AC/DC scored their first UK No.1 album with Back In Black

AC/DC scored their first UK No.1 album with Back In Black. It was the first AC/DC album recorded without former lead singer Bon Scott, (who died on 19 February 1980 at the age of 33), and was dedicated to him on August 9, 1980.

As 1980 began, AC/DC began work on a new album that would eventually become Back in Black, but Bon Scott would not live to see the project being finished.

On 19 February 1980, Scott passed out in the car on the way back to friend Alistair Kinnear's house after a night of heavy drinking at the Music Machine club in London. Upon arrival at his home, Kinnear was unable to move Scott from the car into his home for the night, so he left him in the car overnight to sleep off the effects of the alcohol. Unable to wake Scott late the next morning, Kinnear rushed him to King's College Hospital in Camberwell, where Scott was pronounced dead on arrival. Pulmonary aspiration of vomit was the cause of Scott's death,[35] and the official cause was listed as "acute alcohol poisoning" and "death by misadventure". Scott's family buried him in Fremantle, Western Australia, the area they emigrated to when he was a boy.

Inconsistencies in the official accounts of Bon Scott's death have been cited in conspiracy theories, which suggest that Scott died of a heroin overdose, or was killed by exhaust fumes redirected into the car, or that Kinnear did not exist. Additionally, Scott was asthmatic, and the temperature was below freezing on the morning of his death.

Following Scott's death, the band briefly considered quitting; they eventually concluded, however, that Scott would have wanted AC/DC to continue, and various candidates were considered for his replacement, including Buzz Shearman, ex-Moxy member, who was not able to join because of voice problems, ex-Back Street Crawler vocalist Terry Slesser and ex-vocalist of Slade, Noddy Holder. The remaining AC/DC members finally decided on ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson.

Angus Young later recalled, "I remember the first time I had ever heard Brian's (Johnson) name was from Bon. Bon had mentioned that he had been in England once touring with a band and he had mentioned that Brian had been in a band called Geordie and Bon had said 'Brian Johnson, he was a great rock and roll singer in the style of Little Richard.' And that was Bon's big idol, Little Richard. I think when he saw Brian at that time, to Bon it was 'Well he's a guy that knows what rock and roll is all about.' He mentioned that to us in Australia. I suppose when we decided to continue, Brian was the first name that Malcolm and myself came up with, so we said we should see if we can find him.", For the audition, Johnson sang "Whole Lotta Rosie" from Let There Be Rock and Ike & Tina Turner's "Nutbush City Limits". He was hired a few days after the audition.

With Brian Johnson AC/DC completed the songwriting that they had begun with Bon Scott for the album Back in Black.

Recording took place at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas a few months after Scott's death. Back in Black, produced by Mutt Lange and recorded by Tony Platt, became their biggest-selling album and a hard-rock landmark; hits include "Hells Bells", "You Shook Me All Night Long", and the title track. The album was certified platinum three months after its release, and by 2007 it had sold more than 22 million copies in the United States and over 45 million world wide, making it the fourth-highest-selling album ever in the US and the second highest selling in the world (second to Michael Jackson's Thriller). The album reached No.1 in the UK and No.4 in the US, where it spent 131 weeks on the Billboard 200 album chart.

