[Info taken from 'Shock To The System' by Mark Putterford]

Atlantic Records Bio’s of band members

Here’s biographies of the band members that Atlantic printed in music books published in the 1979/1980 timeframe. These are from the record company, so take them with a grain of salt:

Angus Young - Born March 31, 1959 (Aries the Ram) in Glasgow, Scotland.
Angus and his brother Malcolm co-founded AC/DC almost ten years ago. On stage Angus still wears his schoolboy uniform (shorts and striped socks included), while playing a superb electric guitar. He’s especially well known for his vivid  onstage mannerisms - he won’t miss a note while roaming, falling, kicking, running, writhing, and sweating…a complete showman! Angus co-authors all of AC/DC’s music with Malcolm and Bon.

Bon Scott - Born July 9, 1946 (Cancer the Crab) in Kirnmuir, Scotland.
Ronald Belford Scott, the prolific writer of AC/DC’s lyrics, had been with various rock and R&B groups as singer/drummer before joining AC/DC. In addition to playing, Bon worked as a chauffeur for other groups. It was in this later capacity that he first met the other members of AC/DC, who felt he sang better than he drove! Bon is responsible for touching our hearts with such tributes as “The Jack” and “Whole Lotta Rosie” while developing into one of the best frontmen in rock.

Malcolm Young - Born January 9, 1953 (Capricorn the Goat) in Glasgow.
Often called the innovator and “brains” behind AC/DC, Malcolm plays airtight powerchord rhythm guitar. The other band members have nicknamed him “Riffmaker”, since his writing talent has been largely credited with supplying AC/DC with its inimitable, intense sound. Malcolm played with several bands in Sydney (the family having emigrated to Australia) while waiting quite literally - for Angus to finish school so they could form their band.

Phil Rudd - Born May 19, 1954 (Taurus the Bull) in Melbourne, Australia.
Phil releases his tensions by drumming. He received his early musical training in local Melbourne bands before taking up with AC/DC. Phil is also car-crazy, and he holds various certificates from England’s Brand Hatch race track. His obsessions with automobiles extends to driving the band around when on tour, and he even carries a portable electric roadracing set with him (which has been set up in Holiday Inns across the globe). “Driving” also describes Phil’s drumming, and his expert stickwork provides the rhythmic backbone for AC/DC.

Cliff Williams - Born December 14, 1949 (Sagitarius the Archer) in Romford, England.
Cliff is the newest member of AC/DC. He was chosen over 50 other bass players at auditions held in London last year. In the past he has performed with such British groups as Home and Bandit. Angus says he was selected not for his musical ability, but because his good looks would be sure to bring in women - a pastime the entire band shares enthusiastically.

Brian Johnson - Born October 5, 1947 (Libra the Balance) in Newcastle, England.
Brian, formerly of the English 70’s rock band Geordie, fits comfortably into the group as its lead vocalist and newest member. His Northeastern England accent, wild humor and cap are already trademarks, along with his heavy, raw edged vocals to which the crowds have given rousing approval.

[Info taked from 'Shock To The System' by Mark Putterford]

Angus’s year of birth was publicized as 1959 to play into the schoolboy image. This would have made him 15 years old when the band formed in 1974. However, his real year of birth is 1955. He did leave school at the age of 15, but didn’t join AC/DC until 1973, when he was 18.

Here’s the liner notes from a compilation of pre-AC/DC Bon Scott music.

