Malcolm Young

Malcolm Mitchell Young (6 January 1953 – 18 November 2017) was an Australian musician and songwriter. He was best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist, and songwriter of the rock band AC/DC. Except for a brief absence in 1988, he was with the band from its beginning in 1973 until retiring in 2014 due to health reasons. As a member of AC/DC, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.[1]

Malcolm Young
Young performing in 2010
Background information
Birth name	Malcolm Mitchell Young
Born	(1953-01-06)6 January 1953 Glasgow, Scotland
Origin	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died	18 November 2017(2017-11-18) (aged 64) Elizabeth Bay, New South Wales, Australia
Genres	Hard rock blues rock rock and roll
Occupation(s)	Musician guitarist songwriter producer
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	1969–2014
Labels	EMI Epic Atlantic Albert
Associated acts	AC/DC Marcus Hook Roll Band
Website	acdc.com

Though his younger brother Angus was the more visible of the brothers, Malcolm was described as the driving force and the leader of the band. In 2014, he stated that despite his retirement from the band, AC/DC was determined to continue making music with his blessing.[2] As the rhythm guitarist, he was responsible for the broad sweep of the band's sound, developing many of their guitar riffs and co-writing the band's material with Angus.

Young left AC/DC in mid-2014 to receive treatment for dementia.[3][4] In September 2014, the band's management announced that he would be retiring permanently. He died from the effects of dementia on 18 November 2017.[5]

Early life

Young's father, William Young (born 16 February 1911), lived with his family at 6 Skerryvore Road in the Cranhill district of Glasgow.[6] William worked first as a wheel boy in a rope works and then as a machine and saw operator in an asbestos and cement business. In 1940, he joined the Royal Air Force and served in World War II as a flight engine mechanic. After the war, he worked as a yard man for a builder and then as a postman. He married Margaret (born 14 July 1913; maiden name also Young), who was a housewife.[6]

The "big freeze" of 1963 was one of the worst winters on record in the UK, with snow 8 feet (2.4 m) deep.[7] A TV advertisement shown in Britain at that time offered assisted travel for families to start a different life in Australia.[7] 15 members of the Young family left Britain in late June 1963,[7] including fifth son George (1946–2017) and younger brothers Malcolm (born 6 January 1953) and Angus (born 31 March 1955).[6][7] Also on board were his eldest brother Stephen (1933–1989), his only sister Margaret Horsburgh (born 2 May 1935), and brother William Jr (born 15 December 1940).[8]^:6–7 Another elder brother, Alex (1938–1997), stayed in the UK and was later a member of London-based group Grapefruit.[9]^:6–7 Another brother, John (born 17 May 1937), had migrated to Australia separately.[8]^:6–7

Malcolm later described the family's musical background: "All the males in our family played, Stevie, the oldest played accordion, Alex and John were the first couple to play guitar, and being older it was sort of passed down to George, then myself, then Angus."[8]^:6–7 Initially staying at Villawood Migrant Hostel (a site later turned into Villawood Immigration Detention Centre) in Nissen huts, George met and became friends with another migrant, Harry Vanda.[7] The Young family then moved into a semi-detached house at 4 Burleigh Street in the Sydney suburb of Burwood.[10]

Music career

Young in 1990

Both Angus and Malcolm Young were in a band with their brother George and his music partner Harry Vanda called Marcus Hook Roll Band. The project released an album in Australia called Tales of Old Grand Daddy.[11] Malcolm Young played guitar on the 1974 release "Evie" by Stevie Wright, written and produced by Harry Vanda and George Young. The song is 11 minutes long and has three parts. Young played the guitar solo in Part One of the song.[12] Malcolm Young was in a short lived Newcastle-based band The Velvet Underground (not the well-known 1960s band).

Malcolm Young was 20 when he and younger brother Angus formed AC/DC in 1973. Angus was on lead guitar, Malcolm on rhythm guitar, Colin Burgess on drums, Larry Van Kriedt on bass guitar and Dave Evans on vocals.[9] "Can I Sit Next To You Girl," their first single, was later re-recorded with Bon Scott as their vocalist.[9] They decided upon the name AC/DC after seeing the letters "AC/DC" on the back of their sister Margaret's sewing machine.[13] In 1975 AC/DC had moved to Melbourne.

