Perth's top group, two frontmen, and the band that put Bon on national television.
In mid-1966 Bon and guitarist Wyn Milsom brought their band The Spektors together with rivals The Winstons, and The Valentines were born. Their secret weapon was a double-vocal attack: Bon and Vince Lovegrove sharing the front of the stage. Within weeks of their first gig they were pulling big crowds, and by early 1967 "The Vallies" were Perth's top group.
They won the Western Australian final of Hoadley's Battle of the Sounds, flew east for the national final and, in late 1967, moved to Melbourne for good. There they recorded songs written for them by Harry Vanda and George Young of The Easybeats. It was Bon's first link to the Young family, and the one that would later lead him to AC/DC.
In 1969 the Vanda & Young song "My Old Man's a Groovy Old Man" took the band into the charts, reaching #12 in Sydney. The Valentines became TV regulars on ABC's Hit Scene and headlined the national Operation Starlift tour alongside Russell Morris, Johnny Farnham and The Masters Apprentices. Bon was a born showman up front: singing, playing percussion and learning how to hold a crowd.
The Spektors and The Winstons merge in Perth. Bon and Vince Lovegrove front the new band.
Perth's top pop band. They win the WA Battle of the Sounds, sign to Clarion and move to Melbourne.
They cut Vanda & Young's psychedelic "Peculiar Hole in the Sky".
"My Old Man's a Groovy Old Man" charts, followed by Hit Scene appearances and the Operation Starlift national tour.
“I knew The Valentines very well, Bon in particular. You couldn't help but like him. Bon brought a very dynamic drive to the band. He commanded the stage. He was a great singer and an excellent percussionist.”
“Bon was a true front man, a genuine rock star… He had the voice, he had the look, and he had the talent.”
“1969… 14 years old, mad about a band called The Valentines! Two front men in the band. One would be known as one of the best in the world! Bon Scott. Bon loved the stage, he owned the stage!!!!”
“Living and working with Bon in the late sixties and early seventies and watching him hone his artistry. He just wanted to take his songs to the world! And he did! He always had time for his fans and loved them.”