara and Ross.

Young took a leave of absence from AC/DC in April 2014, to receive treatment for dementia.[2][3] In September 2014, the band's management announced that he would be retiring permanently.[4] He died on 18 November 2017.

Early life

One of eight children of Scottish couple William and Margaret Young, Malcolm Mitchell Young[5] was born in Glasgow on 6 January 1953. In 1963, he emigrated from Scotland to Australia, settling in Sydney with his parents, brothers George and Angus, and older sister Margaret.[6] His older brother, Alex, remained in Scotland and later formed the London-based group Grapefruit.[7] His oldest brother Stephen is the father of his future AC/DC replacement Stevie Young.[8]

Music career

Malcolm Young in 1990

After the breakup of the Newcastle-based band The Velvet Underground (not the well-known 1960s band), Young founded AC/DC in November 1973, and soon asked Angus to join when they were 20 and 18 years old respectively. They began national touring in 1974 with singer Dave Evans.[9]

AC/DC relocated to the UK in 1976, and began a heavy schedule of international touring and recording. The first six albums of the band were produced by ex-Easybeats members Harry Vanda and George Young, Angus and Malcolm's brother, and they were also the production team behind the Marcus Hook Roll Band.[10] After the death of lead singer Bon Scott in 1980, they recorded their biggest selling album Back in Black with singer Brian Johnson.[9]

Young missed the majority of AC/DC's Blow Up Your Video World Tour to address his drinking problem.[9] He eventually became sober and returned to the band. During his absence he was replaced by his nephew, Stevie Young. Some fans did not realise that he had been replaced, as Stevie Young bears a striking resemblance to his uncle.[11]

In 1974, Young played guitar on "Evie" by Stevie Wright, written and produced by Harry Vanda and George Young.[12]

Health problems and death

In April 2014, Young became seriously ill and was unable to continue performing.[13] On 16 April 2014, AC/DC released a note stating that Young would be "taking a break from the band due to ill health".[14] However, singer Brian Johnson stated that despite earlier reports, AC/DC are not retiring: "We are definitely getting together in May in Vancouver. We're going to pick up guitars, have a plonk and see if anybody has got any tunes or ideas. If anything happens we'll record it."[15] In July, Johnson revealed that Young was in hospital receiving treatment for an unspecified condition and during May recording sessions had been replaced in the studio by guitarist Stevie Young, his nephew.[2] On 24 September 2014, the band's management announced that Young would not be rejoining the band.[4] Stevie Young continued to fill in for Malcolm on the band's 2015 Rock or Bust World Tour.[16]

On 26 September 2014, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Young had dementia and had been admitted to a nursing home where he could receive full-time care. A source close to Young was quoted in this article as saying that he had "complete loss of short-term memory".[17] Young's family confirmed four days later that he had dementia, saying that Young "is suffering from dementia and the family thanks you for respecting their privacy".[3]

In subsequent interviews, Angus stated that his brother had been experiencing lapses in memory and concentration before the Black Ice project and had been receiving treatment during the Black Ice World Tour which ended in 2010. Angus confirmed that although his brother did not play on the 2014 Rock or Bust album: "He still likes his music. We make sure he has his Chuck Berry, a little Buddy Holly." He added that AC/DC would continue according to his brother's wishes and standards: "Look, even with his health, Malcolm was touring until he couldn't do it anymore." In that same interview, Angus stated that Malcolm was rehearsing AC/DC's songs repeatedly before every concert just to remember how they went.[18] In an interview with Guitar Player about Malcolm Young's songwriting credits in Rock or Bust, Angus stated, "Mal[colm] kept doing what he could until he couldn't do it anymore, but I have all the material he was working on. There were a lot of riffs, ideas, and bits of choruses. I'd fill things in to see if we had a song. Every album we've ever done has been that way. There was always a bit from the past, a bit from what we had that was brand new, and, sometimes, just an old idea that either Malcolm or myself had worked on but we never finished. The songwriting process didn't really change, except for the fact that Mal wasn't physically there. So when it came to writing and putting stuff together, I had Stevie [Young] there with me. You see, Malcolm was always a great organizer. He always kept track of the stuff we were writing together. He'd record it, date it, make notes. My records — if you can call them that — are always chaotic. So, this time, Stevie helped me organize a lot of what was there." [19]

At the conclusion of the Black Ice World Tour, Malcolm was diagnosed with lung cancer. It was treated at an early stage, so surgery was successful and the cancer was removed. He also had an unspecified heart problem and wore a pacemaker.[20]

Young died on 18 November 2017 at the age of 64.[21] Several sources noted the proximity of Young's death to that of his older brother George, a few weeks earlier.[22][23][24]

Legacy and influence

Influenced by 1950s rock and roll and blues-based rock guitarists of the 1960s and 1970s, Young was regarded as a leading rock exponent of rhythm guitar.[25] He is the subject of a song (and album) title by Australian punk rock band Frenzal Rhomb: "Forever Malcolm Young".

