George Young obit

 

AC/DC producer and Easybeats musician George Young dead at 70

He was not on the list.

AC/DC producer and The Easybeats' star George Young has died at the age of 70.

AC/DC said in a statement the band would not exist without Young's "help and guidance".

"As a musician, songwriter, producer, advisor and much, much more, you could not ask for a more dedicated and professional man," the statement read.

"You could not ask for a finer brother. We will always remember him with gratitude and hold him close to our hearts."

George was the eldest brother of Australian rock legends Malcolm and Angus Young. He was born in Scotland in 1946 but emigrated to Australia with his family when he was still a child.

He shot to fame in the '60s as a guitarist for the Sydney-based rock band The Easybeats. While the band broke up in 1970, he and lead guitarist Harry Vanda were later inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

Young was also known for co-producing AC/DC's early albums, including TNT, Dirty Deeds Done Cheap and Let There Be Rock.

Prior to AC/DC's formation, Young was the vocalist for the rock group Marcus Hook Roll Band, with his brothers on guitar.

There was an outpouring of grief on social media on Monday afternoon after Young's death was announced. Rock legend Jimmy Barnes wrote on Twitter that the songwriter's death was a "huge loss for music".

"A great songwriter, producer and a great human being," he said.

Young was an Australian musician, songwriter and record producer. He was a founding member of the bands The Easybeats and Flash and the Pan, and was one-half of the songwriting and production duo Vanda & Young with his long-time musical collaborator Harry Vanda, with whom he co-wrote the international hits "Friday on My Mind" and "Love Is in the Air", the latter recorded by John Paul Young (who is unrelated).

Born in Glasgow, Young moved to Sydney, Australia with his family as a teenager, and became a naturalised citizen. He was also one of the producers of early work by the Australian hard rock band AC/DC, formed by his younger brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Young (along with Vanda) was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 1988 and The Easybeats were inducted in 2005.