(Credits: Far Out / YouTube Still / Michael Joseph)
Wed 15 October 2025 3:00, UK
Replacing an iconic frontman like Bon Scott shouldn’t have been an easy task for AC/DC when he tragically passed away from alcohol poisoning in 1980, but as things turned out, there was already somebody waiting in the wings to take over.
Scott had always been a vocal fan of Geordie frontman Brian Johnson, proclaiming that he was one of the greatest vocalists that he had ever witnessed, and so instead of calling it quits after the death of such an integral part of the band, they decided to give Scott’s favourite singer a shot at becoming his successor. While many may have been sceptical as to whether he had the ability to keep the momentum of the band going or live up to his predecessor, but after the release of Back in Black, all of those concerns were quashed by the fact that Johnson not only filled the role, but breathed new life into a band who were close to collapse.
Scott’s assertion that Johnson was one of his personal favourites seemingly worked wonders, but his invitation to join the band would never have happened had it not been for guitarist Angus Young recalling their discussions about his brilliance prior to his death.
In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2003, Young revealed how these discussions also related to Scott’s love of a particular rock and roll legend, and how much Johnson’s vocal ability reminded him of how electrifying the work of this influential figure had always been for him.
“Years before Bon had died, he, Malcolm [Young] and I had been listening to a couple of rock and roll records in Australia,” Young began, reflecting upon the former vocalist. “Bon was a great fan of Little Richard, and he always said that for someone singing rock and roll, Little Richard was the icon.”
While there’s little disputing the raw talent and abilities of Little Richard, a man who single-handedly changed the course of rock and roll history with his outrageous and raucous performing style, Young went on to explain the connection that Scott had made between the ‘Architect of Rock and Roll’ and Johnson.
“He told us a story about how he’d seen Brian in a club in London really belting out a Little Richard tune, and he said it always stuck with him,” he continued. “So we thought, ‘Well, we gotta look up that guy first.’”
His recollection of Scott hailing this particular performance may have ultimately led to the formation of the most celebrated incarnation of AC/DC, but Johnson was apparently stunned to find out that Scott had enjoyed the show as much as he did, considering that he was actually suffering from appendicitis when he played the show. That being said, if he could pull off a Little Richard cover while gravely unwell, then there was clearly nothing that could get in the way of him becoming one of the biggest rock stars in his own right, and with Scott’s blessing from beyond the grave, he was able to do just that.
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