George Young (rock musician)
The unsung engine of Australian rock, a hitmaking songwriter and producer who launched the careers of AC/DC and defined a nation's sound.
1946–2017 (age 71)·Australian rock musician·Birthday: November 6·Baby Boomers
Biography
George Young operated from the control room, not the spotlight, yet his impact on Australian music is immeasurable. As a teenage immigrant from Scotland, he co-founded The Easybeats and, with Harry Vanda, wrote 'Friday on My Mind', a blistering anthem that gave Australia its first international rock hit. When the band faded, Vanda & Young became production wizards, crafting a wall-of-sound pop-rock style at their own Albert Studios. Their greatest legacy, however, was familial: George became the mentor and producer for his younger brothers, Malcolm and Angus Young, steering their new band, AC/DC, to global domination with their early, foundational albums. He gave their raw power a radio-ready sheen. Simultaneously, he scored massive hits under other names, like the disco classic 'Love Is in the Air'. Young was the ultimate music industry pragmatist—a genius songwriter who understood that a great hook and a relentless groove were the keys to the world.
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.
George was born in 1946, 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 George Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
George's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 70
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2017Died at 71
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
Key Achievements
- Co-wrote and produced the international hit 'Friday on My Mind' for The Easybeats.
- Formed the seminal songwriting and production duo Vanda & Young with Harry Vanda.
- Produced AC/DC's early landmark albums, including 'High Voltage', 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap', and 'Let There Be Rock'.
- Co-wrote the global disco hit 'Love Is in the Air', performed by John Paul Young.
Did You Know?
He was the older brother of AC/DC founders Malcolm and Angus Young.
His production duo, Vanda & Young, also recorded and released music under the name Flash and the Pan.
Young was notoriously private and almost never gave interviews, especially after AC/DC's rise to fame.
“The song is the only thing that matters, not the bloke singing it.”
