Angus Young

Angus Young
Young on the Black Ice World Tour
Background information
Born	(1955-03-31) 31 March 1955 (age 61) Glasgow, Scotland
Genres	Hard rock, blues rock, rock and roll
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter, producer, guitarist
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	1970–present
Labels	EMI, Epic, Atlantic, Albert, Columbia
Associated acts	AC/DC, Marcus Hook Roll Band
Website	acdc.com
Notable instruments
Gibson SG Gibson ES-335

Angus McKinnon Young (born 31 March 1955) is an Australian guitarist, best known as the co-founder, lead guitarist, songwriter and sole constant member of the Australian hard rock band AC/DC. He is known for his energetic performances, schoolboy-uniform stage outfits and his own version of Chuck Berry's duckwalk. Young was ranked 24th in Rolling Stone magazine's 100 greatest guitarists of all-time list.

In 2003, Young and the other members of AC/DC were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The youngest of eight children of William and Alexandra Young, Angus was born in Glasgow, Scotland. In 1963 he emigrated from Scotland to Sydney, with his parents, older brothers Malcolm and George, and older sister Margaret. He dropped out of Ashfield Boys High School at age 15. His older brother, Alex, remained in Scotland and would later form the London-based group Grapefruit. His oldest brother Stephen was the father of his future AC/DC bandmate Stevie Young.

Young first started playing on a banjo, re-strung with six strings. He first started playing guitar on a cheap acoustic model purchased second-hand by his mother. His first Gibson SG was bought second-hand around 1970 from a music shop just down the street from his home:

I got out and got a Gibson SG that I played until it got wood rot because so much sweat and water got into it. The whole neck warped. I bought it second-hand; it was about a '67. It had a real thin neck, really slim, like a Custom neck. It was dark brown.

Prior to forming AC/DC, Young played in a local group called Kantuckee. Kantuckee's line-up included Bob McGlynn (vocals), Angus Young (guitar), Jon Stevens (bass) and Trevor James (drums). The band split and was later called Tantrum with the following line up: Mark Sneddon (vocals-guitar), Angus Young (guitar), Jon Stevens (bass) and Trevor James (drums). He was 18 when he and his older brother Malcolm formed AC/DC in 1973 with Angus on lead guitar, Malcolm on rhythm guitar, Colin Burgess on drums, Larry Van Kriedt on bass guitar and Dave Evans on vocals. "Can I Sit Next To You Girl," their first single, was later re-recorded with Bon Scott as their vocalist. They decided upon the name AC/DC after seeing the letters "AC/DC" on the back of their sister Margaret's sewing machine.