Thanks to Steve Rhoads

Bon Scott Seasons Of Change 1967-1972

Raven Records
P.O. Box 92
Camberwell 3124
Australia

Here are the tracks:

1) To Know You Is To Love You [Spector]
2) She Said [Young] (George Young of Easybeat, older bro’ of Angus & Malc)
3) Everyday I Have To Cry [Alexander]
4) I Can’t Dance With You [Marriott-Lane]
5) Peculiar Hole In The Sky [Vanda-Young]
6) Love Makes Sweet Music [Ayers]
7) I Can Hear The Raindrops [Lovegrove-Ward]
Why Me? [Lovegrove-Ward]
9) Sooky Sooky [D. Covey]
10) Getting Better [Scott-Milsom]
11) Ebeneezer [Price-Taylor]
12) Hoochie Coochie Billy [Lovegrove-Ward-Milsom]
13) My Old Man’s A Groovy Man [Vanda-Young]
14) Nick Nack Paddy Wack [Lovegrove-Scott-Junko-Cooksey-Beach-Milsom]
15) Julliette [Milsom-Ward-Scott]
16) Annabelle [Jurd-Bisset]
17) Welfare Boogie [Fraternity]
18) Hemming’s Farm [Fraternity]
19) Sommerville R.I.P. [Howe-See]
20) Getting Off [Jurd]
21) If You Got It [Fraternity]
22) Seasons Of Change [Robinson-Johns]
23) interview with David Day of 5Ka in Adelaide

Written by Danny
Dec 20, 2006 at 05:20 AM

* The band: UFO was once mistaken for AC/DC:
AC/DC and UFO were doing a show together in Philadelphia. UFO went on first, and after their show singer Phill Mogg and bassist Peter Way went into the AC/DC dressing room to socialise. Then an Atlantic executive went up to Phill Mogg and said, “Bon, what a great show!” In front of AC/DC.

* In May of ‘78, Bon went to the bathroom and was standing beside an employee of Atlantic Records. The employee asked Bon whether he was AC or DC. As the legend goes, Bon said, “Neither Im the lightening flash in the middle!” Bon then beat up the employee.

* AC/DC was offered to star in the Movie ‘Dracula Rocks’.

* For AC/DC’s last show as Cheap Trick’s opening act, Angus, Malcolm and Bon bounded onstage for the headliners’ encore, which included renditions of Sin City and School Days. The encore also found Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen being hoisted on the shoulders of a roadie, a la Angus.
(all this happend during the same tour!)

* AC/DC is a slang term for bi-sexuality. In the early days the name help get the band more gigs (in gay clubs)

* “Upfront, bisexual women would come in and hold up vibrators. They had T-Shirts with holes cut out in the front, and their boobs were poking out. It was great!” Remembered Malcolm.

* Angus and Bon were considered unconventional sex symbols due to Australian pop personality Molly Meldrum.

* The album Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap was recored the same month of T.N.T’s release. It was put on shelf untill the band needed a new album. Atlantic did this so AC/DC could tour without the pressures of a new album.

* Angus came up with the line, ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’ from the cartoon Beany and Cecil There was a guy called Dishonest John and he had a card that said, ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. Holidays, Sundays and Special Rates.’

* The famous phone number from Dirty Deeds Just ring 36-24-36-0 gave AC/DC a lot of greif. People with that phone number kept getting prank calls, later they tried to sue AC/DC.

* Some Christan Church groups think the Lightening Bolt between the AC and DC is a Satanic S.

* Back In Black has sold over 10 million copies world wide.

* Cliff has been known to bleach his hair.

* Bon had six tattos including an eagle, a snake, and a cartoon lion. He also pierced both ears out of boredom.

* On “The Razor’s Edge” album, Brian didn’t write the lyrics. He was in the middle of a divorce and needed time to himself. Angus and Malcolm took that job for themselves.

* When AC/DC toured with Motley Crue in 1991 on the Monsters of Rock tour, Brian told bassist Nikki Sixx that his tattoos looked as if someone had thrown up on his arms.

* Angus smokes Benson and Hedges cigarettes.

* Some people often got the lyrics to three popular AC/DC songs confused. In “Money Talks”, people thought that Brian was singing “Mommy Dogs”. In “You Shook Me All Night Long” the lyric “She had sightless eyes” was misunderstood as “She had me cicumsized”. And in “Back In Black”the lyric “Forget the hearse cause I’ll never die” was heard as “I’ve got a hairstyle that’ll never die”.