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The Day AC/DC Got Back in Black With A New Voice

04/19/2011
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On this day in 1980, 32-year old vocalist Brian Johnson replaced the late Bon Scott in AC/DC. Gibson takes a look back: The group was riding a new high when 1980 rolled around. But soon after beginning work on their seventh album, tragedy struck. On February 19, 1980, Scott passed out in his car after a night of heavy drinking at London's Music Machine club. The next morning, Scott's friend, Alistair Kinnear, who'd left Scott the previous evening passed out in the car, went out to find the singer still in the car and unconscious. Kinnear rushed him to King's College Hospital in Camberwell, where he was pronounced dead.

Beyond the human tragedy of a talented life cut short, Scott's death also halted a group on a seemly unstoppable roll. After a steady seven-year climb from the Australian club circuit to the verge of worldwide megastardom, AC/DC suddenly faced serious doubts about whether they had any future at all. They even considered folding up shop and quitting altogether. After much deliberation, though, the remaining members of AC/DC decided to soldier on, believing it's what Scott would have wanted. A number of replacement singers were considered, including ex-Moxy member Buzz Shearman, Terry Slesser of Back Street Crawler and Slade's Noddy Holder. Then there was a bloke named Brian Johnson, who fronted the band Geordie�

"I remember the first time I had ever heard Brian's name was from Bon," Angus later told Bravewords.com. "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." more on this story

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