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AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
in 1973. Their music has been variously described as
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...
,
blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre, genre and form of rock music, rock and blues music that relies on the chords/scales and instrumental improvisation of blues. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electri ...
and heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
". They are cited as a formative influence on the
new wave of British heavy metal The new wave of British heavy metal (often abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that began in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Editor Alan Lewis (music journalist), Alan Lew ...
bands. The band was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
in 2003 and have sold over 200 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling artists of all time. AC/DC were founded by brothers
Angus Angus may refer to: *Angus, Scotland, a council area of Scotland, and formerly a province, sheriffdom, county and district of Scotland * Angus, Canada, a community in Essa, Ontario Animals * Angus cattle, various breeds of beef cattle Media * ...
(lead guitar) and
Malcolm Young Malcolm Mitchell Young (6 January 1953 – 18 November 2017) was an Australian musician who was the rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist and a founding member of the hard rock band AC/DC. Except for a brief absence in 1988, he was a member of AC ...
(rhythm guitar), with Colin Burgess (drums), Larry Van Kriedt (bass guitar) and Dave Evans (lead vocals). They underwent several line-up changes before releasing their debut
Australasia Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...
n-only album, ''
High Voltage High voltage electricity refers to electrical potential large enough to cause injury or damage. In certain industries, ''high voltage'' refers to voltage above a certain threshold. Equipment and conductors that carry high voltage warrant sp ...
'' (1975). Membership stabilised after the release of '' Let There Be Rock'' (1977), with the Young brothers, Phil Rudd on drums, Cliff Williams on bass guitar and
Bon Scott Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott (9 July 1946 – 19 February 1980) was an Australian singer who was the second lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980. In the July 2004 issue of ''Classic Rock (m ...
on lead vocals. Seven months after the release of '' Highway to Hell'' (1979), Scott died of alcohol poisoning and English singer Brian Johnson was then recruited as their new frontman. Their first album with Johnson, '' Back in Black'' (1980), dedicated to Scott's memory, became the second best-selling album of all time. Their eighth studio album, '' For Those About to Rock'' (1981), was their first album to reach number one on the ''Billboard'' 200. Rudd was fired partway through the '' Flick of the Switch'' sessions in 1983 and was replaced by Simon Wright, who was replaced by
Chris Slade Chris Slade (born Christopher Slade Rees; 30 October 1946) is a Welsh drummer, who is perhaps best known for playing for Manfred Mann's Earth Band from its inception in 1971 to 1978 on eight albums, and AC/DC, for which he drummed from 1989 to ...
six years later. AC/DC experienced a commercial resurgence in the early 1990s with the release of album '' The Razors Edge'' (1990); it was their only record to feature Slade, as Rudd returned in 1994. Rudd has since recorded five more albums with the band, starting with '' Ballbreaker'' (1995). Their fifteenth studio album, '' Black Ice'', was the second highest-selling record of 2008 and their highest chart peak since ''For Those About to Rock'', eventually reaching number one worldwide. The band's line-up remained the same for 20 years until 2014, when Malcolm retired due to early-onset
dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...
, from which he died three years later; additionally, Rudd was charged with threatening to kill and possession of
methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug use, recreational or Performance-enhancing substance, performance-enhancing drug and less commonly as a secon ...
and
cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...
. Angus and Malcolm's nephew, Stevie Young, replaced Malcolm and debuted on the album '' Rock or Bust'' (2014). On the accompanying tour, Slade filled in for Rudd. In 2016,
Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 as a merger of local bands L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band's "classic" line-up consisted of vocalist Axl R ...
singer
Axl Rose W. Axl Rose ( ; born William Bruce Rose Jr., February 6, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, and has been the band's sole constant member since its inception in ...
replaced Johnson for the rest of the tour dates due to a risk of hearing loss. Williams retired at the end of the tour and the band entered a two-year hiatus. A reunion of the ''Rock or Bust'' line-up was announced in September 2020; the band's seventeenth studio album, '' Power Up'', was released two months later. Its supporting tour was announced in February 2024, with drummer Matt Laug and bassist Chris Chaney replacing Rudd and Williams, though both remain official members.


