<P> Brothers Malcolm, Angus, and George Young were born in Glasgow, Scotland living at 6 Skerryvore Road in the Cranhill area . The Big Freeze of 1963 was the worst winter on record in Scotland with snow eight feet deep . A TV advertisement at the same time offered assisted travel for families for a different life in Australia . 15 members of the Young family left Scotland by aeroplane in late June 1963 . Before moving into a house at 4 Burleigh Street in the suburb of Burwood they initially stayed at Villawood Migrant Hostel (a site later developed as Villawood Immigration Detention Centre) in Nissen huts, where George Young met and became friends with another migrant, Harry Vanda . </P> <P> George was the first to learn to play the guitar . He became a member of the Easybeats, one of Australia's most successful bands of the 1960s . In 1966, they became the first local rock act to have an international hit, with the song "Friday on My Mind". Malcolm followed in George's footsteps by playing with a Newcastle, New South Wales, band called the Velvet Underground (not to be confused with the New York - based Velvet Underground). Their older brother Alex Young chose to remain in Britain to pursue musical interests . In 1967, Alexander formed and played bass in the London - based band Grapefruit--initially called "The Grapefruit"--with three former members of Tony Rivers and the Castaways, John Perry, Geoff Swettenham, and Pete Swettenham . </P> <P> Malcolm and Angus Young developed the idea for the band's name after their sister, Margaret Young, saw the initials "AC / DC" on a sewing machine . "AC / DC" is an abbreviation meaning "alternating current / direct current" electricity . The brothers felt that this name symbolised the band's raw energy, power - driven performances of their music . "AC / DC" is pronounced one letter at a time, though the band are colloquially known as "Acca Dacca" in Australia . The AC / DC band name is stylised with a high voltage sign separating the "AC" and "DC" and has been used on all studio albums, with the exception of the international version of Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap . </P> <P> In November 1973, Malcolm and Angus Young formed AC / DC and recruited bassist Larry Van Kriedt, vocalist Dave Evans, and Colin Burgess, ex-Masters Apprentices drummer . Pushing hard for the band's success were Australia's roadie Ray Arnold and his partner Alan Kissack . Gene Pierson booked the band to play at Chequers nightclub on New Year's Eve, 1973 . </P>

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