Rock's Lost Superstar
Bon Scott rarely gave a thought about tomorrow—until one fateful day when tomorrow caught up with him.
1. He Had A Curse
Bon Scott’s long way to the top of rock and roll was full of missteps, misunderstandings—and a few misdemeanors. But no one could deny that Scott was certainly on a trajectory to superstardom. All he had to do was keep it together and let the money, fans, and stardom come to him.
Sadly, Scott had a curse, and it was not about to let his life be easy—or even very long.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
2. He Was From A Family Of Nicknames
Bon Scott was born Ronald Belford Scott in Forfar, Scotland on July 9, 1947. His mom’s name was Isabelle and his dad was Charles Belford Scott. Nobody called this couple by their real name, as they were “Isa” and “Chick” to their friends and the customers they served at their small bakery.
It sounded like a joyful family life—but then fate served them up a devastating tragedy.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
3. They Lost One
Bon Scott had had an older brother, but he never even got a chance to meet him. Sandy passed right after Bon was born. Once the Scotts produced another son—perhaps to fill Sandy’s shoes—they were ready for a big change. They packed up what they had and started an adventure on the other side of the world.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
4. He Got His Name
The Scotts moved to Australia and Bon started school. He was still going by Ronald at the time, but his class already had a Ronald. To remedy this, Scott’s classmates, making a joke out of “Bonnie Scotland”, named him “Bon”. The truth was, there wasn’t much “Bonnie” about Scott. In fact, he was about to get into some real trouble.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
5. The Troubles Began
By the age of 15, Scott had dropped out of school and was working in various jobs. That’s when things took a dark turn. His list of offenses include giving a fake name to officers, absconding a large tank of gasoline, and having “unlawful carnal knowledge”. This behavior did not amuse the judge, and Scott spent the next year in juvenile detention.
When Scott got out, he came up with his next logical deduction. He belonged in the army.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
6. He Got A Label
Bon Scott may have wanted to join the army, but the army didn’t want him. They labeled him “socially maladjusted”, so Scott turned to something he’d picked up back in detention: playing guitar. While working part time jobs, Scott founded the Spektors, which morphed into the Valentines. Believe it or not, the future hard rocker was now in a bubble gum pop band.
This would have continued, but an earth-shattering scandal broke them up.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
7. They Disagreed
The Valentines were having disagreements about musical direction, but these problems were soon eclipsed when authorities caught them in possession of illicit substances. Half the band promised to quit using weed and others—including Scott—decided not to. In fact, Scott took this opportunity to speak publicly about the virtues of marijuana.
This proved to be a very bad idea.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
8. He Spoke Out
Bon Scott spoke to anyone he could find in the media about how backward the Australian government was. He thought they should legalize his drug of choice and went on to speak about gay rights as well. The truth was that Scott and his bandmates were playing with fire. You see, the officers could have caught them with something much, much worse.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
9. It Was Too Much
Bon Scott and his bandmates were doing much harder stuff, but weed was what the officers had caught them with. They all got off with a light fine, and the band tried to get their career going again. It wasn’t meant to be. The Valentines broke up and Scott was a free man. The only problem was that Scott didn’t like being free.
Scott went in search of a new band, but found something even more.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
10. He Hooked Up
Scott moved to Adelaide and hooked up with a band called Fraternity, which was a better fit for Scott. He also hooked up with a woman. This was Irene Thornton, and the two quickly got serious. Scott was in a good place. He had a relationship and a new band that worked for him.
But it was while working with Fraternity that he discovered his kryptonite.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
11. It Made Him Crazy
One member of Fraternity, Bruce Howe, remembers how there was one thing that made Bon Scott crazy. Scott’s curse was that he couldn’t stand being bored. When the band was between gigs, Scott would start acting out. At these times, Scott would not hold back when it came to controlled substances.
Howe thought it was mostly harmless fun—until the night Scott went too far.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
12. He Went Too Fast
Howe remembers climbing on the back of Scott’s motorcycle when Scott was in the middle of one of his restless periods. Howe said that they went so fast and turned so sharply that his boots were scraping against the road. Howe survived, but vowed to never get on the back of Scott’s bike again. He also warned Scott to stop riding his motorcycle while under the influence.
Not heeding this advice would lead to a world of pain for Scott.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
13. They Got First Place
Bon Scott was finding success in Fraternity and they were getting quite popular. In fact, they won Australia's biggest music prize. This was the Hoadley’s Battle of the Sounds, and it was great news for Fraternity. The prize was $2,000 and a trip to Los Angeles by boat. While the guys in the band celebrated, Scott did not seem as happy.
