What is the history of ACDC?

Answer 1

This is a massive question, so I've split it into loads of sections.

Origins (pre-1973)AC/DC was founded by the brothers Angus, Malcolm and George Young. George was a member of The Easybeats, Australia's most successful band of the 1960s.

The name comes from when Angus and Malcolm saw it written on the back of their sisters sowing machine. AC/DC stands for Alternating Current/Direct Current, and the Youngs thought this symbolised their pure energy.

All three brothers were born in Glasgow, Scotland, but moved to Sydney in 1963. Malcolm was the next to join a band, the NSW band The Velvet Underground, not to be confused with the NY band of the same name.

1973-74 (Dave Evans era)AC/DC's first gig was on New Years Eve 1973, with George Young as the producer, Angus on lead guitar and Malcolm on rhythm guitar. They were joined by Velvet Underground vocalist Dave Evans, bassist Larry van Kriedt and drummer Colin Burgess.

Burgess was fired in early 1974, and replaced for one gig by Ron Carpenter, but that was very short lived. Bassists and drummers passed through the band with frightening regularity.

Carpenter was replaced by Russell Coleman, who also only did one gig and was in turn replaced by Noel Taylor. Taylor was the drummer until April that year, by which time van Kriedt had been replaced by Neil Smith of bass.

April '74 saw both Smith and Taylor leave the band and be replaced by Rob Bailey and Peter Clack respectively.

In September '74 the band decided that Dave Evans was not the right frontman for the band, and that he was more of a glam rocker, like Gary Glitter. He later joined Newcastle, NSW band Rabbit.