Image: AC/DC - Official Pressphoto
For over 50 years, AC/DC has been rocking stages all over the world. But have you ever asked yourself why they’re called "AC/DC"? After all, it stands for "Alternating Current/Direct Current." The answer to this question was revealed by none other than Dave Evans, the band’s original singer and founding member, in an interview with Podpokas:
“We were happily rehearsing, and a guy who wanted to manage us called Alan Kissack [the band’s first manager — Ed.] and said: ‘Hey guys, I’ve got a gig for you in a few weeks.’ And it was on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 1973, at the famous Chequers nightclub, the number one nightclub in Australia. That was the best gig in Australia. But we needed a name because the show was only a few weeks away. So we started throwing names around, but we couldn’t agree on one. I had some really great names, but the others didn’t like them.”
Time was running out, so the guys decided: everyone would come up with three names, write them down on pieces of paper, and they’d draw one from a hat the next day.
But it didn’t come to that, as Evans explains:
“When we all showed up, Malcolm Young told us that his sister-in-law — the wife of his older brother George — had suggested a name. We asked, ‘Okay, what is it?’ And Malcolm said: AC/DC. I quickly thought: That’s easy to remember. It was written on the side of many electronic devices. AC/DC means alternating current and direct current. So I thought: ‘Great, free advertising everywhere!’”
Malcolm was convinced and asked the group: “Should we call ourselves AC/DC then?” The decision was made quickly:
“We all raised our hands — and it was unanimous. And so we said, ‘Okay, we’re AC/DC.’ We shook hands and became AC/DC. I took my piece of paper with my three band name ideas, went home, and threw it away.”
And that’s how the incredible journey of a band began, whose name is now practically synonymous with hard rock.
You can watch the full interview with Dave Evans here:
