Phil Rudd
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Phillip Hugh Norman Ruddis an Australian drummer, best known for his membership in Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1975 until 1983, and again from 1994 to the present. Upon the 1977 departure of bass guitarist Mark Evans from AC/DC, Rudd became the only Australian-born member of the band. In 2003, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with the other members of AC/DC.
Born to Lithuanian parents on May 19, 1954, in Melbourne, Rudd began playing drums in his teens and became quite serious about pursuing a career in music. He played in several bands in Melbourne before joining Buster Brown with futureRose Tattoo vocalist Angry Anderson. They went on to release one album, Something To Say, in 1974 but Rudd left for a brief spell in the Coloured Balls with Lobby Loyde. During 1974 he was told about AC/DC's rhythm section auditions by his former Coloured Balls bandmate Trevor Young (no relation to AC/DC's Young brothers). He asked Buster Brown bassist Geordie Leach to accompany him, but Leach refused. Rudd auditioned and was hired immediately. Rudd's drumming style suited the band's style of music and became an integral part of AC/DC's sound from 1975 to 1983. The band relocated to the UK in 1976 and followed a heavy schedule of international touring and recording.
In 1980, AC/DC's vocalist Bon Scott died. The band continued on, recruiting new vocalist Brian Johnson and subsequently recording their most successful album, 1980's Back in Black. Good friends, Rudd took Scott's death badly, but continued on with AC/DC until he left the band during the recording of the Flick of the Switch album in 1983. Rudd had completed his contributions to the album, and although session drummer B.J. Wilson was recruited to help complete the recording, Wilson's drum parts were ultimately not used. Simon Wright was soon hired as Rudd's permanent replacement, and featured in the videos that accompanied the singles released from the album.
Rudd's 1983 sacking from AC/DC was partly the result of his own problems with drugs and a conflict with the band's rhythm guitarist and founder Malcolm Young, which allegedly escalated to become physical. Following his firing, Rudd retired to Tauranga, New Zealand where he purchased a helicopter company. Rudd's departure from AC/DC didn't become widely known until the eve of their North American tour in 1983. In the last few pages of Circus Magazine's October 1983 edition it stated "Phil Rudd exits AC/DC"..."to spend more time with his family and his cars". Guitarist Angus Young was quoted in the same article as saying "We're a rowdy bunch, but we don't fight with each other". Vocalist Brian Johnson added in a Hit Parader interview from the same period that "You couldn't find a more solid person or drummer than Phil Rudd. None of us would have to work if we didn't want to....Phil chose that option".
On his years away from AC/DC, Rudd has said, "I raced cars, flew helicopters, became a farmer and planted some crops. I lived in New Zealand which was great; nice and quiet with nobody bothering me." Rudd also continued to play drums, "when I wanted to rather than when I had to", and built his own recording studio.
Phil Rudd in 1995 When AC/DC toured New Zealand in 1991 in support of their Razors Edge album, they called Rudd to see if he would be interested in joining them for a casual jam session. Rudd accepted their offer. Though there was no discussion of him rejoining the group at the time, Rudd would be invited to permanently rejoin AC/DC in late 1993 following the recording of the Big Gun single for the Last Action Hero movie soundtrack.[9]
AC/DC welcomed Rudd back following Chris Slade's term as the band's drummer. The band praised Slade for his performance and technical ability, but maintained that a certain groove had been missing from AC/DC's music since Rudd's departure in 1983. Since rejoining the band, he has performed on three AC/DC studio albums, Ballbreaker, Stiff Upper Lip, and Black Ice which was the band's biggest hit on the charts since For Those About to Rock We Salute You in 1981.
On 1 December 2010, Rudd was convicted of possessing 25g of marijuana on his boat in Tauranga, New Zealand, but later had his cannabis conviction quashed on the grounds that it would have stopped him from continuing to tour with the rock band.
