Angus Young
The dynamo in a schoolboy uniform whose blistering guitar riffs became the universal soundtrack for unapologetic rock and roll.
Born 1955 (age 71)·Australian musician; lead guitarist of AC/DC·Birthday: March 31·Baby Boomers
Biography
Angus Young, the youngest of eight children, was born in Glasgow and moved to Sydney, Australia, as a teenager. Inspired by his older brother Malcolm, he co-founded AC/DC in 1973, adopting his now-iconic school uniform stage outfit—a suggestion from his sister—to contrast with the band's raw, blues-based hard rock. While his brother Malcolm provided the rhythmic backbone, Angus became the band's visual and sonic lightning bolt, channeling Chuck Berry's duckwalk into a hyperactive, sweat-drenched spectacle. His guitar solos, built on pentatonic blues scales and a relentless attack, were direct, memorable, and perfectly served the song. AC/DC's rise was tragically punctuated by the death of frontman Bon Scott in 1980, but the band's monumental 'Back in Black' album, featuring Angus's searing opening riff on 'You Shook Me All Night Long,' cemented their global superstardom. For decades, through lineup changes and shifting musical trends, Angus's unwavering commitment to simple, powerful rock and roll, delivered with chaotic energy, has kept AC/DC's music a permanent fixture in the culture.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Angus was born in 1955, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Angus Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Angus's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 70
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 71 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-wrote and performed on 'Back in Black,' one of the best-selling albums of all time, with estimated sales over 50 million units worldwide.
- As lead guitarist and co-songwriter, helped drive AC/DC to worldwide sales of over 200 million records.
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 as a member of AC/DC.
- Created some of rock's most recognizable guitar riffs, including those for 'Highway to Hell,' 'You Shook Me All Night Long,' and 'Thunderstruck.'
Did You Know?
His famous stage outfit is based on his actual school uniform from Ashfield Boys High School in Sydney.
He is a fan of classic blues and rock and roll, citing Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry as major influences.
Young is known for his extremely private life offstage, rarely giving interviews about anything other than music.
He and his brother Malcolm originally planned to name the band after the acronym 'AC/DC' they saw on a sewing machine, meaning 'alternating current/direct current.'
“I'm not a model. I'm not a movie star. I'm a guitar player.”