History


1973–1974: Formation and name

AC/DC were formed in the Australian pop music scene of the early to mid-1970s, which is described as the third wave of rock music. Many local 1960s artists – e.g., the Easybeats and the Masters Apprentices, had attempted to gain international recognition but achieved limited commercial success overseas and disbanded after returning to Australia. Newer artists and veterans of the 1960s
beat boom Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed around Liverpool in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from British and American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle, tradit ...
developed a variety of genres, which included a harder blues rock style dubbed pub rock. Popular Australian bands – e.g., Sherbet and Skyhooks, played mainstream pop or adopted a
glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was primarily defined by the flamboyant clothing, makeup, and hairstyles of its musicians, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists d ...
approach. In November 1973, brothers Malcolm and
Angus Young Angus McKinnon Young (born 31 March 1955) is an Australian musician, best known as the co-founder, lead guitarist, songwriter, and the only continuous member of the hard rock band AC/DC. He is known for his energetic performances, schoolboy-u ...
formed AC/DC in
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
with drummer Colin Burgess from the Masters Apprentices, bass guitarist Larry Van Kriedt and vocalist Dave Evans. * 1st edition nline . * 2nd edition rint . Earlier, Malcolm and Evans had been members of a band called Velvet Underground – not the American group of the same name – based in
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...
for two years, and Angus started his own band called Tantrum – he would only jam with his friends. n.b. Incorrectly spells "Currenti" as "Kerrante". The Young brothers had joined Marcus Hook Roll Band, a studio-only band, in 1973, which provided their first recordings for their debut album, ''
Tales of Old Grand-Daddy ''Tales of Old Grand-Daddy'' is the only studio album by Australian rock band Marcus Hook Roll Band, released in Australia in March 1974. The album is noted for being the recording debut of future AC/DC founders Angus Young and Malcolm Young. O ...
'' (1974), although the pair left before it was issued. Before formation, Malcolm teamed with ex-Velvet Underground bass guitarist Mick Sheffzick and Burgess for his proposed group. Van Kriedt took over from Sheffzick for bass guitar, then Evans responded to an ad in ''
the Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...
'' and then Angus joined after passing an audition. Upon formation, Malcolm and Angus developed the band's name after their sister Margaret pointed out the symbol "AC/DC" on the
AC adapter An AC adapter or AC/DC adapter (also called a wall charger, power adapter, power brick, or wall wart) is a type of external power supply, often enclosed in a case similar to an AC plug. AC adapters deliver electric power to devices that la ...
of her sewing machine. A.C./D.C. is an abbreviation for
alternating current Alternating current (AC) is an electric current that periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time, in contrast to direct current (DC), which flows only in one direction. Alternating current is the form in w ...
/
direct current Direct current (DC) is one-directional electric current, flow of electric charge. An electrochemical cell is a prime example of DC power. Direct current may flow through a conductor (material), conductor such as a wire, but can also flow throug ...
electricity. The brothers felt that this name symbolised the band's raw energy and the power-driven performances of their music. It is pronounced one letter at a time, though the band are colloquially known as Acca Dacca in Australia. The AC/DC band name is stylised with a lightning bolt separating the AC from DC and has been used on all studio albums, except the international version of '' Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap''. Their logo was designed by American typographer Gerard Huerta in 1977 and first appeared on '' Let There Be Rock''. Adam Behr of ''The Bulletin'' explained, " tstype font conveyed the sense of electricity implicit in their name." AC/DC's first official gig was at Chequers nightclub in Sydney on 31 December 1973. For about 18 months, most members of the band dressed in some form of glam or satin outfit. Angus tried various costumes:
Zorro Zorro ( or , Spanish for "fox") is a fictional character created in 1919 by American Pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo de Los Ángeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashin ...
, a gorilla, and
Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
. n.b. Click "6" to see Angus in the Superman costume and click "10" to see him in the Zorro costume. Their performances involved
cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
s of
the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
,
Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...
,
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
and "smattering of old blues standards" while trialling some original songs. Angus first wore his characteristic school-uniform stage outfit in April 1974 at Victoria Park, Sydney; the idea was Margaret's. He portrayed a boy "straight from school to play his guitar." On stage, Evans was occasionally replaced on lead vocals by their first 
manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...
, Denis Loughlin from Sherbet. In
Paul Stenning Paul David Stenning (born 12 June 1976) is an English author and ghostwriter. He has written twenty-nine books, of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and biography. The best-known of his books is ''The Robert Pattinson Album'', a biography of Robert P ...
's book ''AC/DC: Two Sides to Every Glory'', he states that Evans and Loughlin were clashing and as a consequence, other members developed bitter feelings towards Evans. The group recorded a session in January 1974 at EMI Studios in Sydney, with Vanda & YoungGeorge Young and
Harry Vanda Johannes Hendrikus Jacob van den Berg (born 22 March 1946), better known as Harry Vanda, is a Dutch-Australian musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as lead guitarist of the 1960s Australian rock band the Easybeats who wi ...
– as the producers; both were former members of the Easybeats and Marcus Hook Roll Band. George is Angus and Malcolm's older brother. Several songs were recorded, including " Can I Sit Next to You, Girl", "Rockin' in the Parlour" and an early version of "Rock 'n' Roll Singer". A week after the session, Burgess was fired due to intoxication; he was unconscious during a performance. Subsequently, Van Kriedt was replaced; his recorded bass lines for the January session were re-recorded by George. Their replacements, Neil Smith on bass guitar and Noel Taylor on drums, lasted six weeks, replaced in turn by Rob Bailey and Peter Clack, respectively. The band signed with
Albert Productions Albert Productions, a division of music publishing and recording company Albert Music, is one of Australia's longest established independent record labels to specialise in rock and roll music. The label was founded in 1963 by Ted Albert, wh ...
in June 1974. "Can I Sit Next to You, Girl", backed with "Rockin' in the Parlour", taken from the January session, was released on 22 July 1974 as the band's first single. The song reached the top 50 on Australia's
Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music historian David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July 19 ...
singles chart. The group had developed a strong live reputation by mid-1974, which resulted in a supporting slot on
Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...
's national tour in August. During that tour, Malcolm switched to rhythm guitar, leaving Angus on lead guitar – the roles the two guitarists played from then on. During 1974, on the recommendation of
Michael Chugg Michael Glenn Chugg (born 15 June 1947) is an Australian entrepreneur, businessman and concert tour promoter. As a promoter and manager he was a founder of Frontier Touring Company (1979–99) and Michael Chugg Entertainment (2000–present ...
, veteran Melbourne promoter Michael Browning booked them to play at his club, the Hard Rock Cafe. He was not pleased with their glam rock image and felt that Evans was the wrong singer, but he was impressed by the Young brothers' guitar playing. Browning then received a call weeks after the Hard Rock gig from Malcolm: Loughlin had quit and they were stuck in
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
with no money. They hired Browning as their manager in November 1974, with the cooperation of George and Harry Vanda. The Young brothers decided to abandon their glam rock image; instead, they pursued a pub rock sound. To this end, they agreed that Evans was no longer a suitable frontman.


