{"id":893548,"date":"2026-10-24T23:42:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T23:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/893548\/"},"modified":"2026-10-24T23:42:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T23:42:11","slug":"the-singers-who-turned-down-ac-dc-in-1980","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/893548\/","title":{"rendered":"The singers who turned down AC\/DC in 1980"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ACDC<\/p>\n

Credit: Far Out \/ ACDC<\/p>\n

October 24th, 2026 \u00b7 8:45pm BST <\/p>\n

The chance to join one of the world\u2019s premier hard rock outfits sounds like a childhood fantasy or the plot of a cheesy 1990s coming-of-age film. However, in the case of AC\/DC<\/a>, it was far from a straightforward process before they found their knight in shining armour when Brian Johnson arrived.<\/p>\n

They were already unsure if they should go on following the devastating death of Bon Scott in 1980, which sent them into a state of despair. After a period of soul-searching, they eventually vowed to carry on after concluding that it would be Scott\u2019s wish for them to continue, but nobody was queuing up to replace him.<\/p>\n

By this point, the band had established themselves as titans of hard rock, which made others fearful about whether they could fill Scott\u2019s shoes. <\/p>\n

They were right to question this, too. Upon listening to AC\/DC\u2019s earliest hits, it is difficult to imagine anybody but Scott delivering the vocals. In actuality, though, Scott was not their original vocalist. It was Dave Evans who had first taken the role of lead singer<\/a> with the band, although he did not last very long within the band, quickly becoming frustrated with the economic difficulties which arise when you are a member of a rock band.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Once Scott arrived, they stepped up a level and became internationally recognised rock \u2018n\u2019 roll heavyweights. Then, Scott passed away in 1980<\/a> of alcohol poisoning in London. This left AC\/DC with the unenviable task of having to either disband or find a replacement singer. After deciding against throwing in the towel, the process began of finding somebody who could hold a candle to the unique vocals of Bon Scott.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While in the early stages of recruitment, the band considered some pretty off-the-wall choices. Initially, the group considered taking on Noddy Holder<\/a>, of Slade fame. However, Holder quickly refused, remarking that \u201cmy loyalty was to Slade\u201d, despite the band having largely fallen from relevance by 1980.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2020, he explained, \u201cThey did approach me \u2013 not directly to me but they approached my management \u2013 whether I\u2019d like to join AC\/DC. I think they probably heard that Slade was sort of on the verge of breaking up and apparently, I was approached to join them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Further reading: From The Vault<\/p>\n

Even after AC\/DC became an all-conquering stadium-dwelling juggernaut, Holder believes he made the right choice, stating in the same Planet Rock interview, \u201cI don\u2019t look back with regret on things like that. Not at all. At the time, you know, it was an offer that I had \u2013 I\u2019ve had an offer to join many bands over the years \u2013 but no, I don\u2019t regret not joining AC\/DC.\u201d<\/p>\n

The festive favourite then described Johnson as the \u201cperfect choice\u201d, before insisting, \u201cIf I was to go back in time, I\u2019d have probably made exactly the same decision\u201d<\/p>\n

In a similar vein, the band set their sights on sweating lunatic Iggy Pop, who also had no interest in joining. At this time, Iggy had resurrected his career in Berlin with David Bowie rescuing him from the abyss, and didn\u2019t feel like joining someone else\u2019s band was a wise choice at that stage, stating in 2023<\/a> to the New York Times, \u201cI listened to their record. I thought I can\u2019t fill that bill. I wasn\u2019t like, ugh, I don\u2019t like them. It was quite well made. They do careful work. But I\u2019m not what they needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

After facing rejection by two legends of rock and roll, AC\/DC began to pursue people from further afield. Namely, the group approached the Maltese singer Marc Storace<\/a>, of the group Krokus. Storace was asked to join the ranks of the Aussie rockers by the CEO of a Birmingham-based company who had created a light show for Krokus and presumably had some connections with AC\/DC.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On paper, this should have been a straightforward decision, considering Krokus were far less successful than AC\/DC. However, Storace had only just been given the opportunity to front them in 1979 and wasn\u2019t willing to go back on his commitment.<\/p>\n

To this day, he still fronts Krokus and holds no regrets about what could have been. The Maltese singer told the Italian publication Linea Rock, \u201cThe thing about AC\/DC is it\u2019s not realistic to think that way when you think why I decided that way. And I wouldn\u2019t change a minute,\u201d adding, \u201cI\u2019m happy. I have a loving wife. I have two beautiful children. They\u2019re intelligent. They\u2019re doing their own thing. I have my own house. I\u2019m an ambassador for Peugeot. It\u2019s great to be alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the repeated rejections, all\u2019s well that ends well, and AC\/DC eventually landed on Johnson to take the mantle. Johnson didn\u2019t know what he was going to do with his life, even working as a mechanic in the late 1970s after his band Geordie collapsed. Therefore, when he got wind that there was a chance of fronting AC\/DC, he didn\u2019t take any persuading and felt like a lottery winner.<\/p>\n

Immediately, Johnson proved to be a natural fit<\/a> for the band and continues to be a vital member of the hard rock outfit to this day. If only AC\/DC weren\u2019t told no by the other names, they would never have rescued Johnson, who, in turn, rescued them from the gutter too.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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