Retro History for August 9 The 50s 60s 70s 80s

Retro History For The Decade 1980

1988 Cubs beat Mets 6-4 in their 1st official night game at Wrigley Field
1988 Edmonton Oilers trade Wayne Gretzky to Los Angeles Kings for $15-$20 millions
1988 Just 1 day after 8/8/88 New York's daily number is 888
1987 "Les Miserables," opens at Cameri Theatre, Tel Aviv
1987 69th PGA Championship: Larry Nelson shoots 287 at PGA National Palm Beach
1987 Los Angeles Rams beat Dallas Cowboys 28-27 in London, England (NFL expo)
1987 Mary Beth wins LPGA Henredon Golf Classic
1986 "Honky Tonk Nights" closes at Biltmore Theater New York City after 4 performances
1984 Daley Thomas of Britain sets decathalon record (8,847) in LA Cal
1984 STS-41-D vehicle again moves out to launch pad
1981 52nd All Star Baseball Game: NL wins 5-4 at Municipal Stadium, Cleveland
1981 6 English lifeguards set relay swim record English Channel (7:17)
1981 63rd PGA Championship: Larry Nelson shoots a 273 at Atlanta AC Ga
1981 All star MVP: Gary Carter (Mont Expos)
1981 Hollis Stacy wins LPGA West Virginia Bank Golf Classic
1981 NL beats AL 5-4 in 52nd All Star Game (Cleveland Stadium)
1980 Belgian constitution revised
1980 AC/DC scored their first UK No.1 album with 'Back In Black'. It was the first AC/DC album recorded without former lead singer Bon Scott, (who died on 19 February 1980 at the age of 33), and was dedicated to him.

Retro History For The Decade 1970

1979 English seaside resort Brighton gets 1st British nude beach
1978 U.S.S.R. performs (underground) nuclear test
1978 Yankees score 5 in bottom of 9th beat Brewers 8-7
1977 Chris Old completes a century in 37 minutes, Yorks vs. Warwicks
1977 NHL refuses merger of 6 WHA clubs
1976 Clive Lloyd scores double-ton in 120 minutes, WI vs. Glamorgan
1976 Pitt Pirate John Candelaria no-hits Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-0
1976 U.S.S.R. launches Luna 24, last Lunar flight to date from Earth
1975 1st NFL game in Louisiana Superdome, Houston beats Saints 13-7
1975 Dodger Davey Lopes steals record 32nd consec base without being caught
1975 Donna Caponi Young wins LPGA Colgate European Ladies Golf Open
1974 Richard Nixon resigns presidency, Vice President Gerald Ford becomes 38th president
1973 Henry McCullough and Denny Seiwell quit Wings
1973 U.S.S.R. launches Mars 7
1972 Rockwell receives NASA contract to construct Space Shuttle
1971 Le Roy (Satchel) Paige inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame
1970 Jane Blalock wins LPGA Lady Carling Golf Open
1970 Peruvian Airlines jet carrying 45 U.S. exchange students explodes

Retro History For The Decade 1960

1969 "Zorba" closes at Imperial Theater New York City after 305 performances
1969 Manson family commits Tate-LaBianca murders
1968 Yugoslav president Tito visits Prague
1967 Biafran offensive against Nigerian army
1967 KYAY TV channel 39 in West Monroe, LA (IND) begins broadcasting
1965 Fire in Titan II silo in Searcy Arkansas, 53 die
1965 Singapore gains independence from Malaysia, National Day
1964 1st Rolling Stones concert in Netherlands
1964 Shirley Englehorn wins LPGA Waterloo Women's Golf Open Invitational
1964 Bunning continues pitching perfectly to New York Mets until 2 outs in 5th, when Joe Christopher beats out a bunt. He totals 15 innings
1963 Britains rock TV show, Ready Steady Go, premieres
1963 New York Met Roger Craig's NL record-tying 18-game losing streak ends
1961 James B Parsons is 1st black appointed to Federal District Court
1960 Race riot in Jacksonville Florida

Retro History For The Decade 1950

1957 24th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: New York Giants 22, All-Stars 12 (75,000)
1956 1st state-wide, state-supported educational TV network, Alabama
1956 South African women demonstrate against pass laws
1953 Premier Mohammed Abdullah of Kashmir, fired
1952 General strike against overtime conscription in Belgium
1951 Dutch Korea volunteers win U.S. Collective Unit Citation
1950 Lusty Song wins Hambletonian

Have a groovy vintage retro day!


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Vintage Retro Music & Retro Pop Culture is our passion and what we LOVE. We keep it going everyday for the love of producing it for you to enjoy. Thanks for viewing. Much Peace! AC/DC scored their first UK No.1 album with Back In Black on August 9, 1980.