Angus Young

Angus Young is the iconic lead guitarist, co-founder, and sole continuous member of AC/DC, one of the world's best-selling rock bands. Renowned for his blistering riffs, high-energy performances, and signature Gibson SG guitar, he has been a driving force behind classics like Highway to Hell and Back in Black. Ranked 38th on Rolling Stone's 2023 list of the greatest guitarists of all time, Young was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with AC/DC in 2003. At 70 years old (as of 2025), he remains the band's enduring frontman on stage, delivering raw, no-frills hard rock.

Here are several interesting facts about him:

Here are 20 interesting facts about Angus Young, the legendary lead guitarist and co-founder of AC/DC:

• Angus McKinnon Young was born on March 31, 1955, in Glasgow, Scotland, and was the youngest of eight children.
• In 1963, his family immigrated to Sydney, Australia, where he spent most of his formative years.
• He dropped out of school at age 15 and briefly worked for a soft porn magazine as a printer before focusing on music.
• His first instrument was a banjo restrung as a guitar, before he moved to an acoustic and then his iconic Gibson SG, which he bought second-hand around 1970.
• Before AC/DC, he played in bands called Kantuckee and Tantrum.
• Angus co-founded AC/DC in 1973 with his older brother Malcolm at age 18; he is now the only continuous original member.
• His famous schoolboy stage outfit originated from a suggestion by his sister Margaret—he used to practice guitar right after school without changing clothes.
• Before settling on the schoolboy look, he tried costumes like Spider-Man, Zorro, a gorilla, and a Superman parody called "Super-Ang."
• His energetic duckwalk is his own high-energy version of Chuck Berry's signature move.
• Angus was shocked when Malcolm invited him to join AC/DC, as the brothers rarely played together at home—Malcolm would even yell at him to get out of his room.
• He is a heavy smoker but has never drunk alcohol, preferring chocolate milk or coffee.
• Despite his wild stage persona, Angus is described as reserved, introverted, and one of the kindest musicians off-stage.
• He collaborated with Gibson to create the Angus Young SG model, featuring his custom signature humbucker pickup.
• AC/DC's name came from his sister Margaret seeing "AC/DC" on a sewing machine label.
• Older brother George Young (of The Easybeats) produced many early AC/DC albums and played in a pre-AC/DC band with Angus and Malcolm called Marcus Hook Roll Band.
• Angus considers guitar solos the easiest part of playing, while syncing tightly with the band is the hardest.
• He is a big fan of jazz legend Louis Armstrong, calling him one of the greatest musicians ever.
• During recording Back in Black, he became close friends with Keith Emerson, who helped the band relax amid grief over Bon Scott's death.
• In 2003, he and AC/DC were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
• Ranked 38th on Rolling Stone's 2023 list of the 250 greatest guitarists of all time, Angus remains AC/DC's driving force, continuing to tour and record into his 70s.