Brian Johnson at 79: AC/DC’s voice above the riff

Brian Johnson was born in Dunston, England, on October 5, 1947. His 79th birthday falls more than four decades after the audition that brought him into AC/DC.

From London audition to North American stages

The band’s own archive places that audition at Vanilla Studios in London in March 1980. A separate entry preserves the record-company announcement of his arrival. By July 25, AC/DC had released Back in Black.

Another archival interview catches Johnson at the beginning of the album’s North American tour in July 1980. The sequence is striking: a London tryout, a new album, then the road, all within a few months.

“Hells Bells,” “Shoot to Thrill,” the title track and “You Shook Me All Night Long” all belong to that ten-song record. For a guitar audience, the birthday is inseparable from the songs that put his voice alongside those riffs.

Which Brian Johnson-era AC/DC song makes you reach for a guitar first?

Image: Original editorial illustration of Brian Johnson. Not a photograph of a specific performance.