AC/DC fans across the globe have been celebrating the legacy of Bon Scott on what would have been his 78th birthday.

Ronald Belford “Bon” Scott was born in Forfar and spent the first six years of his childhood in Kirriemuir, where his parents ran the local bakery, before the family emigrated to Australia on the so-called “ten-pound-pom-ticket”.

Bonn joined forces with Glasgow-born brothers (and fellow Scottish emigres) Angus and Malcolm Young in 1974 to replace Dave Evans as the lead singer of AC/DC, performing on the first seven albums, prior to his death in 1980 at the age of just 33.

In 2004, Classic Rock rated Scott as number one in a list of the "100 Greatest Frontmen Of All Time" - ahead of the likes of Ozzy Osbourne and Robert Plant.  Subsequently in 2006, Bonn made the top five in Hit Parader magazine’s list of 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Vocalists of all time.

READ MORE: Late AC/DC frontman Bon Scott commemorated with official new tartans

Now, as a “special treat” to fans on his birthday, his family have published a series of never-before-seen photos of AC/DC at The Old Waldorf in San Francisco from September 2, 1977.

The gig formed part of their "Let There Be Rock" World Tour and followed the arrival of their classic Let There Be Rock album, which turned AC/DC into global rock superstars. 

In the photos, the band can be seen relaxing backstage pre-show, including one which shows Angus Young tying his famous tie. Two photos also show the band performing on stage.

The photos were taken by AC/DC fan Matt K. Thelan, who is seen in one of the photos shaking hands with Bon.

The photos were shared by Bonn’s family on the official Facebook page for The Bon Scott estate in a post which read: “Happy Birthday Bon! As a special treat we have totally unpublished photos from The Old Waldorf in San Francisco, CA on September 2, 1977 courtesy of Matt K Thelen. 

“Matt is the fellow in the black leather jacket and his stories of the evening can only be told backstage. Thanks Matt!”

Bon’s family took the opportunity to issue a call out to AC/DC fans to send in any personal photos they also may have of Bon by email via bonscott@sonicrights.com, so that they too can have them published on his official social media.

AC/DC are currently on a huge European headline tour. The Power Up Tour is in support of their 17th studio album Power Up (2020).