Angus Young (AC/DC)

Name: Angus McKinnon Young
Born: 31st March, 1955 (Glasgow, Scotland)

Profile: He is a Scottish-born Australian musician and the lead guitarist, songwriter and co-founder of the rock and roll band "AC/DC". He is known for his wild, energetic performances, schoolboy-uniform stage outfits and the duck walk.

History: Angus first started playing on banjos but re-strung them with six strings. By the time he was 11, Angus had flirted with a tutorial course, but he preferred to learn by himself and most of his musical education was pure trial and error. In the beginning, Angus messed around with Malcolm Young's (brother) guitars for years before his mother finally bought him his own, a cheap little acoustic. At 16, a year prior to leaving school Angus had been practicing guitar almost constantly, jamming around with friends and playing at school dances.

As a teenager, he played in a band called 'Kantuckee'. He was 18 when he and his Malcolm formed AC/DC in 1973 with Angus on lead guitar, Malcolm on rhythm guitar, Colin Burgess on drums, Rob Bailey on bass guitar and Dave Evans on vocals (later replaced by Bon Scott). Angus tried a number of stage costumes, such as Spider-Man, Zorro, a gorilla, and a parody of Superman, named Super-Ang, before settling on his signature schoolboy look.

While AC/DC never strayed far from their original musical path, record and ticket sales continued to increase with each successive album and tour. With massive global success beckoning, AC/DC overcame a career-threatening tragedy in 1980 when Scott died from alcohol poisoning. But his replacement, Brian Johnson, fit in perfectly, as the group immediately issued their biggest hit of their entire career, the classic "Back in Black".

Most rock fans would agree that AC/DC guitarist Angus Young is one of the genre's most energetic and entertaining performers. It's impossible to imagine an AC/DC show without Angus bobbing his head up and down in time to the music, playing Chuck Berry's licks on his Gibson SG guitar, shirtless and drenched in sweat. And in addition to his manic stage persona, he's one of the best rock guitarists of all time.

Influences: Malcolm Young (brother), Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Freddie King, Jimi Hendrix, John Lee Hooker, Keith Richards (Rolling Stones) and The Kinks

Axology: Gibson SG, Jaydee SG, Gibson Firebirds, Gibson ES-335 and Marshall model 1959 amplifiers

Signature song(s): Can I Sit Next To You Girl and You Shook Me All Night Long (AC/DC - Back in Black)

Link(s):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biaGJ_4rEzE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en7EKL1pX5w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89PNBNb_7N4

"We've been accused of making the same album over and over 12 times. But it's a dirty lie. The truth is, we've made the same album over and over 15 times"- Angus Young