He knew that a secret from his past would prevent him from using the prize.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
14. He Had Troubles
While the $2,000 was great, the trip to LA was not going to work out. You see, Bon Scott had been in too much trouble with the law—possession charges and other misdemeanors—and the US government was not about to let him in. The band had to think fast. They took the two grand and frantically tried to find a country that would let Scott in.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
15. He Wanted Her With Him
Fraternity decided on the UK, and Bon Scott decided he wanted to bring his girlfriend along for the ride. This was when Fraternity’s manager disappointed him with a hard no. The rule was that they’d pay for wives to join the tour and not girlfriends. Scott came up with a risky solution. He proposed to Thornston, and she accepted, so they tied the knot. It may have not been the most romantic gesture, but a gesture it was.
Soon, Fraternity and their entourage were heading for London and more misadventures.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
16. They Faced A Big Problem
Fraternity had big plans for this tour, and they even brought their own tour bus all the way from Australia. They rented a house and their entire entourage—which now clocked in at 20 people—lived there together. The only thing was, it was hard to get gigs. In fact, it was costing them more to live there than they were bringing in.
Right in the middle of this financial crisis, Scott decided to take a trip home to see his family. It was an epic disaster.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
17. He Disappeared
After a short visit with family and friends in Australia, mom put her son on a plane back to the UK. The day he was due back in London, the tour manager went to the airport to pick him up. Weirdly, there was no Scott at the airport. They called his mother who confirmed that she’d put him on the correct plane. For an entire week, no one knew where Scott was.
That’s when the tour manager got a shocking phone call.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
18. He Couldn’t Remember
Bon Scott was calling from the airport, and his tour manager raced there to get him. He found Scott not even wearing a shirt, even though it was winter in London. That’s when Scott told them an unbelievable tale. He said that he didn’t know where he’d been. He thought that maybe he’d followed a woman off the plane, and it may have been in Bangkok.
Well, at least he was safely back in the UK, but things on the gig front had not improved one little bit.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
19. He Worked On It
Since things weren’t working out so well in the UK, Scott decided to work on his performance. After all, he was spending most of his onstage time behind the microphone. His bandmate Howe helped him develop a more dynamic stage presence. He even tried copying TV news anchors to try and stare straight into the camera.
Scott was certainly improving—but his arrogance was skyrocketing.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
20. He Wasn’t Modest
While in the UK, Scott had an interview and the reporter started asking him questions about iconic bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Scott’s answer was unforgettable. Without missing a beat, he simply said that his band was better than them. In the same interview, Scott also said that they were rich. It was a strange thing to lie about.
They certainly weren’t rich, and it soon became clear that if they didn’t make a change they’d be in big trouble.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
21. They Gave Up
Maybe as a last hope, Fraternity changed their name to Fang. A mid-tour name change is something of a red flag, and definitely not the sign of a successful tour. They realized that it was time to go home. When the band got back to Australia, they went on a hiatus that turned into a permanent break up. Scott also took the opportunity to break up with Thornston.
Now he had no band to play with and no wife to live with. Boredom was creeping in, and would inevitably lead to trouble.
Labrador Films, AC/DC: The Bon Scott Years (2005)
22. He Sank Low
Instead of getting into trouble, Bon Scott faced reality. Well, the reality was that he needed to make some money, and to do this he had to sink pretty low. Scott took a job at a fertilizer plant and was quite literally up to his ankles in fecal matter all day long. Sure his days were anything but pleasant, but Scott took advantage of the nights.
He was getting ready for something big.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
23. He Honed His Skills
While working at the fertilizer plant, Bon Scott connected with a group of musicians called The Mount Lofty Rangers. It was here that Scott started to explore writing his own songs. He also learned how to play the guitar properly. In short, Scott was preparing himself for something, and something amazing was certainly coming.
Before Scott could go really big, he’d face yet another major tragedy.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
24. He Got Angry
One night while rehearsing with The Mount Lofty Rangers, Scott—who’d been drinking heavily—got into an argument with one of the other musicians. Scott left the rehearsal place in a huff, got on his motorcycle and rode away. It was a brutal mistake. What was waiting for Scott on the dark highway was a tragedy of the highest order.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
25. They Collided
A man named Lee Morgan was driving with his friends when they had a major collision with Scott’s motorcycle. Scott flew off the motorcycle and crashed through the windshield of Morgan’s car. Morgan didn’t have the chance to see Scott, but if he had he would have recognized him from the poster of Fraternity he had on his wall back at home.
If Scott was Morgan’s hero before the crash, he certainly wasn’t after.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
26. He Wanted His Money
Bon Scott was badly injured in this crash, and his injuries had an impact on his performance ability. Because the crash was mostly Morgan’s fault, Morgan received notice that Scott was suing him for $20,000. Luckily, Morgan had good insurance.
So, what exactly happened to Scott in that crash? It was actually very serious.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
27. He Was In Bad Shape
Morgan’s car was a write-off, but it was Scott who really suffered. He ended up in hospital and in a coma, which lasted three days. But this didn’t mean his hospitalization ended. Nope, Scott was in there for the long haul. He stayed in the hospital for 18 days due to his lacerated neck, broken collarbone and tooth loss.
