List of AC/DC members
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Script error: No such module "Multiple image". AC/DC are an Australian rock band from Sydney. Formed in November 1973, the group originally consisted of vocalist Dave Evans, lead guitarist Angus Young, rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young (his older brother), bassist Larry Van Kriedt and drummer Colin Burgess. The band's current touring lineup features Angus Young, vocalist Brian Johnson (from 1980 to 2016, and since 2018), rhythm guitarist Stevie Young (nephew of Angus and Malcolm Young, a member since 2014), as well as touring musicians Matt Laug (drums) and Chris Chaney (bass guitar).
History
AC/DC formed in November 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young,[1][2] with drummer Colin Burgess (ex-the Masters Apprentices), bass guitarist Larry Van Kriedt and vocalist Dave Evans.[2][3][4] The group recorded single "Can I Sit Next to You, Girl" in January–February 1974 at EMI Studios in Sydney, with older brother George Young and Harry Vanda as the producers – both were former members of the Easybeats and Marcus Hook Roll Band.[3][4] A week after this session Burgess was fired, followed shortly thereafter by Van Kriedt, his recorded bass lines for the January session being re-recorded by George. Their replacements, Neil Smith on bass and Noel Taylor on drums, lasted six weeks, replaced in turn by Rob Bailey and Peter Clack, respectively.[1][3][4]
In September 1974, Bon Scott, a vocalist previously with the Valentines (1966–1970) and Fraternity (1971–1973),[3][4] joined AC/DC after his former bandmate Vince Lovegrove introduced him to George during their stopover in Adelaide.[5] Scott had worked as a driver for the group in that city until an audition promoted him to lead singer.[6] Scott also had experience as a songwriter and drummer.[5] Both Bailey and Clack were fired in January 1975,[2] with Paul Matters taking over bass duties briefly before being fired in turn and replaced temporarily by George or Malcolm for live duties.[3][4] Meanwhile, on drums, Ron Carpenter and Russell Coleman had brief tenures before Phil Rudd (ex-Buster Brown) joined in that month.[3][4] Bassist Mark Evans was enlisted in March 1975, setting the line-up, which lasted two years.[3][4][7]Template:Rp In mid-1977, Mark Evans was fired – he ascribed disagreements with Angus and Malcolm as a contributing factor.[2] He was replaced on bass guitar by Cliff Williams, (ex-Home and Bandit).[3][4][6]
In February 1980, after the release of Highway to Hell (1979), Scott died to acute alcohol poisoning.[8]Template:Rp[9] The band briefly considered quitting, but encouraged by the insistence from Scott's parents that he would have wanted them to carry on, they decided to continue and sought a new vocalist,[6] to which vocalist Brian Johnson (ex-Geordie) was officially announced as the lead singer of AC/DC on 1 April 1980.[10] In April 1983, following an altercation with Malcolm Young and ongoing problems with substance abuse, Rudd was fired from AC/DC.[11] In April 1988, following the Blow Up Your Video World Tour shows across Europe, Malcolm announced that he was taking time off touring, principally to deal with his alcoholism. Angus and Malcolm's nephew, Stevie Young, temporarily replaced Malcolm on guitar.[3][12] In 1989, Wright left the group to work on American heavy metal band Dio's fifth studio album Lock Up the Wolves (1990); he was replaced by session veteran Chris Slade.[3][4] Angus and Malcolm invited Rudd to several jam sessions during 1994; he was rehired to replace Slade.[11]
On 23 September 2014, AC/DC members confirmed that Malcolm had officially retired from performing, due to his early onset dementia.[13] He died on 18 November 2017 aged 64, due to the dementia.[14] On 6 November 2014, Rudd was charged with threatening to kill, possession of methamphetamine and possession of cannabis, following a police raid on his home.[15][16][17] AC/DC's remaining members issued a statement clarifying that Rock or Bust World Tour would continue, but did not indicated whether or not Rudd would participate, or whether he was still a member.[18] At a charity signing before the Grammy Awards, the band were photographed together with Slade. It was later confirmed that he had rejoined for the Grammys and upcoming tour.[19] Shortly thereafter, the band's web site removed Rudd as their drummer and replaced him with Slade.[20]