Guitar Player magazine has stated that the secret to Young's guitar technique was playing open chords through a series of Marshalls set to low volume with little or no gain. This is contrary to a common belief of many rock guitarists that rhythm guitar should involve loud and overdriven power chords through large amplifiers.[26]

Dave Mustaine of Megadeth stated in a 2004 interview that he considered himself, Young, and James Hetfield of Metallica to be the best rhythm guitarists in the world.[27]


See also

References

  1. ^ Roberts, Lesley (19 October 2014). ""WHOLE LOTTA ROYSTON: WRITER HAILS ROCK BRUVS AS HOME CITY URGED TO HONOUR THEM; How Glasgow Forged Superstar Rockers' Heavy Metal."". Sunday Mail: 36. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  2. ^ a b "AC/DC guitarist Malcolm Young is in hospital, says bandmate Brian Johnson". theguardian.com. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  3. ^ a b "AC/DC's Malcolm Young Has Dementia". people. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  4. ^ a b "AC/DC 'ROCK OR BUST'". Alberts Management. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  5. ^ Prato, Greg. "Artist Biography [Malcolm Young]". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  6. ^ Tait, John (2010). Vanda and Young: Inside Australia's Hit Factory. UNSW Press. p. 6. ISBN 9781742240107. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
  7. ^ Wall, Mick (2012). AC/DC: Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be. London: Orion Publishing group. ISBN 9781409115359.
  8. ^ "AC/DC's ANGUS YOUNG Says STEVIE YOUNG Was 'The Logical Choice' To Step In For MALCOLM YOUNG". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. 24 November 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  9. ^ a b c Wall, Mick (2012). AC/DC: Hell Aint a Bad Place to Be. London: Orion Publishing group. ISBN 9781409115359.
  10. ^ Baker, Glenn A. (14 March 1981). "Vanda and Young: AC/DC and the Young Brothers". Billboard. 93 (10): VY-4, VY-11. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  11. ^ Yves Vranckx and Verónica Martínez. "AC/DC – Bedlam in Belgium – English version". Ac-dc.cc. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
  12. ^ Tait, John (2010). Vanda & Young. University of New South Wales Press. p. 144. ISBN 978-1-74223-217-1.
  13. ^ Peter Vincent, Martin Boulton. "AC/DC to split over sick band member, according to rumours". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  14. ^ "A Message From AC/DC". AC/DC. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  15. ^ "Brian Johnson: AC/DC Not Retiring Yet". Metal Hammer. 16 April 2014. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ Grow, Kory (1 October 2014). "AC/DC's Malcolm Young has dementia, family says". Rolling Stone.
  17. ^ "AC/DC's Malcolm Young reportedly in care for dementia in Sydney". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  18. ^ "Hard Rock, Harder Times: AC/DC Return Without Two Key Members". Rolling Stone. 14 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  19. ^ Molenda, Michael (May 2015). "Unbroken & Victorious". Guitar Player. 49 (5): 48–52, 54–56, 58, 60–61. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  20. ^ Matthew Wilkening (8 January 2015). "Lung Cancer, Pacemaker: More Malcolm Young Health Woes Detailed". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
  21. ^ "AC/DC co-founder dead at 64". NewsComAu. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  22. ^ "AC/DC co-founder Malcolm Young dies aged 64". 18 November 2017.
  23. ^ Thorpe, Vanessa (18 November 2017). "AC/DC co-founder Malcolm Young dies aged 64" – via www.theguardian.com.
  24. ^ Reporters, Telegraph (18 November 2017). "AC/DC co-founder and guitarist Malcolm Young dies age 64" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  25. ^ Stafford, Andrew (1 November 2015). "AC/DC: without rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, AC have lost their DC". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  26. ^ Gold, Jude. "Beginner Lesson! AC-DC'S Crushing Chords". GuitarPlayer.com. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  27. ^ "'I'm Over My Metallica Demons,' Says Dave Mustaine". NewGNR.com. 25 August 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Malcolm Young.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Malcolm_Young&oldid=811073385"