1974–1976: Bon Scott joins

In September 1974,
Bon Scott Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott (9 July 1946 – 19 February 1980) was an Australian singer who was the second lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980. In the July 2004 issue of ''Classic Rock (m ...
, a vocalist previously with the Valentines (1966–1970) and
Fraternity A fraternity (; whence, "wikt:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular ...
(1971–1973), joined AC/DC after his former bandmate Vince Lovegrove introduced him to George during their stopover in Adelaide in August. Scott worked as a chauffeur for the group until an audition promoted him to lead singer. Like the Young brothers, Scott was born in Scotland, emigrated to Australia in his childhood and had a passion for blues music. Scott also had experience as a songwriter and drummer. Their debut single's tracks were re-written and the vocals were re-recorded by Scott. With Scott's inclusion, "
heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...
working-class style, boogie-rock sound and earthy humour fell into place", according to music journalist
Ian McFarlane Ian McFarlane (born 1959) is an Australian music journalist, music historian and author, whose best known publication is the ''Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop'' (1999), which was updated for a second edition in 2017. As a journalist ...
. Scott's first concert for AC/DC was on 5 October 1974 at the Masonic Hall in Brighton-Le-Sands, New South Wales. AC/DC recorded their first studio album, ''
High Voltage High voltage electricity refers to electrical potential large enough to cause injury or damage. In certain industries, ''high voltage'' refers to voltage above a certain threshold. Equipment and conductors that carry high voltage warrant sp ...
'', in November 1974 with Vanda & Young producing at Albert Studios in Sydney. Bailey and Clack were still in the band during its recording, but Clack played on only one track, and the rest were provided by session drummer Tony Currenti. George handled some bass parts and later redid others. Recording sessions took ten days and were based on instrumentals written by the Young brothers with lyrics added by Scott. They relocated to Melbourne that month. Both Bailey and Clack were fired in January 1975. Paul Matters took over bass duties briefly before being fired in turn and replaced temporarily by George or Malcolm for live duties. Matters had disagreements with the Young brothers' decisions. Meanwhile, on drums, Ron Carpenter and Russell Coleman had brief tenures before Phil Rudd, from Buster Brown, joined in that month. Bass guitarist Mark Evans was enlisted in March 1975, setting the line-up which lasted two years. The band were scheduled to play at the 1975 Sunbury Pop music festival in January; however, they went home without performing following a physical altercation with the management and crew of headlining act
Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...
. ''High Voltage'' was released exclusively in
Australasia Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...
on 17 February 1975 via Albert Productions/ EMI Music Australia, and reached the top 20 in Australia. It provided a single, their cover version of
Big Joe Williams Joseph Lee Williams (October 16, 1903 – December 17, 1982) was an American Delta blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter, notable for the distinctive sound of his nine-string guitar. Performing over five decades, he recorded the songs "Baby, Pl ...
' "
Baby, Please Don't Go "Baby, Please Don't Go" is a traditional blues song that was popularized by Delta blues musician Big Joe Williams in 1935. Many cover versions followed, leading to its description as "one of the most played, arranged, and rearranged pieces in ...
". McFarlane observed, "
heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...
initial achievement was to take the raw energy of Aussie pub rock, extend its basic guidelines, serve it up to a teenybop '' Countdown'' audience and still reap the benefits of the live circuit by packing out the pubs." They released their second studio album '' T.N.T.'' (1975), in Australasia only, its tracks were recorded with Evans and Rudd except for two tracks, which used Currenti and George. It peaked at number two in Australia and the top 40 in New Zealand. Its second single, "
It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll) "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)" is a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It is the first track of the group's second album ''T.N.T. (album), T.N.T.'', released only in Australia and New Zealand on 8 December 1975, ...
" (December 1975), had a well-known promotional video made for the ABC-TV pop music programme ''Countdown'', featuring the band miming the song on the back of a flatbed truck. The single reached the top ten in Australia. The
title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...
was issued as a single in March 1976 and includes the lyric "so lock up your daughter", which was modified into their first United Kingdom tour's name.


1976–1977: Initial success and record deal

Browning sent promo material to contacts in London, which came to the attention of Phil Carson of
Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
. AC/DC signed an international deal with Atlantic in 1976. On their arrival in London in April, their scheduled tour with Back Street Crawler was cancelled due to the death of that group's guitarist, Paul Kossoff. As a result, AC/DC returned to playing smaller venues to build a local following until their label organised the Lock Up Your Daughters tour sponsored by '' Sounds'' magazine, starting in June 1976. At the time,
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
was breaking and came to dominate the pages of major British music weeklies, including ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' and ''
Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...
''. AC/DC were sometimes identified with the punk rock movement by the British press, but they hated punk rock, believing it to be a passing fad. Browning wrote that "it wasn't possible to even hold a conversation with AC/DC about punk without them getting totally pissed off". The first AC/DC album to have worldwide distribution was a 1976 combination of tracks taken from the ''High Voltage'' and ''T.N.T.'' LPs. Also titled ''
High Voltage High voltage electricity refers to electrical potential large enough to cause injury or damage. In certain industries, ''high voltage'' refers to voltage above a certain threshold. Equipment and conductors that carry high voltage warrant sp ...
'', it was released through Atlantic in May 1976, eventually going on to sell over three million copies in the US by 2005. The track selection was heavily weighted towards the more recent ''T.N.T.'', including only two songs from their first LP. Their third studio album, ''Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap'', was released in September–November 1976, in both Australian and European versions. Track listings varied worldwide; the international version of the album included the ''T.N.T.'' track "Rocker", which had previously not been released internationally. The original Australian version included " Jailbreak". This was later more readily available on the 1984 compilation
extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
'' '74 Jailbreak'', or as a live version on 1992's ''
Live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film * ''Live'' (2023 film), a Malayalam-language film *'' Live: Phát Trực Tiếp'', a Vietnamese-langua ...
''. ''Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap'' was not released in North America until 2 April 1981, by which time the band were at the peak of their popularity. After a brief tour of Sweden, they returned to London, where they set new attendance records during their residency at the Marquee. They continued to tour throughout Europe and then Australia. In January 1977, they started recording their fourth studio album, '' Let There Be Rock''. Early the same year, they returned to Britain and began a European tour with
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...
. While Scott and
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer of the heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which per ...
quickly became friends, other members of each group were less cordial. In one incident,
Geezer Butler Terence Michael Joseph "Geezer" Butler (born 17 July 1949) is an English musician, best known as the bassist and primary lyricist of the pioneering Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath. He has also recorded and performed with Heave ...
allegedly pulled a
switchblade A switchblade (also known as switch knife, automatic knife, pushbutton knife, ejector knife, flick knife, gravity knife, flick blade, or spring knife) is a pocketknife with a sliding or pivoting blade contained in the handle which is extended ...
at Malcolm during their show in Sweden in April. Accounts of the incident differ, but AC/DC were taken off the rest of the tour.


