The lead singer who helped propel AC/DC to international fame has been dead longer than he was alive. Yet Bon Scott remains atop or close to it on the honor roll of greatest hard rock singers ever, his legend looming at least as large if not more so in death than it was in life.
It was Scott’s unmistakable vocals and lyrics that were a major part of such all-time classic rock anthems as “Highway to Hell,” “Whole Lotta Rosie,” “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” and “TNT.” And it was the “Bon era” that set the stage for AC/DC to go on to become one of rock’s most universally popular and enduring bands.
But few rockers partied as hard as Scott—sadly resulting in his death at the age of 33 on February 19, 1980, just before AC/DC scored their worldwide breakthrough with Back in Black. To mark 40 years since his tragic passing, a new book from journalist Greg Prato has been published. A Rockin’ Rollin’ Man: Bon Scott Remembered features vintage photos and all-new interviews with renowned rockers, discussing what made Scott so special and unforgettable.
One such interview is from Cheap Trick’s founding drummer, Bun E. Carlos: “We saw [AC/DC] in Germany [on September 1, 1979, at Zeppelinfeld in Nurnberg] with the Who. There’s a picture of me, Robin [Zander], and Bon shooting pool in the hotel bar on a day off somewhere. The morning after the gig, me and Robin went down to the restaurant to eat, and Bon was sitting there, and said, ‘Join me!’ – he took his arm and cleared the table, and knocked everything on the floor! The waitress wanted to kill him, of course.
“[AC/DC] were so good back then, and you didn’t know it at the time. A few years later, when Bon was not around, you’re looking back and you’re going, ‘Man, I didn’t realize how good these guys were’.”
Listen to AC/DC perform “Highway to Hell” at that 1979 concert in Germany
Related: AC/DC reunion rumors persist
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