Growing up in the working-class town of Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, Johnson was musically-inclined and sang with the church choir before joining a number of bands, eventually forming Geordie in 1972; the glam rock outfit issued three albums before his departure in 1976.
Following the February 1980 death of AC/DC frontman Bon Scott, Johnson was among the rockers who auditioned for the group, and he soon joined the group in the studio to record “Back In Black”, which served as a tribute to Scott and would go on to become the biggest-selling hard rock album in music history.
After a quarter century of platinum albums and record-breaking tours, Johnson was forced to quit the band in 2016 after being diagnosed with hearing loss – a result of an incident while racing (one of his passions outside of music) at the 2008 Watkins Glen International – that made performing a real challenge.
The singer went on to work with the inventor of in-ear monitors, Asius Technologies founder Stephen Ambrose, to find a technical solution that would allow him to return to performing, and Johnson rejoined AC/DC in Vancouver in 2018 to record a new album, "Power Up", that would be issued in 2020.
“I've had some long nights and some great nights, some bad days and a lot of good days, and during that time I've gone from choirboy to rock 'n' roll singer,” says Johnson, “and now I've gone and written a bloody book about it.”
"Brian's memoir captures an unforgettable moment in rock history," adds Dey Street Books SVP and executive editor Mauro DiPreta. “Anyone who wants to understand Brian's roots as well as the moment of ignition when he joined AC/DC and helped create a monster album will be in for an unforgettable ride.”
See also:
AC/DC: Angus Young details Bon Scott’s work on Back In Black
AC/DC share making of Realize video
Pre-AC/DC Bon Scott recordings released
AC/DC premiere Realize video
Search AC/DC at hennemusic
