The Lives of Brian: A Memoir

In his briskly told and forthright memoir, Johnson recounts his good fortune in becoming the voice on one of rock’s highest-selling albums, AC/DC’s Back in Black. Growing up in the working-class town of Dunston, England, Johnson recalls his early love of music, which leveled up from children’s songs when he heard Little Richard: “I wanted—no, needed—to hear those screamed lyrics and those unhinged ‘wooooos’ and that full-throttle rhythm section again.” He discovered that not only did he love singing, he was also good at it. His first band was called Section 5; he went on to front the glam rock band Geordie, which had a few hits but broke up in 1976, after which he started a business repairing car windshields. In 1980, Johnson received a call for an audition with AC/DC, whose lead singer Bon Scott had recently died. He secured the spot and the band went into the studio to make Back in Black. Johnson discovered that “singing in AC/DC is not like singing in any other band. There are no ballads. There’s no saving your voice for the next song. Every moment, you’re standing your ground. It’s attack. Like singing with a fixed bayonet.” Johnson’s animated prose captures the ups and downs of his life and music with one of the world’s most popular bands. Rock ’n’ roll aficionados will be thrilled. (Oct.)