Colin Burgess was born on November 16, 1946, in Sydney. He became AC/DC’s first drummer after several years with The Masters Apprentices, whose recordings included “Turn Up Your Radio” and “Because I Love You.” By the time he joined the Young brothers in 1973, he had already recorded Australian hits and worked at Abbey Road in London.
His brother, bassist and singer Denny Burgess, was part of that early musical life. In 1967, the brothers formed Honeybunch, which became The Haze later that year. Supporting The Masters Apprentices brought them into contact with singer Jim Keays. In January 1968, Colin flew to Melbourne to join the group as its drummer, beginning a partnership that would take him from the Australian circuit to recording sessions in England.
The Masters Apprentices’ move to London in 1970 brought Burgess into Abbey Road for Choice Cuts, released in 1971. Working with producer Jeff Jarratt, the band recorded, mixed and mastered the album within a month. “Because I Love You” placed Doug Ford’s acoustic guitar at the beginning of an arrangement that eventually opened into an extended closing chorus. In a 2023 retrospective for Beat, John Phillips highlighted Burgess’s drumming alongside the piano in that final passage. The song gave the drummer room to help build the arrangement beyond its quiet opening.
Burgess also played on A Toast to Panama Red, released in 1972. The Masters Apprentices broke up that year, and he returned to Australia. When AC/DC came together in November 1973, he brought that recording and touring experience into a new band.
Original singer Dave Evans recalled the significance of Burgess’s presence in a 2022 interview with Mick Michaels for The Cosmick View. Evans had answered Malcolm Young’s advertisement for a vocalist and learned that the guitarist was already playing with Burgess. He remembered being “pretty excited to meet them, especially Colin Burgess.” They rehearsed together in Sydney’s Newtown, and, in Evans’s account, Angus Young joined after another audition the following week. Burgess was already someone the prospective singer knew through his earlier band’s success.
His place in AC/DC’s initial lineup lasted only until February 1974, but his playing reached record buyers on the band’s debut single, “Can I Sit Next to You, Girl,” later that year. Evans sang the original recording. The single also illustrates how quickly the personnel changed: AC/DC at 50 identifies Burgess as the drummer on the recording even though later drummer Peter Clack appeared in its promotional film. AC/DC recorded the song again for the 1975 Australian album T.N.T., with a different singer and rhythm section.
Burgess continued making music with his brother, including forming His Majesty in 1983. His connection to The Masters Apprentices resumed through reunions, too: he played on their 1988 album Do What You Wanna Do, which combined new material with fresh recordings of earlier songs. In 1998, he was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame with The Masters Apprentices.
Burgess died in December 2023. AC/DC’s tribute returned to the beginning of their shared history: “He was our first drummer and a very respected musician.”