1977–1980: Cliff Williams joins and death of Bon Scott

In May 1977, Mark Evans was fired. This was due to "musical differences" and personality clashes with Angus. He was replaced on bass guitar by Cliff Williams, a former member of the UK bands
Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...
(1970–1974) and
Bandit Banditry is a type of organized crime committed by outlaws typically involving the threat or use of violence. A person who engages in banditry is known as a bandit and primarily commits crimes such as extortion, robbery, kidnapping, and murder, e ...
(1976). Scott explained that Williams was more experienced, while Malcolm wanted a bass guitarist and backing vocalist. Evans' autobiography, ''Dirty Deeds: My Life Inside/Outside of AC/DC'', released in 2011, predominantly dealt with his time in AC/DC. AC/DC's first American radio exposure was through Bill Bartlett at Jacksonville station WPDQ-FM/WAIV-FM in 1975. Two years later, they played their first concert there, as a support act for Canadian group Moxy in Austin, Texas, on 27 July 1977. From booking agent Doug Thaler of American Talent International and the management of Leber-Krebs, they experienced the country's stadium circuit, supporting rock acts
Ted Nugent Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He goes by several nicknames, including Uncle Ted, the Nuge, and Motor City Madman. Nugent initially gained fame as the le ...
,
Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of lead vocalist Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarists Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry and B ...
,
Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...
,
Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; ; lit. "Shuddering"), also called the River Styx, is a goddess and one of the rivers of the Greek Underworld. Her parents were the Titans Oceanus and Tethys, and she was the wife of the Titan Pallas and the moth ...
, UFO and Blue Öyster Cult; they co-headlined with
Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band formed in Rockford, Illinois in 1970 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. Their work bridged elements of '60s pop rock, guitar pop, '70s har ...
. AC/DC released their fifth studio album, '' Powerage'', on 5 May 1978. The sole single from ''Powerage'' was " Rock 'n' Roll Damnation" (June 1978). An appearance at The Apollo, Glasgow, during the Powerage Tour was recorded and released as '' If You Want Blood You've Got It'' (1978). In 1979, the group recorded their sixth studio album, '' Highway to Hell'', with producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, which was issued on 27 July 1979. It became their first album to reach the top 20 the ''Billboard'' 200, eventually peaking at number 17, and it propelled AC/DC into the top ranks of hard rock acts. ''Highway to Hell'' had lyrics that shifted away from flippant and comical towards more central rock themes, putting increased emphasis on backing vocals but still featuring AC/DC's signature sound: loud, simple, pounding riffs and grooving back-beats. In February 1980, the members began to work on their seventh studio album, '' Back in Black'', with Scott on drums instead of vocals. On 18 February, Scott passed out in a car driven by his friend Alistair Kinnear after a night of drinking at The Music Machine in
Camden Town Camden Town () is an area in the London Borough of Camden, around north-northwest of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is identified in the London Plan as one of 34 major centres in Greater London. Laid out as a residential distri ...
, London. According to police, Kinnear left Scott in the car overnight to sleep off the alcohol effects. Unable to wake Scott early on the evening of 19 February, Kinnear rushed him to King's College Hospital, Camberwell, where Scott was pronounced dead on arrival. The official cause of death was " acute alcohol poisoning". Scott's family buried him in
Fremantle, Western Australia Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...
, the area they emigrated to when he was a boy.


1980–1983: Brian Johnson joins and rebirth

Following Scott's death, the members briefly considered quitting. Scott's parents advised the members that he would have wanted them to carry on, so they decided to continue and sought a new vocalist. Fat Lip vocalist Allan Fryer, ex-
Rick Wakeman Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949) is an English keyboardist and composer best known as a member of the progressive rock band Yes across five tenures between 1971 and 2004, and for his prolific solo career. AllMusic describes Wakema ...
vocalist Gary Pickford-Hopkins, and the Easybeats' singer Stevie Wright were touted by the press as possible replacements. Various other candidates were considered by the group: ex-Moxy member Buzz Shearman, who was unable to join due to voice issues,
Slade Slade are a rock band formed in Wolverhampton, England in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The '' British Hit Singl ...
vocalist
Noddy Holder Neville John "Noddy" Holder (born 15 June 1946) is an English musician, songwriter and actor. He was the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the English rock band Slade, one of the UK's most successful acts of the 1970s. Known for his disti ...
, and ex-Back Street Crawler vocalist Terry Slesser. During their auditions, the group brought in ex-
Geordie Geordie ( ), sometimes known in linguistics as Tyneside English or Newcastle English, is an English dialect and accent spoken in the Tyneside area of North East England. It developed as a variety of the old Northumbrian dialect and became espe ...
singer Brian Johnson, who impressed the group. Johnson sang
Ike & Tina Turner Ike & Tina Turner was an American musical duo consisting of husband-and-wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by the Kings of Rhythm and backing vocalists, the Ikettes. ...
's " Nutbush City Limits" and then "
Whole Lotta Rosie "Whole Lotta Rosie" is a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It is the eighth and final track on the band's fourth Australian album, '' Let There Be Rock'', released in Australia in March 1977, and was written by Angus Young, Malcolm Yo ...
" from ''Let There Be Rock''. After they worked through the rest of the applicants in the following days, Johnson returned for a second audition. Angus later recalled that Scott himself had praised Johnson's singing. On 29 March 1980, Malcolm offered Johnson a place in the band, much to the singer's surprise. Out of respect for Scott, the band wanted a vocalist who would not be an imitator. In addition to his distinctive voice, demeanour and love of classic soul and blues music, the group were impressed by Johnson's engaging personality. Johnson was officially announced as the lead singer of AC/DC on 1 April. With Johnson, the group completed the songwriting previously began with Scott for ''Back in Black''. Recording took place at
Compass Point Studios Compass Point Studios was a music recording studio in the Bahamas, founded in 1977 by Chris Blackwell, the owner of Island Records. The concept of the studio was of a recording facility supported by in-house sets of artists, musicians, producers ...
in The Bahamas a few months after Scott's death. Produced by Lange and recorded by Tony Platt, it became the second best-selling album of all time and a hard rock landmark. Its singles are " Hells Bells", "
You Shook Me All Night Long "You Shook Me All Night Long" is a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, from the album '' Back in Black''. The song also reappeared on their later soundtrack album ''Who Made Who''. It is AC/DC's first single with Brian Johnson as the lea ...
", " Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" and the title track. The album peaked at number one in the UK, and number four in the US, where it spent 612 weeks on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. It also reached the top spot in Australia, Canada, and France. AC/DC released their first theatrical
concert film A concert film or concert movie is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert, by either a musician or a Stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian. Ea ...
, '' AC/DC: Let There Be Rock'', which was recorded on 9 December 1979 in Paris during their Highway to Hell Tour on 1 September 1980. It was produced and directed by Eric Dionysius and Eric Mistler and distributed by
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
The band's eighth studio album, ''
For Those About to Rock We Salute You ''For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)'' (shortened to ''For Those About to Rock'' on its cover) is the eighth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It was released on 20 November 1981 in the United States and on 27 November 1981 ...
'', was released on 23 November 1981. It was their first number-one album on the ''Billboard'' 200, and it also reached the top three in Australia and Germany. It received mixed reviews from critics. Two singles were issued: " Let's Get It Up" and the title track, which peaked at number 13 and number 15 in the UK, respectively.


