Bon Scott – Australian rock musician
Bon Scott is an Australian rock musician and songwriter of Scottish descent who became famous as a vocalist and frontman of the Australian rock band AC / DC. He takes the first place in the list of 100 greatest frontmen of all time according to the British Classic Rock magazine.
Ronald Belford Scott was born on July 9, 1946 in Forfar, Scotland. In 1952, his family emigrated from the UK to Australia. Until 1956, the family lived in Melbourne, then moved to Fremantle, where Bon learned to play drums and bagpipes as part of a local orchestra. Bon left school at the age of 15 because of constant conflicts. For various violations (including giving false names and addresses to the police, escaping from surveillance, illegal intercourse and stealing 50 liters of fuel), Scott was taken to the Fremantle Prison’s firing point and also spent nine months in a juvenile care facility. For some time Scott served in the Australian armed forces, but was sacked because of poor social integration.
The first group with the participation of Scott was called The Spektors. His next group, The Valentines, Scott founded as one of the lead vocalists. The Valentines recorded several songs written by George Young rom the group The Easybeats. One of them – Every Day I Have To Cry – was in the top five of the best hits. As a member of The Valentines, Scott was one of the first Australian rock musicians to be arrested for possession of marijuana. Later, Scott moved to Adelaide, where he joined the Fraternity group. After moving to Sydney, the band recorded the albums Livestock and Flaming Galah, and in 1971 went on tour in Europe.
In 1973, after returning from the tour, the activities of Fraternity were interrupted. Scott joined a group called Peter Head’s Mount Lofty Rangers. Returning on a motorcycle after one of the rehearsals with this group, Scott got into an accident and got seriously injured. Meanwhile, the Fraternity group gathered again, replacing Scott with the new vocalist Jimmy Barnes.
A year later, working as a chauffeur in Adelaide, Scott first met members of the AC / DC group.
Bon Scott died of alcohol poisoning on February 19, 1980 in London. He was 33 years old. It was a rock ‘n’ roll death for a man who had lived the most rock ‘n’ roll life imaginable. Scott was buried on 1 March 1980 in his adopted city of Fremantle, Australia.
Brian Johnson’s first album, Back In Black (1980), was dedicated to Scott’s memory.