On 7 March 2016, the band announced that the final ten dates of the second North American leg of the tour would be rescheduled as Johnson's doctors had ordered him to stop touring immediately: he risked complete deafness if he persisted. The ten cancelled dates were to be rescheduled, "likely with a guest vocalist" later in the year, leaving Johnson's future in touring with the group uncertain.[21] On 16 April 2016, Guns N' Roses front man Axl Rose was announced as the lead vocalist for the remainder of their 2016 tour dates.[22] Williams indicated he was leaving AC/DC during an interview with Gulfshore LifeTemplate:'s Jonathan Foerste on 8 July 2016, "It's been what I've known for the past 40 years, but after this tour I'm backing off of touring and recording. Losing Malcolm, the thing with [Rudd] and now with [Johnson], it's a changed animal. I feel in my gut it's the right thing."[23] At the end of the Rock or Bust World Tour, he released a video statement confirming his departure.[24]
After completing the tour in 2016, AC/DC went on hiatus. Over the next few years, speculation grew that former members Johnson and Rudd were back and working with the band again. A fan living near the Warehouse Studio, Vancouver claimed to have observed them in the outdoor area of the studio from an apartment window.[25][26] The rumors have been confirmed to be true two years later, as on 30 September 2020, they announced the return of Johnson, Williams and Rudd to the line-up alongside Angus and Stevie, reuniting the Rock or Bust line-up.[27] On 9 September 2023, one month before their scheduled show on the Power Trip festival, AC/DC revealed that Williams was part of the line-up after coming out of retirement,[28] and American drummer Matt Laug, who had previously played for Slash's Snakepit and Alice Cooper, replaced Rudd.[29] The Power Up Tour was announced on 12 February, with former Jane's Addiction bassist Chris Chaney replacing Williams.[30]
Members
Current
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:CSS image crop | Angus Young | 1973–present | Template:Hlist | all AC/DC releases |
| Template:CSS image crop | Phil Rudd | Template:Hlist | Template:Hlist | all AC/DC releases from T.N.T. (1975) to Flick of the Switch (1983), and since Ballbreaker (1995) |
| Template:CSS image crop | Cliff Williams | Template:Hlist | Template:Hlist | all AC/DC releases since Powerage (1978) |
| Template:CSS image crop | Brian Johnson | Template:Hlist | lead vocals | all AC/DC releases since Back in Black (1980) |
| Template:CSS image crop | Stevie Young | Template:Hlist | Template:Hlist | All AC/DC releases since Rock or Bust (2014) |
Former
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:CSS image crop | Malcolm Young | 1973–2014 (died 2017)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | Template:Hlist | all AC/DC releases from "Can I Sit Next to You, Girl" (1974) to Live at River Plate (2012) |
| Colin Burgess | Template:Hlist (died 2023)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | drums | "Can I Sit Next to You, Girl/ Rockin' In The Parlour" (1974). Returned to fill in for Rudd temporarily in 1975, for live performances only | |
| Template:CSS image crop | Larry Van Kriedt | Template:Hlist | bass guitar | none – live performances only[6]Template:Rp |
| Template:CSS image crop | Dave Evans | 1973–1974 | lead vocals | "Can I Sit Next to You, Girl/ Rockin' In The Parlour" (1974) |
| Neil Smith | 1974 (died 2013)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | bass guitar | none – live performances only[6]Template:Rp | |
| Ron Carpenter | 1974 | drums | ||
| Russell Coleman | ||||
| Noel Taylor | ||||
| Rob Bailey | 1974–1975 | bass guitar | High Voltage (1975) | |
| Peter Clack | drums | High Voltage (1975) – "Baby, Please Don't Go" only | ||
| Template:CSS image crop | Bon Scott | 1974–1980 (until his death)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | Template:Hlist | all AC/DC releases from High Voltage (1975) to Highway to Hell (1979) |