On 30 July 2011, it was announced that the drummer had purchased and would open a marina restaurant in Tauranga, New Zealand, where he resides. He named it "Phil's Place", and planned on selling seafood and top-quality steak. The restaurant closed temporarily in July 2012, and is scheduled to reopen before the end of the year
Born to Lithuanian parents on May 19, 1954, in Melbourne, Rudd began playing drums in his teens and became quite serious about pursuing a career in music. He played in several bands in Melbourne before joining Buster Brown with futureRose Tattoo vocalist Angry Anderson. They went on to release one album, Something To Say, in 1974 but Rudd left for a brief spell in the Coloured Balls with Lobby Loyde. During 1974 he was told about AC/DC's rhythm section auditions by his former Coloured Balls bandmate Trevor Young (no relation to AC/DC's Young brothers). He asked Buster Brown bassist Geordie Leach to accompany him, but Leach refused. Rudd auditioned and was hired immediately. Rudd's drumming style suited the band's style of music and became an integral part of AC/DC's sound from 1975 to 1983. The band relocated to the UK in 1976 and followed a heavy schedule of international touring and recording.
In 1980, AC/DC's vocalist Bon Scott died. The band continued on, recruiting new vocalist Brian Johnson and subsequently recording their most successful album, 1980's Back in Black. Good friends, Rudd took Scott's death badly, but continued on with AC/DC until he left the band during the recording of the Flick of the Switch album in 1983. Rudd had completed his contributions to the album, and although session drummer B.J. Wilson was recruited to help complete the recording, Wilson's drum parts were ultimately not used. Simon Wright was soon hired as Rudd's permanent replacement, and featured in the videos that accompanied the singles released from the album.
Rudd's 1983 sacking from AC/DC was partly the result of his own problems with drugs and a conflict with the band's rhythm guitarist and founder Malcolm Young, which allegedly escalated to become physical. Following his firing, Rudd retired to Tauranga, New Zealand where he purchased a helicopter company. Rudd's departure from AC/DC didn't become widely known until the eve of their North American tour in 1983. In the last few pages of Circus Magazine's October 1983 edition it stated "Phil Rudd exits AC/DC"..."to spend more time with his family and his cars". Guitarist Angus Young was quoted in the same article as saying "We're a rowdy bunch, but we don't fight with each other". Vocalist Brian Johnson added in a Hit Parader interview from the same period that "You couldn't find a more solid person or drummer than Phil Rudd. None of us would have to work if we didn't want to....Phil chose that option".
On his years away from AC/DC, Rudd has said, "I raced cars, flew helicopters, became a farmer and planted some crops. I lived in New Zealand which was great; nice and quiet with nobody bothering me." Rudd also continued to play drums, "when I wanted to rather than when I had to", and built his own recording studio.
Phil Rudd in 1995 When AC/DC toured New Zealand in 1991 in support of their Razors Edge album, they called Rudd to see if he would be interested in joining them for a casual jam session. Rudd accepted their offer. Though there was no discussion of him rejoining the group at the time, Rudd would be invited to permanently rejoin AC/DC in late 1993 following the recording of the Big Gun single for the Last Action Hero movie soundtrack.[9]
AC/DC welcomed Rudd back following Chris Slade's term as the band's drummer. The band praised Slade for his performance and technical ability, but maintained that a certain groove had been missing from AC/DC's music since Rudd's departure in 1983. Since rejoining the band, he has performed on three AC/DC studio albums, Ballbreaker, Stiff Upper Lip, and Black Ice which was the band's biggest hit on the charts since For Those About to Rock We Salute You in 1981.
On 1 December 2010, Rudd was convicted of possessing 25g of marijuana on his boat in Tauranga, New Zealand, but later had his cannabis conviction quashed on the grounds that it would have stopped him from continuing to tour with the rock band.
On 30 July 2011, it was announced that the drummer had purchased and would open a marina restaurant in Tauranga, New Zealand, where he resides. He named it "Phil's Place", and planned on selling seafood and top-quality steak. The restaurant closed temporarily in July 2012, and is scheduled to reopen before the end of the year