The guitarist Angus Young of AC/DC called his “idol”
Few outfits can claim to be as symbolic of heavy rock as AC/DC. The Australian group has rolled through a series of lineup changes over the years, some by choice and some forced. The only constant has been the band’s tenacious rock ‘n’ roll spirit centred on the founding brothers Malcolm and Angus Young.
While the brothers ultimately and most evidently took cues from heavier rock acts like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, their initial inspiration lay in the realm of classic 1950s rock and roll. Like the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and most other 1960s pop rock acts, the Young brothers were particularly enamoured with the likes of Chuck Berry and Little Richard.
In a 2001 interview with Rolling Stone, Angus Young was asked what music gets his “toes tapping”.
“I plug into a lot of old rock and roll,” he replied. “Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis. I love all that stuff. In fact, if I get a chance and I’m on my way to a gig, I’ll put one of their tapes on. Because they’re good vibe meters, and I still get off on them.”
When the early AC/DC vocalist Bon Scott tragically died from acute alcohol poisoning in 1980, the band decided to continue with English singer Brian Johnson as a replacement. The decision was simple for the Youngs since Scott had previously praised Johnson as having a voice like his hero, Little Richard.
“I remember the first time I had ever heard Brian’s name was from Bon,” guitarist Angus recalled in an interview with BraveWords. “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. 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.”
As for Angus Young, Chuck Berry just about beats Richard to the top spot, which is understandable since the former created guitar-driven rock ‘n’ roll and the latter favoured the piano.
In the video clip seen below, Yung discusses his early introduction to guitar. He demonstrates a classic Chuck Berry riff before describing the late guitarist as his and many of his peers’ idols. “For rock and roll, the obvious is Chuck Berry,” he says. “I think for rock ‘n’ roll, especially at the time, Chuck was the bulk of people’s idol.”
