Glasgow-born rock star who produced for AC/DC

Born: November 6, 1946;

Died: October 22, 2017

GLASGOW-born George Young, who has died aged 70, became one of Australia's most popular and best-loved rock stars, writing and performing with the 1960s band The Easybeats, including on their biggest international hit Friday on my Mind (1966), which he co-wrote with lead guitarist Harry Vanda. Dutch-born Vanda's driving E-minor intro, played on his Maton DC545 Slenderline guitar, remains one of the most memorable in rock history, before Leeds-born Stevie Wright launches into the lead vocal with Young on back-up vocals and rhythm guitar.

Young and Vanda's co-written Love is in the Air became another global hit, notably the 1978 version by another Glaswegian emigrant to Australia, Bridgeton-born John Paul Young (no relation).

George Young was also a mentor to and producer of the hard rock and heavy metal band AC/DC, founded in Australia by his fellow-Glaswegian younger brothers Malcolm and Angus Young in 1973. George Young and Vanda produced several of AC/DC's albums including TNT (1975), Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (1976), Let there be Rock (1977), Powerage (1978) and Blow Up Your Video (1988). Young was solo producer on the band's 2000 album Stiff Upper Lip.

Lead vocalist on most of these albums was George Young's friend and another Aussie immigrant, Bon Scott (Ronald Belford Scott), born in Forfar and brought up in Kirriemuir, whom George Young introduced and recommended to his brothers as lead vocalist in AC/DC. Scott died in London in 1980, aged 33, of acute alcohol poisoning after a night of drinking but remains a rock legend.

Announcing Young's death, his brothers Malcolm and Angus said: "it is with pain in our heart that we have to announce the passing of our beloved brother and mentor George Young. Without his help and guidance there would not have been an AC/DC. As a musician, songwriter, producer, advisor and much, much more, you could not ask for a more dedicated and professional man. As a brother, you could not ask for a finer brother. For all he did and gave to us throughout his life, we will always remember him with gratitude and hold him close to our hearts."

George, Malcolm, Angus, Alexander, Stephen and William Young Jr, and their sister Margaret, were born in Glasgow - George Redburn Young on November 6, 1946 - and most of them brought up on the Cranhill housing estate. When their parents William, a labourer who had long been jobless, and Margaret decided to seek a better life in Australia in 1963, George was 17, Malcolm 10 and Angus eight. The eldest brother Stephen was already 30. Alexander, then 25 and already a multi-instrument rock musician, decided to stay in the UK to pursue his career, helped by his friends The Beatles who got him a recording contract at Apple Publishing. Later known as George Alexander, he was a founder of the band Grapefruit (a name suggested by John Lennon).

For the immigrant Young family, early life in Oz was little better than at Cranhill. They had made the move after seeing brochures that made it look "phenomenal." But the reality was different: the brothers recalled: "The reality is that when we got there we were put into an immigrant hostel. I’m not saying it’s bad but it was a very slim, bare necessities situation and it rained non-stop for six weeks with snakes crawling around the floor ... we wanted to go home. But when we saw both our parents crying the night we arrived, we took strength from that to try and stick it out.”

After settling, George, Malcolm and Angus started a band called Marcus Hook Roll Band, with George on vocals. Then, in 1964, George started the soft-rock band The Easybeats, influenced by The Beatles and Mersey Sound, while Malcolm and Angus turned to hard rock, later described as "heavy metal" although they did not really like that term and preferred to be called, simply, rockers.

It was their sister, Margaret Young (now Horsburgh) who came up with the name of their band, AC/DC from initials she saw on her sewing machine. Their famous high voltage sign between the AC and DC came later, symbolizing their raw energy and power-driven performances, helping them sell more than 200 million albums worldwide, with big brother and producer George sharing the royalties. Although most of us pronounce the AC/DC as letters, they become colloquially known in Australia as Acca Dacca.

After Malcolm Young left the band for health reasons in 2014, the Young brothers' nephew Stevie Young was called in. He, too, had emigrated to Australia after growing up in the Borders town of Hawick where he achieved a certain cult success with his heavy metal band The Starfighters. Axl Rose, famed frontman of Guns 'n Roses, joined AC/DC last year.

After the Easybeats dissolved, George Young continued as a production and song-writing duo with his old friend Harry Vanda, initially in London and later back in Australia. George retired in Portugal with his wife Sandra and daughter "Evie" (Yvette). He is survived by Malcolm, Angus and other siblings. His death was mourned throughout Australia, where he was considered one of their most influential musicians, and far beyond.

PHIL DAVISON