How Bon Scott inadvertently recommended Brian Johnson to AC/DC
It was almost impossible to replace Bon Scott as the lead singer of AC/DC. The man had it all – stage presence, charisma, and even a shared Scottish/Australian lineage with band founders Angus and Malcolm Young. But most importantly, Scott had a voice that was instantly recognisable. Equal parts grit, whisky, vigour, menace and lewd come-ons, Scott was a one-of-one kind of singer. Who could possibly step into those shoes?
AC/DC had to find out when Scott died of alcohol poisoning. With the band’s previous album, Highway to Hell becoming their international breakthrough, Scott’s death couldn’t have come at a more pivotal time. After briefly considering disbanding the group, the Young brothers elected to carry on. Angus Young recalled that it was actually Scott himself who first mentioned the name of his eventual replacement, Geordie singer Brian Johnson.
“I remember the first time I had ever heard Brian’s name was from Bon,” Young recalled in the book AC/DC: Hell Aint a Bad Place to Be. “Bon had mentioned that he had been in England once touring with a band, and he had mentioned that Brian had been in a band called Geordie and Bon had said ‘Brian Johnson, he was a great rock and roll singer in the style of Little Richard.’ And that was Bon’s big idol, Little Richard.”
“I think when he saw Brian at that time, to Bon, it was ‘Well, he’s a guy that knows what rock and roll is all about.’ He mentioned that to us in Australia,” Young added. “I suppose when we decided to continue, Brian was the first name that Malcolm and myself came up with, so we said we should see if we can find him.”
Taking over as the lead singer of AC/DC wasn’t just about vocal ability. The band and roadies who made up the group’s travelling circus were a rough-and-tumble bunch, so Johnson would have to be a good hang on top of being a good singer. He proved as much during his audition. “We were all sitting there going, Where’s this guy Brian? He should have been here an hour ago,'” Malcolm Young recalled about Johnson’s audition. “‘Oh him? He’s downstairs playing pool with the roadies’ – so we thought, well, at least he plays pool.”
“He was as sad about Bon as we were,” Angus added. “Anyway, we said, ‘Do you want to give it a go?’ And he said, ‘I do ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’ with Geordie,’ and off he went. We went, ‘This guy is cutting the mustard. Anything else you know? ‘Nutbush City Limits’? OK, we can knock that out,’ and he sang that great too. It put a little smile on our faces – for the first time since Bon. So we just started working with him then.”
Check out ‘Back in Black’ down below.
