Colin Burgess, AC/DC’s very first drummer, has died. “We are very sad about the passing of Colin Burgess. He was our first drummer and a very valued musician. Happy memories, rock in peace Colin,” wrote AC/DC on theirs Instagram page. They also share a black and white photo of the musician. He co-founded the band, but was only part of it for a few months.
A short, shared journey with AC/DC
The Australian was 77 years old and the cause of death is not yet known.
AC/DC formed in 1973 and had their first gig together with Colin Burgess on New Year’s Eve at a club in Sydney. At this time, in addition to Burgess, the members also included brothers Angus and Malcolm Young on guitars, Dave Evans on vocals and Larry Van Kriedt on bass. Burgess sat on drums, among other things, in the original version of the first AC/DC single “Can I Sit Next To You Girl”.
“Can I Sit Next To Your Girl” promo video from 1974 with Colin Burgess
However, his time in the hard rock band ended in February 1974. After he was allegedly drunk on stage, he was fired. Burgess himself claimed at the time that someone had put something in his drink. There were a few changes to AC/DC’s drums before Phil Rudd became part of the band a year after the founding member was kicked out and is still there today, albeit with a few breaks.
After his time with AC/DC, Colin Burgess was a member of other bands, including The Masters Apprentices and His Majesty. He founded the latter together with his brother Denny Burgess in 1983, but they broke up the band after five years.