In a recent interview with Podpokas, Dave Evans talked about what AC/DC does for free advertising.
The frontman shared how the band got its name. In late 1973, the band was booked for a New Year’s Eve gig, but they still didn’t have a name. They tried brainstorming ideas but couldn’t agree. Eventually, they decided to each come up with three names and draw one from a hat at their next rehearsal.
Evans went on to say, “Because what happened was when we all arrived together, [AC/DC’s founding rhythm guitarist] Malcolm Young said to us, ‘Look, my sister-in-law’ — [his] older brother George’s wife — ‘has suggested a name.’ And we said, ‘Okay, what is it?’ And Malcolm said, ‘AC/DC’. And I thought quickly, and I thought it’s an easy name to remember, AC/DC.”
“And it was on the side of a lot of electrical appliances. AC/DC means alternate current and direct current. Alternate current means batteries. Direct current, plug it into the wall. And I had a portable record player, which had AC/DC on the side. So I could go to the park and just do it by batteries, then go back to the house and plug it in,” the singer explained.
He then shared his reaction to the band name, “AC/DC. Yeah, a lot of appliances were AC/DC. And I thought, free advertising — free advertising everywhere. I thought, ‘Wow, free advertising on the side of all these appliances, and it’s easy to say, and it means power.’ And so it all went through my head very quickly. And I said yes. I said, ‘Great. I love it. I love it.'”
“And then [then-AC/DC drummer] Colin Burgess, the famous Colin Burgess, he said, ‘Yeah, I like it too.’ And then [then-AC/DC bassist] Larry [Van Kriedt] said, ‘Okay, I like it,'” the vocalist recalled.
He also mentioned Malcolm Young’s words, saying, “And so Malcolm looked at us and said, ‘Well, shall we call ourselves AC/DC?’ And we all put our hands up, and it was unanimous. And so we said, ‘Okay, we are AC/DC.’ And we all shook hands. And we were AC/DC. And those three names [that I came up with], I went home and threw them away.”
Dave recorded AC/DC’s first two singles, ‘Can I Sit Next To You Girl’ and ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go.’ However, in October 1974, less than a year after their first gig, Evans left the band and was replaced by Bon Scott.