In early 1977 they returned to Britain and began a European tour with Black Sabbath. While Bon Scott and Ozzy Osbourne quickly became friends, some other members of the two bands did not get on so well. In one incident, Young alleged that Geezer Butler pulled a knife on him,[14] although Butler has since refuted that.[15]

Towards the end of 1977, bassist Mark Evans was fired; purportedly to find someone who could sing backup vocals. Evans described disagreement with Angus and Malcolm as a contributing factor. He was replaced by Cliff Williams.[9]

In 1988, Young missed the majority of AC/DC's Blow Up Your Video World Tour to address alcohol abuse issues.[9] He eventually became sober and returned to the band. During his absence he was replaced by his nephew, Stevie Young.[16]

Playing guitar in AC/DC from 1973 until his last live gig with the band in June 2010, Malcolm Young toured the world with few breaks on a 37 year run with the band. He continued to write songs in AC/DC until his self imposed departure from the band in 2014[17], being replaced once again by his nephew Stevie.

Illness and death

At the conclusion of the Black Ice World Tour, Young was diagnosed with lung cancer. It was treated at an early stage, so surgery was successful and the cancer was removed. He also had an unspecified heart problem and had a pacemaker.[18]

In April 2014, Young became seriously ill and was unable to continue performing.[19] On 16 April 2014, AC/DC released a note stating that Young would be "taking a break from the band due to ill health".[20] However, singer Brian Johnson stated that despite earlier reports, AC/DC are not retiring: "We are definitely getting together in May in Vancouver. We're going to pick up guitars, have a plonk and see if anybody has got any tunes or ideas. If anything happens we'll record it."[21] In July, Johnson revealed that Young was in hospital receiving treatment for an unspecified condition and during May recording sessions had been replaced in the studio by guitarist Stevie Young, his nephew.[3] On 24 September 2014, the band's management announced that Young was officially retiring and would not be rejoining AC/DC.[22] Stevie Young continued to fill in for Malcolm on the band's 2015 Rock or Bust World Tour.[23]

On 26 September 2014, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Young had been diagnosed with dementia and had been admitted to a nursing home where he could receive full-time care. A source close to Young was quoted in this article as saying that he had "complete loss of short-term memory".[24] Young's family confirmed four days later that he had dementia, saying that Young "is suffering from dementia and the family thanks you for respecting their privacy".[4]

In subsequent interviews, Angus stated that his brother had been experiencing lapses in memory and concentration before the Black Ice project and had been receiving treatment during the Black Ice World Tour which ended in 2010. Angus confirmed that although his brother did not play on the 2014 Rock or Bust album: "He still likes his music. We make sure he has his Chuck Berry, a little Buddy Holly." He added that AC/DC would continue according to his brother's wishes and standards: "Look, even with his health, Malcolm was touring until he couldn't do it anymore." In that same interview, Angus stated that Young was rehearsing AC/DC's songs repeatedly before every concert just to remember how they went.[25]

In an interview with Guitar Player about Young's songwriting credits in Rock or Bust, Angus stated:

Mal kept doing what he could until he couldn't do it anymore, but I have all the material he was working on. There were a lot of riffs, ideas, and bits of choruses. I'd fill things in to see if we had a song. Every album we've ever done has been that way. There was always a bit from the past, a bit from what we had that was brand new, and, sometimes, just an old idea that either Malcolm or myself had worked on but we never finished. The songwriting process didn't really change, except for the fact that Mal wasn't physically there. So when it came to writing and putting stuff together, I had Stevie [Young] there with me. You see, Malcolm was always a great organizer. He always kept track of the stuff we were writing together. He'd record it, date it, make notes. My records — if you can call them that — are always chaotic. So, this time, Stevie helped me organize a lot of what was there.[26]

Young died from the disease on 18 November 2017 at the age of 64,[27] at Lulworth House in Elizabeth Bay.[28] His funeral was held at St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney on 28 November.[29] Young's elder brother George Young died a few weeks before him, on 22 October 2017.[30]

Legacy and influence

A street artist painting a Young portrait one day after the musician died

Influenced by 1950s rock and roll and blues-based rock guitarists of the 1960s and 1970s, Young was regarded as a leading rock exponent of rhythm guitar.[31]

Guitar Player magazine has stated that the secret to Young's guitar technique was playing open chords through a series of Marshall amplifiers, set to low volume without high gain. This is contrary to a common belief of many rock guitarists that rhythm guitar should involve loud and overdriven power chords.[32]

Dave Mustaine of Megadeth stated in a 2004 interview that he considered himself, Young, Rudolf Schenker, and James Hetfield of Metallica to be the best rhythm guitarists in the world.[33]

In 2006, he was the subject of a song (and album) title by Australian punk rock band Frenzal Rhomb: "Forever Malcolm Young".

