Bon Scott, the late frontman of AC/DC, has been commemorated with two new official tartans.
Designs for the new tartans have been registered with The Scottish Register of Tartans, which promotes and preserves information about historic and contemporary tartans from Scotland and throughout the world, ahead of their official launch next year.
Ronald Belford “Bon” Scott was born in Forfar and spent the first six years of his childhood in Kirriemuir, where his parents ran the local bakery, before the family emigrated to Australia on the so-called “ten-pound-pom-ticket”.
Scott joined forces with the Young brothers (and fellow Scottish emigres Angus and Malcolm in 1974 to replace Dave Evans as the lead singer of AC/DC. The singer and lyricist died in 1980 aged 33 after a night out in London. In 2004, Classic Rock rated Scott as number one in a list of the "100 Greatest Frontmen Of All Time" - ahead of the likes of Ozzy Osbourne and Robert Plant.
Gordon Nicolson Kiltmakers, located on Edinburgh's historic Royal Mile, were commissioned by Scott’s family to produce tartans to commemorate the life of the singer and mark the 50 year anniversary of when he joined AC/DC.
Gordon Nicolson, Director of Gordon Nicolson Kiltmakers, told The Herald: "We were absolutely delighted to be approached by the family to create the two tartans to commemorate such an iconic figure in rock and roll history - it was a fantastic process to be involved with and we look forward to seeing the fans reactions when the products launch in April.”
The two tartans, which may only be woven by with permission from Gordon Nicolson Kiltmakers, have been named ‘Bon Scott Touring’ and ‘Bon Scott Heritage’.
Registration notes for the ‘Bon Scott Touring’ tartan on the The Scottish Register of Tartans detail how it is “intended to reflect the life on the road, traveling the world and absorbing new influences, having new experiences and meeting new fans.”
READ MORE: Bonfest AC/DC tribute turns Kirriemuir into rock heaven for a weekend
“With tongue firmly planted in cheek, Bon’s personality would fill the room and have everyone in hysterics. This tartan design was inspired by that sense of whimsy”, the notes add.
The registration notes for the ‘Bon Scott Heritage’ tartan explain that it is “intended to be a representation of his Scottish ancestry, his early influences, and the historic homeland and culture of his family”.
“After emigrating to Western Australia, Bon never lost the connection to his birthplace and was in fact nicknamed Bon Scott in primary school as a nod to his Scottish roots (‘Bonnie Scotland’).
“His strong bond to his birthplace (Kirriemuir) and wardrobe of choice (mostly denim) are intended to be reflected in this tartan pattern”, the notes add.
For one weekend in May every year, the ‘Wee Red Toon’ of Kirriemuir quadruples in size as AC/DC fans gather from all corners of the globe for three days of rock ‘n’ roll concerts in celebration of the life of Bon. The festival also features performances of some of the best AC/DC tribute bands from around the world.
Kirriemuir is also home to a life-size bronze statue of Bon with his first in the air while clutching a set of bagpipes. The statue was unveiled in 2016 on the 10th anniversary of BonFest International Rock Festival, and has since then become the centrepiece for the event.
In October last year, a Scottish radio presenter and DJ backed calls for a memorial in Glasgow playing tribute to Malcolm and Angus Young, who formed AC/DC in Sydney back in 1973.
READ MORE: Radio presenter backs calls for AC/DC memorial in Glasgow
The brothers spent their early years in Glasgow’s Cranhill area living in a tenement flat on Skerryvore Road.
The calls for the memorial came ahead of the 50th anniversary of the band in 2023, an anniversary which prompted The Royal Australian Mint to commission a series of commemorative coins to mark the landmark birthday of the band.
DJ Jim Gellatly believes that, rather than in Cranhill, the ideal place for a memorial to the Young brothers would be in Glasgow city centre near to where Scotland’s premier rock venue The Apollo once stood.
It was a 1978 concert at the venue that was used for the live tracks for AC/DC’s first live album If You Want Blood You've Got It , a concert which is regarded as being one of the best of their career and one which saw the band dress in Scotland football strips for the encore to paying homage to the homeland of both Bon and the Youngs.
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