AC/DC, hard rock’s biggest band of all time, may be reuniting.
Former lead singer Brian Johnson, drummer Phil Rudd, and bass player Cliff Williams are rejoining founding member Angus Young to record a tribute album for their fallen co-founder, Malcolm Young, that will include songs Malcolm recorded with the band before he was no longer able to play due to illness. Malcolm Young died in November 2017.
This is according to former Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, who shared the news in a series of tweets over the weekend that apparently surprised AC/DC fans who didn’t already know about the developments. Snider kicked off his AC/DC newsbreak with a plea for the Super Bowl organizers to book the band for its halftime show next year.
Cliff Williams and Angus Young promote “Rock or Bust” in 2014. (AP)
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Drummer Rudd has not toured with the band for several years due to legal issues. Bass player Williams announced his retirement in 2016. AC/DC has toured with Guns N’ Roses lead singer Axl Rose since he stepped in for Johnson in 2016 when the hard-screaming vocalist was unable to complete the band’s “Rock or Bust” tour due to severe hearing problems. Snider said Johnson’s hearing issues have been resolved.
The Youngs’ nephew, Stevie Young, took over rhythm guitar duties from Malcolm, who had been unable to play since dementia sidelined him in 2014.
Nov. 6, 2014 file photo, Phil Rudd, drummer for the rock band AC/DC, gestures from a window at his house in Tauranga, New Zealand. (The Associated Press)
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The band’s longtime engineer, Mike Frase, said in an April interview with Mastering Music Mastering Life that the band was in the studio “doing something,” and Rudd and Johnson had been spotted outside a Vancouver recording studio as far back as last August.
Brian Johnson and Angus Young of AC/DC perform during their “Black Ice” Tour Opener on October 28, 2008. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
AC/DC is one of the world’s biggest-selling rock bands. Their signature album, 1980’s “Back in Black,” a tribute to their first lead singer Bon Scott after his alcohol-related death, sold over 25 million copies alone, ranking it second behind only Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”