12 Greatest Classic Rock Singers Of All Time
7. Bon Scott - AC/DC
Rock was caught in the middle of clean and dirty in the mid 70's. While we definitely had blues screamers on one side, other acts like Boston and Styx were keeping their vocal chops extremely clean by rock and roll standards. However, we were in for a rude awakening when we first heard AC/DC.
The amount of grit in Bon Scott's voice was something that no one had ever heard in the rock sphere. As opposed to the more operatic wails of the blues belters, here was a guy with a voice that seemed to crawl directly out of the sewer. Across tracks like "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" and "Highway to Hell," Scott's delivery always had the perfect mix of good natured fun as well as something a bit more sinister underneath.
AC/DC records were a ton of fun, but the appeal of Bon Scott always seemed to be a guy you'd have a beer with and then destroy the entire bar. Though we tragically lost Bon to alcohol poisoning in 1980, the band's work with Brian Johnson has that same vocal timbre that lit a fire in the hearts of so many rockers. The band can still hammer out the hits, but that off-the-wall craziness that Scott radiated is something we may never see again.