Alexander Young (musician)

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Alexander Young (also known as George Alexander) was a Scottish rock musician born on 28 December 1938 in Glasgow and died on 4 August 1997 in Hamburg. He was the older brother of George Young and Malcolm and Angus Young of AC/DC, and the uncle of Stevie Young.

Young played in the Bobby Patrick Big Six in Scotland before moving to London, where he formed the band Grapefruit in 1967 as the bass player. Grapefruit released two albums and several singles in 1968–69, helped by the Beatles in their early days. Paul McCartney even directed a promo film for a Grapefruit single. The band split up in 1969, and Young continued as a session musician.

He wrote the song “I’m a Rebel,” which AC/DC recorded in 1976 with Bon Scott, but the track was not released by AC/DC at that time. In 1971 he released a single under Grapefruit with George Young and Harry Vanda: “Sha-Sha” / “Universal Party.” He also used the name Monika James (his wife’s name) for a song called “California,” which Flash and the Pan recorded on their 1978 debut album.

From 1995 until his death, Young worked as a music manager in Hamburg with Proud and Loud Management. He died of lung cancer in Hamburg-Sasel on 4 August 1997. He was married to Monika James.