With AC/DC
Evans was recruited into AC/DC in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm
Young, along with drummer Colin Burgess and bass player Larry Van Kriedt.
He stayed with the band for a few months before being replaced by Bon
Scott around September 1974. During his time with AC/DC, Evans recorded
one single ("Can I Sit Next To You, Girl" / "Rocking In The Parlour")
which was released in Australia and New Zealand. A promotional video for
"Can I Sit Next To You, Girl" was also produced. There is, however, an
AC/DC bootleg titled In The Beginning which features Evans on vocals. He
was also present on their first national tour
supporting Lou Reed.
The Young brothers soon felt that Evans was not a suitable
front-man for the group. According to them, he was more of a
"glam rocker", inspired by the likes of Gary Glitter.
Occasionally Evans would be replaced on stage by the band's
first manager Dennis Laughlin, and when the late veteran rock
vocalist Bon Scott met the Youngs and expressed an interest in
joining the band, it soon became apparent that Evans' time with
AC/DC was coming to an end. Evans also had personal problems
with Laughlin, which contributed to the ill-feeling towards him.
After AC/DC
After AC/DC, Evans joined a band called Rabbit, replacing
original singer Greg Douglas. Rabbit released a few singles and
two albums, both in 1976. Rabbit were particularly influenced by
the UK band, Sweet. However, the group only achieved mild
success in Australia. His other bands included Thunder Down
Under and Hot Cockerel.
Evans has also released two solo albums. The first of which
being a live AC/DC tribute album entitled, A Hell of a Night,
which was released in the year 2000. The second of which was an
album released in February 2006 that was recorded with members
of his previous groups, Rabbit and Hot Cockerel, and was
entitled Sinner.
In 2000, Evans performed shows with AC/DC tribute band
Thunderstruck for the 20th anniversary of Bon Scott's death.
Whilst Evans holds no bad feelings towards AC/DC today, the
feeling does not seem to be mutual, with Angus Young recently
declaring, "To even call him a singer is being a bit polite."
As of 2006 Evans is with a new band, Dave Evans and the Badasses,
and is currently touring.