1983–1990: Line-up changes and commercial decline

Instead of Lange, their ninth studio album, '' Flick of the Switch'' (1983), was produced by the group's members themselves. It was a return to the rawness and simplicity of their early albums, but received mixed reviews and was considered underdeveloped and unmemorable; one critic stated that they "had made the same album nine times". ''Flick of the Switch'' eventually reached number four on the UK charts, and the top five in Australia, and Finland. AC/DC had minor success with the single " Guns for Hire", reaching number 84 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Rudd has had long-term drug and alcohol addictions. His friendship with Malcolm had deteriorated and eventually escalated into a physical confrontation, after which Rudd was fired partway through the ''Flick of the Switch'' sessions in mid-1983. Rudd was replaced by ex- A II Z drummer Simon Wright in July 1983, after they held over 700 auditions in the US and UK.
Simon Kirke Simon Frederick St George Kirke (born 28 July 1949) is an English musician who was the co-founder, drummer, and only continuous member of the rock Supergroup (music), supergroup Bad Company. Prior to forming Bad Company he was the drummer and ...
and Paul Thompson were two drummers who auditioned. The band's tenth studio album, '' Fly on the Wall'', produced by the Young brothers in 1985, was also regarded as uninspired and directionless. A concept music video of the same name featured the band at a bar, playing five of the album's ten songs. In 1986, the group returned to the top 20 on singles charts with the made-for-radio "
Who Made Who ''Who Made Who'' is a soundtrack album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. Released on 24 May 1986, the album is the soundtrack to the Stephen King film ''Maximum Overdrive''. The album was re-released in 2003 as part of the ''AC/DC Remasters' ...
", reaching number nine in Australia and number 16 in the UK. The associated album ''
Who Made Who ''Who Made Who'' is a soundtrack album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. Released on 24 May 1986, the album is the soundtrack to the Stephen King film ''Maximum Overdrive''. The album was re-released in 2003 as part of the ''AC/DC Remasters' ...
'' is the soundtrack to
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...
's film ''
Maximum Overdrive ''Maximum Overdrive'' is a 1986 American horror film written and directed by Stephen King, in his only directorial effort. The film stars Emilio Estevez, Pat Hingle, Laura Harrington, John Short, Yeardley Smith and Christopher Murney. The scr ...
''; it brought together older hits, such as "You Shook Me All Night Long", with a few new songs – the title track and two instrumentals, "D.T." and "Chase the Ace". In February 1988, both AC/DC and Vanda & Young were inducted into the
Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...
's inaugural
Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
. The group's eleventh studio album, ''
Blow Up Your Video ''Blow Up Your Video'' is the eleventh studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released on 1 February 1988. The album was re-released in 2003 as part of the ''AC/DC Remasters'' series. Recording Writing sessions for ''Blow Up Your Vi ...
'', released in 1988, was recorded at Studio Miraval in Le Val, France, with Vanda & Young as producers. The group recorded nineteen songs, choosing ten for the final release; though the album was later criticised for containing excessive " filler", it was a commercial success: ''Blow Up Your Video'' reached number two on the UK charts and Australia, AC/DC's highest position since ''Back in Black'' in 1980. It provided an Australian top-five and UK top-twenty single, " Heatseeker", and "
That's the Way I Wanna Rock 'n' Roll "That's the Way I Wanna Rock 'n' Roll" is a single by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. The song appeared on their 1988 in music, 1988 album ''Blow Up Your Video'' as the second track. A live version of this song can be found on the band's live a ...
". The Blow Up Your Video World Tour began in February 1988 in
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
, Australia. In April, following live appearances across Europe, Malcolm announced that he was taking time off from the North American legs of the tour, principally to deal with his alcoholism. Angus and Malcolm's nephew, Stevie Young, temporarily replaced Malcolm on guitar. In 1989, Wright left the group to work on British heavy metal band Dio's fifth studio album, '' Lock Up the Wolves'' (1990); he was replaced by drummer
Chris Slade Chris Slade (born Christopher Slade Rees; 30 October 1946) is a Welsh drummer, who is perhaps best known for playing for Manfred Mann's Earth Band from its inception in 1971 to 1978 on eight albums, and AC/DC, for which he drummed from 1989 to ...
, who has played with ex-
Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. The band initially consisted of bass guitarist, lead vocalist and principal songwriter Phil Lynott, drummer Brian Downey, guitarist Eric Bell and organist Eric Wrixon although Wr ...
guitarist
Gary Moore Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 19526 February 2011) was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career, he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, Heavy metal music, heavy ...
, before joining. Johnson was unavailable for several months while finalising his divorce, so the Young brothers wrote all the songs for the next album, a practice they continued for all subsequent releases through '' Power Up'' in 2020.


