AC/DC guitarist Stevie Young shares some of his legendary family’s musical history while on a break from the group’s Rock Or Bust world tour.
As Malcolm and Angus Young’s nephew, Stevie was brought in to handle rhythm guitars in 2014 for the album and tour following Malcolm’s retirement after he was diagnosed with dementia.
“My dad played accordion,” says Stevie of the family’s shared musical history, “and he had a guitar knocking around in the house and I was always picking it up. I tried the accordion but it was huge.
"I come from a musical family. My dad, in fact, all my brothers played an instrument, to some degree or another, mostly guitars. Parties were always good because there would be non-stop music all night so there was all these instruments around. You picked it up and played it away. There was always people to show you how to get on with it.”
Stevie continues to work hard – both on stage and off – as he settles into his full-time role with AC/DC.
"I work out stuff all the time; I keep working away,” he explains. “Every day I listen and try to find bits that I missed or something that Malcolm did that would help with what's going on in the tunes. I'm not trying to imitate or copy him, but trying to keep the spirit of what he did in the band."
Stevie previously replaced Malcolm on AC/DC’s 1988 Blow Up Your Video tour, playing dates across North America while his uncle took a break to deal with alcohol dependency issues. Legend has it that many fans failed to notice the lineup change due to the family resemblance.
Stevie and AC/DC closed out the European leg of the Rock Or Bust world tour with a performance in Düsseldorf, Germany on June 15; they’ll regroup with Axl Rose to play ten US dates that were rescheduled from spring, with shows starting in Greensboro, NC on August 27.
See also:
AC/DC: Duff McKagan raves about Axl Rose performance
VIDEO: Axl Rose and AC/DC close European tour in Dusseldorf
hennemusic LIVE: Watch Axl Rose and AC/DC rock Germany
AC/DC launch Thunderstruck Tequila
Search AC/DC at hennemusic
