Original AC/DC Singer Dave Evans On Quitting Band: 'I Was Not Getting Paid'

20 August 2019 | 2:37 pm | Staff Writer

"We had a meeting one night with the manager and he smart mouthed me, so I punched him."

Original AC/DC singer Dave Evans has claimed in a new interview he quit the iconic rock band because he was "not getting paid".

Speaking to former Anthrax frontman Neill Turbin for The Metal Voice, the Welsh-born vocalist discussed why he left the band despite their growing success in 1974. 

"The reason why I left the band was because we had a hit record and we were doing so many shows, sometimes we were doing three shows a day and I was not getting paid," Evans said.

"We were on TV, on radio, but we were not getting any money. Plus were pretty unhappy with our third manager.

"I had to pay rent back at my apartment in Sydney, I was paying off a car, working my arse off and not getting any money. We had a meeting one night with the manager and he smart mouthed me, so I punched him. I had enough so I was going to leave the band after the tour unless I got a certain amount of money, which I didn't, so I left. Strictly economics."

Following his departure, Bon Scott joined AC/DC in 1974 before the band released their debut album, High Voltage, the following year.

Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter

Evans also said in the interview he would write a book about the early days of AC/DC if the "right publisher" approached him. 

"The fans would love the story, Evans said.

"It's a story that has never been told."

Watch the full interview below.