Bon Scott Biography

On July 9, 1946 Bon Scott was born in Kirriemuir Scotland. For the first 6 years of his life Bon lived in the small town of Kirriemuir. Bon's parents both came for musical families. His father, Charles, was known as Chick. He played the drums in the Kirriemuir pipe band and the local light opera company.

The Scott family relocated to Australia in 1952. They first settled in Melbourne before permanently settling in Adelaide suburb of Sunshine Australia. Bon's brother Graeme was diagnosed with asthma in 1956 and the Scotts relocated to Fremantle Australia.

Bon had shown an interest in music as early as grade school. He first played a recorder in school. He would occasionally have a brief run in with the piano and accordation, before settling on the drums. Bon took his first steps in becoming a performer when he was 12. He played a recorder in a duet with a classmate at a school concert. He also banged the drums in the local Caledonian Scot's pipe band.

At the age of fifteen, his dislike for authority led him to quit school. After quitting school, Bon had held a string of jobs. He drove a tractor, he labored on fishing boats and he also worked as an apprentice weight-machine mechanic. The earliest bands Bon played with, found him doubling up on vocals and drums. In Perth during 1966 he played with The Spectors. Then he moved on to The Valentines. In May 1967 The Valentines released a debut single entitled 'Every Day I Have To Cry' on the Clarion label. Despite its lack of originality, the single reached the Top 5 of the local charts. But their next three singles flopped and they decided to move to Melbourne for a change of luck.

The Valentines recorded three Easybeats songs, 'She Said', 'Pelicular Hole In The Sky' and 'My Old Man's A Groovy Old Man'. The latter reached No.23 in the Australian charts in July 1969. On September 20, 1969 The Valentines were arrested for dope possession, which shattered their clean-cut image beyond repair. Nevertheless The Valentines released another single, 'Juliette' in April 1970 that barely reached the Australian Top 30. The band officially called it quits on August 1, 1970.

Within six months of The Valentine's dissolution, Bon received a call from Bruce Houwe, leader of a new blues-rock band called Fraternity, inviting him to join his group. By the time Bon joined Fraternity, the band had already recorded a single, 'Why Did It Have To Be Me', and begun gigging around Adelaide, where it had relocated from its original base of Sydney. After two albums for RCA Australia, 'Live Stock' in 1971 and 'Flaming Galah' in 1972, Fraternity decided to try their luck in Europe. For the most of 1973 they toured the Continent, principally Britain and Germany. They even got to support a band called Geordie, fronted by one Brian Johnson, in the UK. The European trip was largely fruitless for Fraternity and they returned to Australia slightly disillusioned.

After returning home, Bon was involved in a motorbike accident that left him in a coma for three days and in hospital for several months, ending his association with Fraternity. Now based in Adelaide, Bon was reduced to taking on casual work until the day he was offered the chance to drive this new band called AC/DC around. Bon lost little time in telling the band he could play drums, and before long he'd successfully auditioned for Peter Clack's position in the band. He also recommended as bass player his old friend from Fraternity, Bruce Houwe. But Bon harbored ambitions to front the band.

He persuaded the Young brothers that the band needed a better front man and he suggested himself as the ideal replacement. And when Dave Evans failed to turn up for a show, Bon seized his chance. Bon Scott was the man who brought AC/DC into sharp focus. He was a unique personality and charisma. One night after he was out drinking with a friend, Bon stay in his car and passed out. During the night Bon choked on his vomit and died. Bon was pronounced dead on arrival at Kings College Hospital. Bon Scott lies in the Fremantle Cemetery's Memorial Garden in Australia. February the 19th 2000 was the 20th anniversary of the death of Bon Scott.

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