Singer and writer Brian Johnson is celebrating his birthday today, so here are some interesting facts about this legendary performer.
(Photo: Arrowlordsofmetal.nl)
He was born on 5 October 1947 in "Gateshead" in the northeast of England, to a mother of Italian descent and a father of British descent.
As a child, Johnson was a member of a local church choir and even a member of a youth movement band. As part of his membership in the youth movement band, he has appeared on stage and even on television.
His first band was called "Gobi Desert Canoe Club" he was a member of it when he was 16, but he thought it was a bad band.
In 1970 he was a member of the "Jasper Hart Band" which performed cover versions of pop and rock songs including songs from the "Hair" Musical.
In 1971, together with some members of the "Jasper Hart Band", he formed the band "Geordie" with which he released four studio albums between 1973 and 1978.
(Metal-jukebox.net)
On 29/3/1980 he receives a phone call from "AC/DC" guitarist Malcolm Young, informing him that he has been accepted into the band as singer Bon Scott's replacement, after his death.
The same day Johnson auditioned for "AC/DC", he contributed his voice to a commercial for a "Hoover" vacuum cleaner. One can only imagine what would have happened if Johnson had not flown to record the commercial. Maybe he wouldn't even consider auditioning at all.
Brian was 32 at the time and thought he wouldn't succeed as a musician. He left the "Geordie", moved to live with his parents in Newcastle, and owned a vinyl roof repair shop for collectible cars.
On July 25, 1980, Johnson and AC/DC released the band's first non-Bon Scott album -"Back In Black". It is the band's best-selling album during its more than 40 years of activity and ranks second among the best-selling albums of all time, with an incredible sales figure of over 50 million copies worldwide. An album that ranks 77th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
The first song Johnson wrote for the band is "You Shook Me All Night Long". He tried to impress his friends when he was inspired by girls and cars and wrote the eternal phrase: "She was a fast machine, she kept her motor clean". It was also the band's first single without Bon Scott.
The last song he wrote for the band was "Blow Up Your Video" from 1988, from then on it was Angus Young and Malcolm Young who wrote the lyrics. When asked why he replied: "I ran out of words."
Before his death, Bon Scott told Angus Young that he had seen Brian Johnson perform with his band and that Brian Johnson is an excellent rock and roll singer.
Johnson wears the famous casket hat on his brother's advice to prevent sweat from entering his eyes during performances. Later it became his trademark.
Johnson has a large collection of cars. He is very fond of cars and car racing.
Bon Scott's first appearance with "AC/DC" was on October 5, 1975, Brian Johnson's birthday.
In 2014, he received an honorary doctorate in music from "Northumbria" University in Newcastle.
Johnson appeared with "AC/DC" in Howard Stern's movie "Private Parts".
In 2016, during a tour to promote the album "Rock or Bust", Brian Johnson announced his retirement from the band due to severe hearing problems that risk him from becoming deaf.
The one who replaced Johnson as a singer on the tour, was none other than Axl Rose.
In August 2018, rumors began circulating about Johnson's return to the band.
In January 2019, Johnson released an official announcement that he had returned to "AC/DC" and in November 2020, "Power Up", his first album with the band since his retirement was released.
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