As it turned out, this hospital visit was the best thing that could have happened to Scott.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
28. He Couldn’t Leave
Bon Scott had planned to leave Adelaide, and it was this motorcycle crash that kept him there longer than he’d intended. If he’d left Adelaide he never would have gotten his next opportunity. You see, there was a new glam band in town, and they were looking for a new lead singer.
The band was AC/DC and Scott just had to convince them he was the man for the job.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
29. They Couldn’t Agree
Suddenly, Bon Scott was on AC/DC’s radar, but they had a problem with him. They thought he might be too old. Scott turned around and commented that maybe AC/DC was lacking experience and too young for him. It seemed that negotiations between Scott and AC/DC were at a standstill—until someone suggested a very simple solution.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
30. They Stayed Up All Night
To find out who was right, Bon Scott agreed to a jam session with AC/DC. The session went on all night, and by the end of it no one was talking about who was too old or who was too young. What they were talking about was the new lead singer of AC/DC and it was Bon Scott. But that might not have been exactly how it happened.
There’s another story that explains how Scott came to be the lead singer of AC/DC—and it’s even more dramatic.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
31. He Jumped On Stage
Scott’s wife says that Scott was at a AC/DC concert, and the band was only doing instrumentals because they’d just fired their lead singer. In this story, Scott spontaneously jumped on stage and joined the band, not knowing they were looking for a lead singer. In yet another story, Scott was working as a chauffeur for AC/DC, and then auditioned to be their lead singer.
It doesn’t really matter which story is true, because AC/DC chose Scott. Now, they had the difficult task of convincing their publishing company.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
32. He Was On Trial
The first gig Scott did with AC/DC was in Sydney, and the band’s publishing company wanted to see if Scott was a good fit for the band. Fifa Riccobono went to the concert and was not initially impressed. She saw a heavily tattooed man who was loud, loved swearing, and had one of his front teeth missing. But Riccobono knew AC/DC’s audience, and she gave her immediate approval.
Scott was in, and he was ready to take on the world.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
33. He Was Electric
Scott’s first stop was to take on television. At this time, there was an Australian music show called Countdown. They brought Scott and the band on and Scott had a chance to show off the new performance skills he’d learned in the UK. Scott was positively electric on stage, and the TV cameras picked up every gesture.
AC/DC appeared on Countdown 40 times, but there was one performance that would go down in the history books.
Labrador Films, AC/DC: The Bon Scott Years (2005)
34. He Had To Outshine
Scott’s bandmates liked to dress like school boys, but Scott was not about to let them hog all the attention. To stand out, Scott had to come up with an outfit that would outshine his bandmates. To the shock and delight of the live audience, Scott came out on stage dressed as a schoolgirl.
Scott was getting famous for his on stage antics, but off-stage, AC/DC was having trouble doing what they really needed to do: sell albums.
Distributed by Atco Records, Wikimedia Commons
35. He Needed A Hit
AC/DC was now composed of Scott, brothers Angus and Malcolm Young, and drummer Tony Currenti. Together they released the album High Voltage in 1975, which was only a modest success. There was yet another personnel change, and it was time for a new album.
If their album TNT didn’t help with recognition in the US, the band would likely have to call it quits.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
36. They Wanted An Original Sound
AC/DC wanted Americans to notice TNT, so they came up with a bizarre idea. They wanted to use bagpipes on one of the tracks. The guys knew that Scott had played in a pipe band back in school, so they asked him if he would like to play the bagpipes on the track “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)”.
Scott loved the idea, but there was a problem. Scott didn’t actually play the bagpipes.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
37. He Lied
Bon Scott really wanted to play the bagpipes on the track, so he didn’t actually tell the guys he didn’t know how to play them. Behind the band’s back, he got a set and taught himself how to play. Apparently he was a great teacher, as his bagpipe playing became a classic addition to the song. Scott had done his best to make TNT a breakout album.
Now he just had to see if it would soar.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
38. They Didn’t Quite Make It
Well, the worst thing happened. TNT did well in Australia, but it didn’t really do much of anything in the very lucrative US market. So, Bon Scott and his band members decided to take the best tracks of their Australian albums and meld them together in a new LP. Certainly they could catch America’s attention with this.
This was quite literally all their eggs in one basket. Failure here would mean failure for Scott and for AC/DC.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
39. The Truth Surfaced
The release of High Voltage in the US turned out to be a huge success and Scott and the boys sold 3 million copies in the States. The critics weren’t always kind—one called the album an “all-time low”—but that didn’t matter so much. The truth was out there. America loved AC/DC.