1990–1999: Popularity regained

The band's twelfth studio album, '' The Razors Edge'', was recorded in
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
, Canada and was mixed and engineered by Mike Fraser and produced by Bruce Fairbairn, who had previously worked with Aerosmith and
Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...
. Released on 24 September 1990, it was a major success for the band, reaching the top three in Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, and the US. Its
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
, " Thunderstruck" (September 1990), peaked at number 5 on ''Billboard''s
Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent a cross between classic rock, active rock and alternativ ...
chart, number 4 on the ARIA Singles chart, and number 13 on the OCC's UK Singles Chart. Its second single, " Moneytalks" (12 November 1990), peaked at number 23 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. By 2006, the album had achieved 5× Platinum status in the US. Several shows on the 1991 Razors Edge World Tour were recorded for the 1992 live album, '' AC/DC Live''. It was produced by Fairbairn and was called one of the best live albums of the 1990s by Barry Weber of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
. AC/DC headlined the
Monsters of Rock Monsters of Rock was a hard rock and heavy metal music festival. It was originally held annually in Castle Donington, England, from 1980 to 1996, taking place every year except 1989 and 1993. It later branched into other locations such as th ...
show during this tour, which was released as a video album, '' Live at Donington'', in 1992. During the tour, three fans were killed at a concert at the Salt Palace in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
on 18 January 1991, when they were crushed and fell to the floor at the beginning of the show. It took 26 minutes before venue security and group members understood the severity of the situation and halted the concert. AC/DC settled out of court with the victims' families. In September 1991, AC/DC performed in Moscow for the Monsters of Rock festival in front of 1.6 million people. It was the first open-air rock concert to be held in the former
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. AC/DC recorded " Big Gun" in 1993 for the soundtrack of
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...
's film ''
Last Action Hero ''Last Action Hero'' is a 1993 American fantasy action comedy film directed and produced by John McTiernan and co-written by Shane Black and David Arnott. It is a satire of the action genre and associated clichés, containing several parodies ...
''. Released as a single, it reached number one on the US Mainstream Rock chart, the band's first number-one single on that chart. Pacific Gameworks proposed a
beat 'em up A beat 'em up (also known as brawler and, in some markets, beat 'em all) is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in Side-scrolling video game, scrolling, 2D c ...
video game for the Atari Jaguar CD in 1994, ''AC/DC: Defenders of Metal'', which would have featured the group's crew; however, production never started. Angus and Malcolm invited Rudd to several
jam session A jam session is a relatively informal musical event, process, or activity where musicians, typically instrumentalists, play improvised solos and vamp over tunes, drones, songs, and chord progressions. To "jam" is to improvise music without ...
s during 1994; he was eventually rehired due to Slade resigning. Recording began in October 1994 at Record Plant Studios in New York City. After 10 weeks of recording, they moved to Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles, in February 1995, and finished recording in May. On 22 September, their thirteenth studio album, '' Ballbreaker'', was released, which reached number one in Australia, Sweden, and Switzerland. In November 1997, a box set, ''
Bonfire A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used for waste disposal or as part of a religious feast, such as Saint John's Eve. Etymology The earliest attestations date to the late 15th century, with the Catholicon Anglicum spelling i ...
'', was released. It contained four albums: a
remaster A remaster is a change in the sound or image quality of previously created forms of media, whether Mastering (audio), audiophonic, Cinematography, cinematic, or Videography, videographic. The resulting product is said to be remastered. The term ...
ed version of ''Back in Black'', ''
Volts The volt (symbol: V) is the unit of electric potential, electric potential difference (voltage), and electromotive force in the International System of Units (SI). Definition One volt is defined as the electric potential between two point ...
'' – a disc with alternative takes, outtakes and stray live cuts recorded with Scott – and two live albums, '' Live from the Atlantic Studios'' and '' Let There Be Rock: The Movie''. ''Live from the Atlantic Studios'' was recorded on 7 December 1977 at the
Atlantic Studios Atlantic Studios is the recording studio network of Atlantic Records. Although the historic recording studio was located at 1841 Broadway (at the corner of 60th Street), in New York City, Atlantic Recording Studios was initially located at 234 Wes ...
in New York. ''Let There Be Rock: The Movie'' was a double album recorded in December 1979 at the
Pavillon de Paris The Pavillon de Paris () was a large concert space in Paris, France, located near the Porte de Pantin Métro stop, on the northern edge of the city. With a seating capacity of approximately 10,000 spectators, the Pavillon was the city's largest in ...
and was the soundtrack of ''AC/DC: Let There Be Rock'' (1980).


1999–2014: Popularity confirmed and ''Black Ice''

AC/DC recorded their fourteenth studio album, '' Stiff Upper Lip'', in 1999, which was produced by George at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver. Released in February 2000, it was better received by critics than ''Ballbreaker'' but was considered lacking in new ideas. The
title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-t ...
was issued as a single in January 2000, which remained at number one on the US Mainstream Rock charts for four weeks. The other singles, " Satellite Blues" and " Safe in New York City", reached number one and number seven, respectively, on the same chart. The band signed a long-term, multi-album deal with
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
in December 2002, which issued their remasters series. In 2003, the entire back catalogue – except ''Ballbreaker'' and ''Stiff Upper Lip'' – was remastered and reissued. ''Ballbreaker'' and ''Stiff Upper Lip'' were reissued in the UK in 2004. Later in 2003, AC/DC were inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), also simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music and the ...
. The band's 2003 lineup (Johnson, Williams, Rudd, Angus Young, and Malcolm Young), in addition to Scott, were the inductees. Notably, former bassist Mark Evans (who appeared on four albums in the 1970s) was initially announced as an inductee, but six weeks after the announcement, his inclusion was quietly omitted. The group performed at Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto, supporting the Rolling Stones, with Rush and other artists, on 30 July 2003. The benefit concert assisted the city's tourism industry, which was negatively impacted by the 2003
severe acute respiratory syndrome Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory disease of zoonotic origin caused by the virus SARS-CoV-1, the first identified strain of the SARS-related coronavirus. The first known cases occurred in November 2002, and the sy ...
(SARS) outbreak. The audience of 450,000 set a record for the largest paid music event in Canadian history. The band came second in a list of Australia's highest-earning entertainers for 2005, and sixth in the following year.
Verizon Verizon Communications Inc. ( ), is an American telecommunications company headquartered in New York City. It is the world's second-largest telecommunications company by revenue and its mobile network is the largest wireless carrier in the ...
made all the albums, including the ''Live at Donington'' video, available for digital download in 2007. AC/DC released video compilations '' Family Jewels'' on 28 March 2005, and '' Plug Me In'' on 16 October 2007. ''No Bull: The Directors Cut'', a newly edited, comprehensive
Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
and DVD of the band's July 1996 Plaza De Toros de las Ventas concert in Madrid, Spain, was released on 9 September 2008. '' Black Ice'', their fifteenth studio album, was released in Australia on 18 October 2008, and issued worldwide two days later. Produced by Brendan O'Brien and mixed and engineered by Mike Fraser, its 15 tracks were their first studio recordings in eight years. Like ''Stiff Upper Lip'', it was recorded at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver. It was sold in the US exclusively at Wal-Mart,
Sam's Club Sam's West, Inc. (doing business as Sam's Club) is a chain of membership-only warehouse club retail stores in the United States owned by Walmart. It was founded in 1983 and named after Walmart founder Sam Walton as Sam's Wholesale Club. , Sam's ...
and the band's official website. ''Black Ice'' reached number one in 29 countries, including Australia, the UK, and the US. " Rock 'n' Roll Train", the album's first single, was released to radio on 28 August. The Black Ice World Tour was announced on 11 September 2008 and began on 28 October in
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre ( , alternatively or ) is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It ...
. It then concluded with its final show in
Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...
, Spain, on 28 June 2010, after 20 months in which the band went to 108 cities in over 28 countries, with an estimated total audience of over 4.9 million. On 15 September 2008, AC/DC Radio debuted on
Sirius Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word (Latin script: ), meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated  Canis Majoris, Latinized to Alpha Canis Majoris, and abbr ...
Channel 19 and XM Channel 53, which plays their music along with band member interviews. On 29 September 2009, the band announced a collection of studio and live rarities, '' Backtracks'', which was released on 10 November as a 2×CD and DVD standard edition, or 3×CD, 2×DVD and LP deluxe edition box set. On 4 November, AC/DC were announced as the '' Business Review Weekly'' top Australian earner in entertainment for 2009, with earnings of $105 million. This displaced
the Wiggles The Wiggles are an Australian children's music group formed in Sydney in 1991. As of 2022, the group members are Anthony Field, Lachlan Gillespie, Simon Pryce, Tsehay Hawkins, Evie Ferris, John Pearce (entertainer), John Pearce, Caterina Mete ...
from the number-one spot for the first time in four years. On 19 April 2010, AC/DC released '' Iron Man 2'', the soundtrack for the eponymous film, which compiled earlier tracks from the band's studio albums. The band headlined the
Download Festival Download Festival is a rock festival created by Andy Copping, held annually at the Donington Park motorsport circuit in Leicestershire, England (since 2003); in Paris, France (since 2016); at Parramatta Park, Sydney (since 2019); Flemington ...
at
Donington Park Donington Park is a motorsport Race track, circuit located near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, England. The circuit business is now owned by Jonathan Palmer's MotorSport Vision organisation, and the surrounding Donington Park Estate, sti ...
in June 2010. Three concerts in December 2009 at the River Plate Stadium in Argentina were released on a video album, ''
Live at River Plate ''Live at River Plate'' is a live concert film documenting AC/DC’s Black Ice World Tour. The DVD includes footage from three concerts performed in December 2009 at the Estadio Antonio Vespucio Liberti in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which is the ...
'' via DVD on 10 May 2011. An exclusive single from the DVD, featuring the songs " Shoot to Thrill" and "War Machine", was issued on
Record Store Day Record Store Day is a semi-annual event established in 2008 to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". Held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November, the day brings together f ...
, April 2011. AC/DC released their first live audio album in 20 years, ''
Live at River Plate ''Live at River Plate'' is a live concert film documenting AC/DC’s Black Ice World Tour. The DVD includes footage from three concerts performed in December 2009 at the Estadio Antonio Vespucio Liberti in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which is the ...
'', on 19 November 2012. In June 2011, AC/DC reissued their concert film, ''AC/DC: Let There Be Rock'', on DVD and Blu-ray. The entire catalogue – excluding ''T.N.T.'' (1975) and the Australian versions of ''High Voltage'' (1975), ''Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap'' (1976) and ''Let There Be Rock'' (1977), became available on the iTunes Store the same day. At the conclusion of the Black Ice World Tour in 2010, Malcolm had been diagnosed with lung cancer. It was treated at an early stage and surgery was successful with cancerous tissue removed. He also had an unspecified heart problem and had a pacemaker fitted.