In 2017, Gretsch guitars reissued the Gretsch G6131MY, a signature guitar based on Young's modified 1963 Gretsch Jet Firebird.

References

1. "AC/DC". Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
2. Roberts, Lesley (19 October 2014). "WHOLE LOTTA ROYSTON: WRITER HAILS ROCK BRUVS AS HOME CITY URGED TO HONOUR THEM; How Glasgow Forged Superstar Rockers' Heavy Metal". Sunday Mail. p. 36.
3. "AC/DC guitarist Malcolm Young is in hospital, says bandmate Brian Johnson". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
4. "AC/DC's Malcolm Young Has Dementia". People. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
5. "AC/DC guitarist Malcolm Young dies at 64". BBC News. 18 November 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
6. "Item details for: A1877, May 1963 Young W". National Archive of Australia. 13 February 2009. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
7. "Easy Beats to AC/DC, The Story of Aussie Rock". BBC TV. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
8. Tait, John Francis; ProQuest (2010), Vanda & Young: Inside Australia's Hit Factory, University of New South Wales Press, ISBN 978-1-74223-217-1
9. Wall, Mick (2012). AC/DC: Hell Aint a Bad Place to Be. London: Orion Publishing group. ISBN 9781409115359.
10. "The Young House, 4 Burleigh Street, Burwood". issuu.com.
11. Baker, Glenn A. (14 March 1981). "Vanda and Young: AC/DC and the Young Brothers". Billboard. 93 (10): VY-4, VY-11.
12. Tait, John (2010). Vanda & Young. University of New South Wales Press. p. 144. ISBN 978-1-74223-217-1.
13. Engleheart, Murray; Durieux, Arnaud (2006). AC/DC Maximum Rock & Roll: The Ultimate Story of the World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band. pp. 50–51. ISBN 978-0-06-113391-6.
14. "AC/DC Guitarist Clears Up Knife Incident With BLACK SABBATH". 2 September 2003.
15. "Black Sabbath's Geezer Butler on knives, vegan food and wanking bandmates". Classic Rock. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
16. Yves Vranckx and Verónica Martínez. "AC/DC – Bedlam in Belgium – English version". Ac-dc.cc. Archived from the original on 14 July 2006. Retrieved 10 December 2011.
17. https://www.nme.com/news/music/watch-malcolm-youngs-last-ever-gig-acdc-2160766
18. Wilkening, Matthew (8 January 2015). "Lung Cancer, Pacemaker: More Malcolm Young Health Woes Detailed". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
19. Vincent, Peter; Boulton, Martin. "AC/DC to split over sick band member, according to rumours". The Sydney Morning Herald.
20. "A Message From AC/DC". AC/DC. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
21. "Brian Johnson: AC/DC Not Retiring Yet". Metal Hammer. 16 April 2014. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 16 April 2014.
22. "AC/DC 'ROCK OR BUST'". Alberts Management. Archived from the original on 12 July 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
23. Grow, Kory (1 October 2014). "AC/DC's Malcolm Young has dementia, family says". CNN.
24. "AC/DC's Malcolm Young reportedly in care for dementia in Sydney". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
25. "Hard Rock, Harder Times: AC/DC Return Without Two Key Members". Rolling Stone. 14 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
26. Molenda, Michael (May 2015). "Unbroken & Victorious". Guitar Player. 49 (5): 48–52, 54–56, 58, 60–61.
27. "AC/DC co-founder and guitarist Malcolm Young dead at 64". News.com.au. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
28. "AC/DC co-founder Malcolm Young dead at 64". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 November 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
29. "Malcolm Young Funeral Held In Sydney - Noise11.com". www.noise11.com.
30. "AC/DC co-founder Malcolm Young dies aged 64". The Independent. 18 November 2017.
31. Stafford, Andrew (1 November 2015). "AC/DC: without rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, AC have lost their DC". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
32. Gold, Jude. "Beginner Lesson! AC-DC'S Crushing Chords". GuitarPlayer.com. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
33. "'I'm Over My Metallica Demons,' Says Dave Mustaine". NewGNR.com. 25 August 2009. Retrieved 16 December 2016.

External links

• ACDC.com official website