| Paul Matters | 1975 (died 2020)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | bass guitar | none – live performances only[6]Template:Rp | |
| Template:CSS image crop | Mark Evans | 1975–1977 | all AC/DC releases from T.N.T. (1975) to Let There Be Rock (1977) | |
| Template:CSS image crop | Simon Wright | 1983–1989 | Template:Hlist | all AC/DC releases from Fly on the Wall (1985) to Blow Up Your Video (1988) |
| Template:CSS image crop | Chris Slade | Template:Hlist | all AC/DC releases from The Razors Edge (1990) to "Big Gun" (1993) |
Others
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mick Sheffzick | 1973 | bass guitar | Before formation, he was recruited by Malcolm alongside Burgess, but was eventually replaced by Van Kriedt.[31]Template:Rp | |
| Template:CSS image crop | George Young | 1974–1975 (died 2017)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | Template:Hlist | George Young, who was primarily a guitarist, filled in on bass on several occasions during the band's early shows, amid frequent lineup changes. He also played bass on a number of tracks on High Voltage (1975).[6] |
| Template:CSS image crop | Tony Currenti | 1974 | drums | Played drums on seven songs for High Voltage (1975) plus the "High Voltage" single as a session musician before Rudd joined.[32] |
| Denis Loughlin | 1974 (died 2019)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[33] | lead vocals | Loughlin, the band's manager at the time, would occasionally substitute for Dave Evans during early shows.[34] | |
| Bruce Howe | 1975 | bass guitar | Howe, Bon Scott's former bandmate in Fraternity, performed bass a number of times with the group.[6] | |
| Paul Gregg | 1991 | Gregg replaced Cliff Williams for several shows on the US leg of the Razors Edge World Tour due to illness.[35]Template:Rp | ||
| Bob Richards | 2014 | drums | Substituted for Phil Rudd on the "Play Ball" and "Rock or Bust" music video.[36] | |
| Template:CSS image crop | Axl Rose | 2016 | lead vocals | Replaced Brian Johnson for the last two legs of the Rock or Bust World Tour, due to Johnson's hearing problems.[22] |
| Matt Laug | 2023–present | drums | Fill in for Phil Rudd for the Power Trip Festival,[29] and the Power Up Tour.[30] | |
| Template:CSS image crop | Chris Chaney | 2024–present | Template:Hlist | Fill in for Cliff Williams for the Power Up Tour.[30] |
Timeline
<timeline> ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:90 bottom:110 top:10 right:20 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/11/1973 till:03/05/2026 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3 ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1974 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1974
Colors =
id:lvocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals id:lguitar value:teal legend:Lead_guitar id:rguitar value:brightgreen legend:Rhythm_guitar id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:sax value:tan2 legend:Saxophone id:bvocals value:pink legend:Backing_vocals id:touring value:yellow legend:Touring_musician id:studio value:black legend:Studio_album id:live value:gray(0.6) legend:Live_album id:bars value:gray(0.95)
BackgroundColors = bars:bars
BarData =
bar:Dave text:Dave Evans bar:Bon text:Bon Scott bar:Brian text:Brian Johnson bar:Axl text:Axl Rose bar:Angus text:Angus Young bar:Malcolm text:Malcolm Young bar:Stevie text:Stevie Young bar:Larry text:Larry Van Kriedt bar:Neil text:Neil Smith bar:Rob text:Rob Bailey bar:Paul text:Paul Matters bar:Mark text:Mark Evans bar:Cliff text:Cliff Williams bar:Chris2 text:Chris Chaney bar:Colin text:Colin Burgess bar:Ron text:Ron Carpenter bar:Russell text:Russell Coleman bar:Noel text:Noel Taylor bar:Peter text:Peter Clack bar:Phil text:Phil Rudd bar:Simon text:Simon Wright bar:Chris text:Chris Slade bar:Matt text:Matt Laug
LineData =
layer:back color:live at:30/04/1978 at:09/12/1979 at:17/08/1991 at:10/07/1996 at:14/06/2001 at:04/12/2009 layer:back color:studio at:17/02/1975 at:01/12/1975 at:30/04/1976 at:20/09/1976 at:21/03/1977 at:25/05/1978 at:27/07/1979 at:25/07/1980 at:23/11/1981 at:15/04/1983 at:28/06/1985 at:18/01/1988 at:24/09/1990 at:26/09/1995 at:28/02/2000 at:17/10/2008 at:28/11/2014 at:13/11/2020
PlotData =