2014–2018: Malcolm Young retires and hiatus

Malcolm became seriously ill in April 2014 and was unable to continue performing; fans speculated that the group could disband. However, Johnson stated that despite Malcolm's absence, they would return to Vancouver to record their sixteenth studio album, '' Rock or Bust''. In July, AC/DC announced that they had finished recording it and that Stevie had replaced Malcolm in the studio. On 23 September, AC/DC members confirmed that Malcolm had officially retired from performing. Malcolm's last show with the group had been on 28 June 2010 in Bilbao, Spain; he died on 18 November 2017 at the age of 64 due to his
dementia Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform activities of daily living, everyday activities. This typically invo ...
. Rudd confirmed that there would be another AC/DC tour and that they had no intention of retiring. On 23 September 2014, The band revealed that ''Rock or Bust'', featuring eleven tracks, would be released on 28 November as the first AC/DC album in the band's history without Malcolm on the recordings, nevertheless all its compositions were credited to Angus and Malcolm. The album reached number one in Australia, Canada, Germany, and the UK. The band also announced their supporting world tour, with Stevie as Malcolm's replacement. Rudd was charged with threatening to kill, possession of
methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug use, recreational or Performance-enhancing substance, performance-enhancing drug and less commonly as a secon ...
and possession of
cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...
following a police raid on his home on 6 November 2014. AC/DC's members issued a statement clarifying that the tour promoting ''Rock or Bust'' would continue but did not indicate whether or not Rudd would participate or whether he was still a member. At a charity signing before the
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
s, the band were photographed together with Slade. It was later confirmed that he had rejoined for the Grammys and tour. In April 2015, Rudd pleaded guilty to drug and threatening to kill charges. Shortly thereafter, the band's website showed that Rudd was replaced by Slade on drums. On 9 July 2015, Rudd was sentenced to eight months of
home detention House arrest (also called home confinement, or nowadays Electronic tagging, electronic monitoring) is a legal measure where a person is required to remain at their residence under supervision, typically as an alternative to imprisonment. The p ...
. On 7 March 2016, the band announced that the final ten dates of the Rock or Bust World Tour would be rescheduled as Johnson's doctors had ordered him to stop touring immediately; he risked complete deafness if he persisted. The ten cancelled dates were to be rescheduled, "likely with a guest vocalist" later in the year, leaving Johnson's future in touring with the group uncertain. On 16 April 2016,
Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 as a merger of local bands L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band's "classic" line-up consisted of vocalist Axl R ...
frontman
Axl Rose W. Axl Rose ( ; born William Bruce Rose Jr., February 6, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, and has been the band's sole constant member since its inception in ...
was announced as the lead vocalist for the remainder of their 2016 tour dates. Williams indicated he was leaving AC/DC during an interview with ''Gulfshore Life''s Jonathan Foerste on 8 July 2016. "It's been what I've known for the past 40 years, but after this tour I'm backing off of touring and recording. Losing Malcolm, the thing with uddand now with ohnson it's a changed animal. I feel in my gut it's the right thing." At the end of the Rock or Bust World Tour, he released a video statement confirming his departure. His last show with AC/DC before the hiatus was in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
on 20 September 2016. After completing the tour in 2016, AC/DC went on hiatus. George Young died on 22 October 2017, aged 70.


