Late AC/DC singer Bon Scott’s brother Derek Scott spoke about Bon and the band on what would have been the late singer’s 80th birthday. He shared his thoughts on Brian Johnson’s role in AC/DC.
Derek Scott reflected warmly on Johnson’s contribution to the band following Bon Scott’s passing. He expressed the family’s enduring appreciation for the vocalist who stepped in during one of rock’s most difficult transitions.
“Brian (Johnson) is fantastic. He’s jovial and fits in. It was very fortunate to have him come on board. He’s done a fantastic job. We’ve always got a lot of time for him,” Derek Scott said.
Scott also spoke about Bon’s legacy and what the music continues to mean to the family today.
“It’s always good to hear his music and the old songs. Of course they bring back memories, but things move on,” he continued. “He wasn’t good at sports or school. He put his whole heart into the music and…here we are with it, still listening today.”
Damian Rinaldi co-manages Bon Scott’s estate alongside the Scott family. He also weighed in on the unique bond between the two singers’ legacies.
“The story of Bon wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t for Brian. Bon took the band up to the point of being huge and we lost him, and then Brian was able to take the baton and take it further,” Rinaldi said. “If it wasn’t for Brian we might not still be remembering Bon in the way we do today — and if it wasn’t for Bon, Brian wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do what he did. There’s massive mutual respect, which is something we foster. We love people loving Bon, but we love Brian as well.”
The comments were made in tribute to Bon Scott on what would have been his 80th birthday. They underscore the lasting connection between his memory and AC/DC’s continued legacy.
The warmth expressed by both the Scott family and the estate’s management reflects just how significant and carefully handled this chapter of rock history has been. To understand the weight of that transition, it helps to look back at the events that made it necessary — and how swiftly the band had to move forward.
Bon Scott died on February 19, 1980, in London at the age of 33. A coroner ruled the cause of death as acute alcohol poisoning and death by misadventure. Scott was found unresponsive in a car where he had been left to sleep following a night of heavy drinking. His death sent shockwaves through the rock world and left AC/DC facing an uncertain future at what had been the peak of their rise.
The band did not stay idle for long. On March 29, 1980 — just weeks after Scott’s passing — Brian Johnson was officially named AC/DC’s new singer. Johnson had previously fronted the UK band Geordie. He made his first official appearance with AC/DC on April 19, 1980, marking one of the most significant transitions in rock history.
The album that followed, Back in Black, was released later that year. It became one of the best-selling records of all time and served as both a tribute to Bon Scott and a defining moment for Johnson’s tenure with the band. It cemented the idea that the two eras of AC/DC, while distinct, were deeply intertwined.
That intertwining is precisely what the Scott family and estate continue to honor. Rather than drawing a line between the Bon Scott era and the Brian Johnson era, those closest to Bon have consistently framed the two as complementary — each giving meaning to the other. This perspective has shaped how the band’s legacy is remembered and celebrated to this day.
Source: Billboard
