Brian Johnson

Brian Johnson (born 5 October 1947) is an English singer and songwriter. He is the third lead singer of the Australian rock band AC/DC, taking over the role in 1980 after the death of Bon Scott.

Johnson is one of the founding members of the rock band Geordie, which was formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1971. After several hit singles, including the UK Top 10 hit "All Because of You" (1973), the band split in 1978. Following the death of Bon Scott on 19 February 1980, Johnson was asked to audition for AC/DC, whose guitarists and founders, Angus and Malcolm Young, remembered when Scott had been impressed with Johnson as Geordie's frontman. Johnson's first album with AC/DC, Back in Black, became the second-best-selling album of all time, according to most estimates. The Guardian ranked the successful transition to Johnson at No. 36 on their list of 50 key events in rock-music history.

Johnson and the rest of the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. In March 2016, he temporarily left the band during the Rock or Bust World Tour because of hearing problems. In September 2020, AC/DC confirmed that Johnson, along with bandmates Phil Rudd and Cliff Williams, had rejoined the group in August 2018 to record the album Power Up.

Johnson is known for his distinctive singing voice and strong Geordie accent. In July 2014, he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Music by Northumbria University in Newcastle in recognition of his significant contribution to the music industry.

Johnson was born on 5 October 1947 in Dunston, Gateshead. He is the oldest of four siblings. His English father, Alan, was a coal miner and sergeant major in the British Army's Durham Light Infantry who died in 1996. His Italian mother, Esther (née De Luca), was from Frascati. When he was young, Johnson performed in various shows with the Scouts, appeared in a play which aired on television, and joined a local church choir. He served in the Territorial Army with the 17th Parachute Battalion in Germany for two years.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.