Cliff Williams

Clifford Williams (born 14 December 1949) is an English musician, best known as the bassist and backing vocalist of the Australian hard rock band AC/DC. He started his professional music career in 1967 and had previously been in the English groups Home and Bandit. His first studio album with AC/DC was Powerage in 1978. Williams was inducted into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of AC/DC in 2003. Williams announced his retirement from AC/DC in 2016, but returned for their 2020 comeback album Power Up along with bandmates Brian Johnson and Phil Rudd. His side projects include benefit concerts.

Clifford Williams was born on 14 December 1949 in Romford, Essex. In 1961, he moved with his family to Hoylake, Merseyside, where he was influenced by the local Merseybeat movement and decided to become a musician. At the age of 13, he and some friends formed a band. He listed the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Kinks, and blues musicians such as Bo Diddley as influences, and mostly learned to play bass by "listening to records and picking out notes", with his formal training limited to some lessons from a professional bassist in nearby Liverpool. He left school when he was 16 years old, working as an engineer by day and musician by night.

In 1966, Williams moved to London, where he worked at a demolition site and in supermarkets while playing in various short-lived bands. He met guitarist Laurie Wisefield (later a member of Wishbone Ash) and the two became members of a band, Sugar, which soon broke up. In 1970, Williams and Wisefield joined with singer Mick Stubbs, keyboardist Clive John, and drummer Mick Cook to form the progressive rock group Home. The band signed a recording deal with Epic Records and issued their debut LP, Pause for a Hoarse Horse, in 1971. Home was a supporting act for Jeff Beck, Mott the Hoople, The Faces and Led Zeppelin.

In 1972, Jim Anderson replaced John on keyboards and Home released a self-titled album, featuring their only hit single, "Dreamer", which peaked at No. 41 in the UK album charts. Their next album, The Alchemist, followed in 1973, but did not gain chart success. When British folk singer-songwriter Al Stewart suggested that Home back him on his first American tour in March 1974, Mick Stubbs left the group. The remaining members formed the Al Stewart Band but split up after the tour. Williams briefly played with the American band Stars before forming Bandit in 1974. Bandit's line-up included vocalist Jim Diamond and drummer Graham Broad (later in Bucks Fizz and Roger Waters's band). The group signed with Arista Records and released a self-titled album in 1977. Bandit also performed as Alexis Korner's backing band on 1977's The Lost Album before disbanding later that year.

Williams considered retiring from music following Bandit's breakup, but one of the group's guitarists, Jimmy Litherland, convinced him to audition for the Australian group AC/DC, who were looking for a bassist after firing Mark Evans shortly after recording their 1977 studio album Let There Be Rock. AC/DC had formed in Australia in 1973 and by mid-1977 the line-up was Malcolm Young on rhythm guitar and backing vocals alongside his brother Angus Young on lead guitar, Phil Rudd on drums and Bon Scott on vocals. Shortly after deciding to audition for the band, Williams saw AC/DC on Top of the Pops and was impressed, describing them as "outrageous".

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.