Bon Scott was born July 9, 1946 in Kirriemuir, Scotland to Isa
and Chick Scott. He started his mischevious ways when he was
young by not coming home from school. He played the drums and
bagpipes. In 1952, when Bon was 6, his family migrated to
Melbourne, Australia. Seven years later, they relocated to
Freemantle. Growing up in a working class family in Australia
meant that you had to grow up tough, as Bon did. He left school
as soon as he was of the legal age of 15. This was in 1961. He
worked as a farmhand in a market and then on a crayfish boat.
He thumbed his nose at authority and when provoked, he would turn
nasty. In 1963, Bon was committed to the Child Welfare Dept.
until he was 18 for giving a false name and address to the
police, having escaped legal custody, having unlawful carnal
knowledge, and for stealing 12 gallons of petrol. He ended up in
Riverbank, a jail for boys, and it was something he felt he had
to make up to his parents for the rest of his short life. He was
released by Christmas 1963. If he had ever had a nasty streak,
prison scared it out of him.
He got a job and formed the Spektors with friends Wyn Milson,
John Collins, and Brian Gannon. It was a weekend band until in
1965 it merged with The Winzstons and became The Valentines. The
Valentines became a popular bubble-gum rock band in Australia
with two lead singers, Bon being one of them. It was totally
opposite of the image he was to have in AC/DC. The Valentines
were inspired by the Easybeats. This is ironic because Bon's
future bandmates, Angus and Malcolm Young, had an older brother,
George, that was one of the main members in the Easybeats. The
Valentines eventually broke up and Bon went on to the folkish
band Fraternity. This band did not allow for the growth of Bon's
writing. During this time, many of the early AC/DC songs were
written.
On January 24, 1972, Bon married Irene Thornton. One night,
towards the end of their marriage after an arguement with her,
when he was particularly drunk, he drove off on his bike and
smashed into an oncoming car. He was almost killed. He was in a
coma for 3 days, had a broken collarbone, a cut throat, missing
teeth, and had to have his jaw wired shut. He was quickly on the
mend though. His marriage to Irene was over too. They separated
in 1974 and finally divorced in 1978.
Bon saw the fledgling band AC/DC in Adelaide in 1974. The myth
that Bon was the driver of the band started here as he had driven
Malcolm and Angus around in the old Holden he just bought. Bon
audtioned for the band and decided that he would join. The first
gig AC/DC ever did with Bon involved sitting around for an hour
before the show and performing any rock and roll song they knew.
Bon downed two bottles of bourbon with dope, coke, and speed and
said that he was ready, and he was.
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