width:11 color:lvocals bar:Dave from:start till:24/09/1974 bar:Bon from:15/10/1974 till:19/02/1980 bar:Brian from:29/03/1980 till:15/04/2016 bar:Brian from:01/08/2018 till:end bar:Axl from:15/04/2016 till:20/09/2016
color:lguitar bar:Angus from:start till:19/09/2016 bar:Angus from:01/08/2018 till:end color:rguitar bar:Malcolm from:start till:02/05/1988 bar:Malcolm from:03/05/1988 till:13/11/1988 width:7 bar:Malcolm from:14/11/1988 till:14/04/2014 bar:Stevie from:03/05/1988 till:13/11/1988 bar:Stevie from:03/05/2014 till:19/09/2016 bar:Stevie from:01/08/2018 till:end
color:bass bar:Larry from:start till:18/02/1974 bar:Larry from:17/01/1975 till:12/02/1975 bar:Neil from:24/02/1974 till:24/04/1974 bar:Rob from:25/04/1974 till:14/01/1975 bar:Paul from:15/02/1975 till:08/03/1975 bar:Mark from:10/03/1975 till:03/05/1977 bar:Cliff from:27/05/1977 till:20/09/2016 bar:Cliff from:01/08/2018 till:12/02/2024 bar:Cliff from:12/02/2024 till:end width:7 bar:Chris2 from:12/02/2024 till:end
color:sax bar:Larry from:start till:18/02/1974 width:3 bar:Larry from:17/01/1975 till:12/02/1975 width:3 color:drums bar:Colin from:start till:10/02/1974 bar:Colin from:13/09/1975 till:28/09/1975 bar:Ron from:11/02/1974 till:18/02/1974 bar:Russell from:18/02/1974 till:24/02/1974 bar:Noel from:25/02/1974 till:24/04/1974 bar:Peter from:25/04/1974 till:14/01/1975 bar:Phil from:15/01/1975 till:01/08/1983 bar:Phil from:01/07/1994 till:07/02/2015 bar:Phil from:01/08/2018 till:09/09/2023 bar:Phil from:09/09/2023 till:end width:3 bar:Simon from:01/08/1983 till:31/10/1989 bar:Chris from:01/11/1989 till:30/06/1994 bar:Chris from:07/02/2015 till:20/09/2016 bar:Matt from:09/09/2023 till:end
color:bvocals width:3 bar:Malcolm from:start till:14/04/2014 bar:Stevie from:03/05/1988 till:13/11/1988 bar:Stevie from:03/05/2014 till:20/09/2016 bar:Stevie from:01/08/2018 till:end bar:Cliff from:27/05/1977 till:20/09/2016 bar:Cliff from:01/08/2018 till:end bar:Chris2 from:12/02/2024 till:end
color:touring bar:Colin from:13/09/1975 till:28/09/1975 width:3 bar:Stevie from:03/05/1988 till:13/11/1988 width:7 bar:Axl from:15/04/2016 till:20/09/2016 width:3 bar:Matt from:09/09/2023 till:end width:3 bar:Chris2 from:12/02/2024 till:end width:7
</timeline>
Lineups
| Period | Members | Releases | |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 1973 – February 1974 (First line-up as AC/DC) |
|
none | |
| February 1974 |
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none | ||
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| February–April 1974 |
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| April–September 1974 |
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| September–November 1974 |
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| November 1974 |
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| November 1974 – January 1975 |
|
none | |
| January–February 1975 |
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| February 1975 |
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| February–March 1975 |
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| March 1975 |
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| March 1975 – May 1977 |
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| May 1977 – February 1980 |
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| February–March 1980 |
|
none | |
| April 1980 – April 1983 |
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| July 1983 – May 1988 |
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| May–November 1988 |
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none | |
| November 1988 – November 1989 |
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| November 1989 – August 1994 |
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| August 1994 – April 2014 |
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| April 2014 – February 2015 |
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| February 2015 – April 2016 |
|
none | |
| April–September 2016 |
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| Band on hiatus September 2016 – August 2018 | |||
| August 2018 – September 2023 |
|
| |
| September 2023 – February 2024 |
|
none | |
| February 2024 – present |
| ||
References
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External links
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