Sadly some folks back in Oz didn’t feel as fondly about Scott and his lack of morals.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
40. They Were Bad
The first problem in Australia came from the government. One politician brought up Scott and his bandmates in Parliament. His complaint was that Scott and AC/DC were bad for the morals of Australia. Scott had tasted the freedom of the UK and the US, and it seemed like his home country was a bit square in comparison.
What happened next, didn’t help Scott at all.
4iFFiR, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
41. He Was A Health Risk
Bon Scott was getting the recognition he never could have dreamed of—but it had a twisted side. Young women were so drawn to him that they were getting tattoos of the band. The problem was that these young women were too young to get a legal tattoo, so they were doing homemade ones in their own backyards. Health officials thought this was completely unsafe and blamed AC/DC.
There were haters out there, but they could not stop the momentum behind Scott and AC/DC.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
42. They Were Heading Somewhere Big
Bon Scott was reaching a level of fame that he couldn’t have seen coming, It was AC/DC’s 1979 album Highway to Hell that really sealed the deal. It was a huge financial success, and it made it into the top 20 in the US. Scott’s dreams had all come true. Sadly, he didn’t have long to enjoy it.
Labrador Films, AC/DC: The Bon Scott Years (2005)
43. He Was Out Cold
On February 18, 1980, Bon Scott went to the London club Music Machine. Scott had a lot to drink, and he decided to sleep it off in his friend Alistair Kinnear’s car. When Kinnear woke up the next morning, he located his car and made a disturbing discovery. Scott was still in it, and he was out cold. Kinnear called for an ambulance, but it was too late. By the time Scott reached the hospital, he was already gone.
The media was about to explode with this very sad news, and one band member saw a huge problem.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
44. They Got A Call
Suddenly, AC/DC’s Malcolm Young realized that Scott’s family might hear about Scott’s passing on the radio or TV. He raced to a phone to call them in Australia. When her phone rang, Scott’s mom thought Scott was calling to wish her a happy birthday. Sadly, it was the worst thing a mother could hear.
Scott’s family and fans had to deal with this incredible loss. They also wanted to know what the heck had happened.
Pandemonium73, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
45. It’s A Mystery
The official word was that the cause of Scott’s passing was due to drinking—what coroners might call “death by misadventure”. But it came out later that Kinnear—the man Scott was partying with on his last night alive—was an alleged dealer. This has led to some dark speculation. Some believe that it was something more than drink that took Scott’s life.
The coroner found nothing but booze in his system, but some seem sure it was something harder that did him in. Regardless of the cause, AC/DC was suddenly without a lead singer.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
46. They Wanted To Quit
After losing Scott, AC/DC was ready to call it quits. They couldn’t imagine a life without their beloved frontman. Scott’s own family encouraged the guys to not quit, and they reluctantly found a replacement for Scott named Brian Johnson. But Johnson had an unexpected supporter—Scott himself. Before his passing, Scott had seen Johnson’s band and said something like "[that’s] a guy that knows what rock and roll is all about".
When they hired Johnson, they were clear about one thing. They didn’t want anyone to try and be Scott. Johnson took this idea to the absolute extreme.
Dannyoboy007, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
47. They Didn’t Want To Play It
One of AC/DC's songs had become Scott’s signature tune. “It’s a Long Way to the Top” loosely tells the story of Scott’s rise to superstardom. Johnson didn’t want to touch it, and the guys in the band agreed. They didn’t play the song for 20 years out of respect for Scott’s memory.
This next bit of respect for Scott came from a very surprising source.
Photography Stock Ruiz, Shutterstock
48. They Wanted To Remember Him
While Scott had certainly had his problems with authorities in his home country of Australia, when it came to honoring him, they didn’t hold back. Scott’s gravesite is now an official cultural landmark and there’s a statue of him in Western Australia. Melbourne took the opportunity to name a small street ACDC Lane—omitting the “/” for legal reasons.
If statues and gravesites don’t float your boat, there may still be a way to see something very close to Scott in the flesh.
Nachoman-au., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
49. He May Have A Secret Legacy
Back in 1975, Scott was in the hospital in Melbourne after an an overdose. Michael Browning—AC/DC’s manager at the time—said he went to visit and Scott told him something shocking. He told Browning that the last time he’d been in that hospital it was because he had two girlfriends in the maternity ward having his babies.
Scott’s short life was like a cautionary tale of living a life in excess. Sadly, some people didn’t get the memo.
ABC, On The Brink (Australian Story) 2022
50. He Was The King Of Excess
Bonfest is an annual music festival set up to honor the legacy of Scott. It happens in Kirriemuir, Scotland and fans camp out and rock out to bands honoring Scott and AC/DC. Sadly, in 2022 a 53-year-old fan lost his life at Bonfest. While no one suspected foul play in the man’s passing, you can assume he, like Scott, may have partied like there was no tomorrow.
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