But Malcolm Young rose from his humble beginnings to turn AC/DC into one of the biggest and most successful bands of all time.

Malcolm Young: The Man Who Made AC/DC is billed as the first biography to focus exclusively on the rhythm guitarist described by many as "the greatest right hand in rock and roll".

And Jeff Apter's book delivers in spades, presenting a compelling insight into the man who was the most instrumental in the long and celebrated history of AC/DC.

Despite the theatrics of lead guitarist Angus Young and the showmanship of singer Bon Scott and later Brian Johnson, AC/DC has always been Malcolm's band.

While he was content to lurk in the shadows on stage, off it Malcolm was always front and centre - a fiercely driven character who took control and stopped at nothing to realise his lifelong dream of being a rock star.

Thoroughly researched and compiled with the help of television interviews and documentaries, plus magazine and newspaper articles (The Canberra Times even gets a run), Apter's book does a great job of going behind the scenes to show how it all evolved.

He takes us from AC/DC's early days of violent pub gigs in suburban Australia in the mid 1970s to the sold-out stadium tours of a much-loved band across the world still going strong decades later.

We find out how some of their famous music videos were made, see how life in the studio and on the road changed as the band got bigger and bigger, and hear some interesting tales of their "extracurricular activities". But one thing remained the same - the unpretentious Malcolm playing his famous Gretsch guitar and his desire to buck the trends and stick with his no-frills rock band.

As an AC/DC fan of more than 30 years who has read several books on the band, I was sceptical as to how much new information I'd glean from this one.

But I was happy to be proven wrong as it contains plenty of nuggets of gold and interesting new snippets for me. There's even some rare photos in there to enjoy.

It was really interesting to read in depth on Malcolm's first band, the Velvet Underground (not to be confused with the famous New York band of the same name), which evolved into the Ted Mulry Gang after he grew disillusioned with their softer direction and left to form the harder sound of AC/DC with his brother Angus. Elder brother George, who was a key member of The Easybeats, was also influential in the new band.

I loved Apter's casual writing style - it felt like we were at the pub and he was telling me the story over a few beers. I even put some AC/DC albums on while reading to enhance the enjoyment.

There's the tale of a gig at half-time of a rugby league match at Manly and the interesting choice of sponsor.

What did the Easybeats' gold record actually sound like when Malcolm cheekily played it on the home stereo?

What did Malcolm think of bands that rivalled his, like Led Zeppelin, Guns N' Roses and Nirvana? How did he get on with notorious bad boy Ozzy Osbourne?

What did the neighbours think when rock royalty moved in, with Malcolm finally able to afford living in a plush Balmain pad after years of struggle.

The book is tinged with some sadness, from dealing with his alcohol problems to the death of Scott and other family members, plus Malcolm's own tragic passing at the hands of dementia.

But there's plenty of humour in there too - like Malcolm's alternative use for socks, Angus' thoughts on drug takers and names for tours which not surprisingly didn't get used.

So whether you're a rock music lover, casual fan of the band or an AC/DC nuffie like me, you'll definitely enjoy reading Malcolm Young: The Man Who Made AC/DC.

It's a ripping yarn about a legendary musician and his ripping band. Rock In Peace, Malcolm.