Malcolm Young’s 60^th Birthday – January 6^th, 1953

Conversation Starters

• Happy Birthday Malcolm Young! In honor of him, name your favorite AC/DC song!
• AC/DC’s Malcolm Young celebrates a birthday today! Who’s the more talented Young brother: Angus or Malcolm?
• A rockin’ birthday to Malcolm Young! What do you predict the AC/DC guitarist is doing to celebrate?

Fast Facts

• Born on January 6^th, 1953 in Glasgow, Scotland
• At age 10, Malcolm and his family relocated to Sydney, Australia
• Malcolm was inspired by his older brother George to start playing the guitar; George was a member of the Easybeats
• In his early days as a musician, Malcolm was a member of a band called The Velvet Underground, though it was not the one that featured Lou Reed on vocals
• Young also played with a band called Kantuckee
• In 1976, Malcolm and his brother Angus teamed up to form AC/DC
• After numerous lineup changes, the band landed with Malcolm on rhythm guitar, Angus on lead guitar, Bon Scott on vocals, Phil Rudd on drums and Mark Evans on bass
• While Angus was known for his crazy antics on stage, Malcolm adopted a much more stoic persona and a consistent style of guitar playing
• Throughout the 70s, AC/DC released a string of albums, including TNT (1975), High Voltage (1976), Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1976), Let There Be Rock (1977), Powerage (1978), If You Want Blood (1978) and Highway to Hell (1979)
• By the 80s, AC/DC had found great success, which was put on hold momentarily with the death of frontman, Bon Scott
• Scott was replaced by Brian Johnson, and the band released the iconic Back in Black in 1980, which solidified their status as Rock and Roll icons
• In the late 80s, Malcolm had realized that he had developed a serious addiction with alcohol and took a leave from the band to seek treatment; nephew Stevie Young filled in for him
• Malcolm returned to the band and they released several more successful albums throughout the 90s and 2000s
• In 2003, Young and his AC/DC bandmates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• AC/DC is rumored to be recording a new album in 2013

Personal Life

• His full name is Malcolm Mitchell Young
• His parent’s names were William and Margaret Young
• Malcolm is only 5’3” tall
• He has three brothers: George, Alex and Angus
• Young is married to Linda Young and together they have two children: Cara and Ross
• Malcolm Young: “We've always been a true band. You won't find one any truer. AC/DC will always be AC/DC. Sometimes we'll do well, sometimes not so well, but the music of AC/DC will always be the same.”

Discography (studio albums with AC/DC)

• T.N.T.(1975) (Australia only)
• High Voltage (1976) – 3X Platinum
• Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1976) – 6X Platinum
• Let There Be Rock (1977) – 2X Platinum
• Powerage (1978) – Platinum
• Highway to Hell (1979) – 7X Platinum
• Back in Black (1980) – 22X Platinum
• For Those About to Rock We Salute You (1981) – 4X Platinum
• Flick of the Switch (1983) – Platinum
• Fly on the Wall (1985) – Platinum
• Blow Up Your Video (1988) – Platinum
• The Razors Edge (1990) – 5X Platinum
• Ballbreaker (1995) – 2X Platinum
• Stiff Upper Lip (2000) – Platinum
• Black Ice (2008) – 2X Platinum

Billboard Hot 100 (AC/DC)

• December 8^th, 1979 – “Highway to Hell” - #47, on the charts for 10 weeks
• November 8^th, 1980 – “You Should Me All Night Long” - #35, on the charts for 16 weeks
• February 21^st, 1981 – “Back in Black” - #37, on the charts for 15 weeks
• February 20^th, 1982 – “Let’s Get It Up” - #44, on the charts for 9 weeks
• October 22^nd, 1983 – “Guns for Hire” - #84, on the charts for 5 weeks
• February 9^th, 1991 – “Moneytalks” - #23, on the charts for 16 weeks
• July 17^th, 1993 –  “Big Gun” - #65, N/A

Billboard Top 200 (AC/DC studio albums)

• Fly on the Wall, September 7^th, 1985 –  #32, on the charts for 17 weeks
• Blow Up Your Video, March 26^th, 1988 – #12, on the charts for 24 weeks
• The Razors Edge, October 27^th, 1990 – #2, on the charts for 77 weeks
• Ballbreaker , October 14^th, 1995 - #4, on the charts for 30 weeks
• Stiff Upper Lip, March 18^th, 2008 – #7, on the charts for 28 weeks
• Black Ice, November 8^th, 2008 - #1, on the charts for 35 weeks

Videos

• Guitar Duel Between Malcolm and Angus Young: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN-q5AQVR7g
• AC/DC – If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRQnJyP77tY
• AC/DC – It’s a Long Way to the To the Top (If You Wanna Rock N’ Roll): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9iOk8PqkKs
• AC/DC – Thunderstruck: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXeyhLXs-NM
• AC/DC –Shoot to Thrill: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRQnJyP77tY

Links

• AC/DC Official Website: http://www.acdc.com/us/home
• AC/DC Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/acdc?fref=ts

Sources

• http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?content_selector=gold-platinum-searchable-database  
• http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/ac-dc/chart-history/3919?f=305&g=Albums
• http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/ac-dc/chart-history/3919?f=379&g=Singles
• http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0949850/bio
• http://www.billboard.com/artist/malcolm-young/bio/117721#/artist/malcolm-young/bio/117721