2018–present: Reunion and ''Power Up''

In August 2018, speculation grew that former members Johnson and Rudd were back working with the band. A fan living near The Warehouse Studio, Vancouver claimed to have observed them in the outdoor area of the studio from an apartment window. Shortly afterwards, a photograph of Johnson with Williams at the gymnasium of the
Living Shangri-La Living Shangri-La is a mixed-use skyscraper in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is the tallest building in the city proper, though not in the Metro Vancouver Regional District, metro area, as Two Gilmore Place in Burnaby is taller ...
hotel in Vancouver in December 2018 surfaced, indicating that Williams had also rejoined. AC/DC then confirmed on 30 September 2020 the return of Johnson, Rudd and Williams to the line-up alongside Angus and Stevie, reuniting the ''Rock or Bust'' line-up. On 28 September 2020, the band updated their social media accounts posting a teaser video, which led to speculation of their "comeback, possibly as early as this week or next week." On 1 October, AC/DC released a snippet of their new song " Shot in the Dark". On 7 October, the band confirmed the upcoming release on 13 November of their next studio album, '' Power Up'' and issued "Shot in the Dark" as its lead single from the album. The album's track listing was revealed on their website the same day. They had recorded it in August–September 2018 with O'Brien producing at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, with some tweaking in Los Angeles in 2019. AC/DC launched a
dive bar A dive bar is typically a small, unglamorous, eclectic, old-style drinking establishment with inexpensive drinks; it may feature dim lighting, shabby or dated decor, neon beer signs, packaged beer sales, cash-only service, and local clientele. ...
on 2 October 2023, located at Club 5 Bar in Indio, called the High Voltage Dive Bar. AC/DC performed a co-headlining act for the Power Trip music festival at the
Empire Polo Club The Empire Polo Club is a 1,000-acre event venue in Indio, California, located in the Coachella Valley of Riverside County, California, Riverside County, approximately 22 miles southeast of Palm Springs, California, Palm Springs. It was founded i ...
in
Indio, California Indio (Spanish language, Spanish for "Indian") is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. Indio is approximately east of Los Angeles, east of Palm Springs, ...
, on 7 October, which was their first show in seven years, with Williams being part of the line-up after coming out of retirement, and American drummer Matt Laug, who had previously played for Slash's Snakepit and
Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...
, replacing Rudd. The band hinted at another tour to occur in 2024; the mayor of Munich,
Dieter Reiter Dieter Reiter (born 19 May 1958) is a German politician and the mayor of Munich, the capital of the state of Bavaria. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party. Career Reiter was born in Rain, Swabia. He studied at the Fachhochschule für ...
, confirmed that they had booked a show in the
Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports ...
for 12 June 2024. Founding drummer Colin Burgess died on 16 December 2023, aged 78.. Note: User must add 'Burgess' into the Surname search parameter and 'Colin John' into the Any Given Name(s) parameter. Then press 'Search Ryerson' button. On 6 February 2024, the band published a teaser on their social media accounts, showing the band's lightning bolt symbol flickering before the words "Are You Ready" appear and their song of the same name plays. This led to fans speculating that they would come back to touring after eight years. On 12 February, the Power Up Tour was announced, with former
Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1985. The band's best known line-up consisted of lead vocalist Perry Farrell, bassist Eric Avery, drummer Stephen Perkins and guitarist Dave Navarro. Jane's Addicti ...
bass guitarist Chris Chaney replacing Williams. The European leg of the tour began on 17 May and concluded on 17 August, with American band the Pretty Reckless as their support act for all twenty-four performances. AC/DC reissued their entire catalogue on gold
vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
for their 50th anniversary on 15 March 21 June and 27 September 2024, as part of the ''AC/DC 50'' series. They have also reissued two Australasia-only albums – ''High Voltage'' and ''T.N.T.'' (both 1975), only available at the High Voltage Dive Bar. On 2 December 2024, the band announced a second leg of the Power Up Tour in North America for thirteen shows, with The Pretty Reckless as their support act.


Musical style

Aside from an early flirtation with glam rock, the group's sound and performance style are based on Australian pub rock. That style was pioneered by Lobby Loyde of
Billy Thorpe William Richard Thorpe AM (29 March 1946 – 28 February 2007) was an English-born Australian singer-songwriter, and record producer. As lead singer of his band Billy Thorpe & the Aztecs, he had success in the 1960s with "Blue Day", "Poison Iv ...
's early 1970s group, the Aztecs. Vanda noted "the pub crowd as an audience demanded blood—'or else'." He described wanting to "recreate the real Australian pub sound—'not like that American sound, smooth and creamy, nicey, nicey.'" Glenn A. Baker felt they played "rib-crushing, blood-curdling, brain damaging, no bullshit, thunder rock". ''
The Canberra Times ''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times. History ''The Canberra Times'' was launched in 1 ...
'' Tony Catterall reviewed ''T.N.T.'', in which " heywallow in the lumpen proletarianism that's the home of punk rock" while comparing them with rivals Buster Brown, which are "more imaginative and musically better". Music journalist
Ed Nimmervoll Edward Charles Nimmervoll Eduard Nimmervoll (21 September 194710 October 2014) was an Australian music journalist, author and historian. He worked on rock and pop magazines ''Go-Set'' (1966–1974) and ''Juke Magazine'' (1975–92) both as ...
summarised, "If we tried to isolate what has characterised Australian rock and roll from the rest of the world's it would be music that's made to be played live, and gets right down to basics with a minimum of distraction. ..AC/DC captured that essence not long after it crystallised, and they have continued to carry that creed around the world as their own." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
said AC/DC utilizes "dirty" guitar riffs, "snarling" singing, and "catchy, anthemic" hooks. According to ''
Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...
'' music journalist David Marchese, the instrumental foundation of the band's simple sound was the drummer—Rudd, Wright, or Slade—striking the kick drum on the first and third  beat of every measure and the
snare drum The snare drum (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often u ...
on the second and fourth beat; bass guitarist Williams consistently down-picking an
eighth note 180px, Figure 1. An eighth note with stem extending up, an eighth note with stem extending down, and an eighth rest. 180px, Figure 2. Four eighth notes beamed together. An eighth note ( American) or a quaver ( British) is a musical note pla ...
; Angus performing lead parts that possessed "a clear architecture and even sort of swing, in a frenzied, half-demented way"; and Malcolm's "propulsive" yet nuanced rhythm guitar featuring "little ''chuks'', stutters, and silences that give the monstrous riffs life." For the majority of Malcolm's tenure in AC/DC, he used a
Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia *Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria ** Marshall railway station Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Is ...
Super Bass head to amplify his rhythm guitar while recording in the studio. According to Chris Gill of ''
Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists and fans of guitar-based music and trends. The magazine has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original a ...
'', this amplifier helped define his signature guitar tone: "clean but as loud as possible to ride on the razor's edge of power amp distortion and deliver the ideal combination of grind, twang, clang and crunch, with no distorted preamp 'hair,' fizz or compression", as heard on songs such as "Let There Be Rock", "Dirty Deeds", "For Those About to Rock" and "Thunderstruck". During 1978 to 1980, Malcolm used a Marshall 2203 100-watt master volume head, which Gill speculates may have contributed to a "slightly more distorted and dark" guitar tone on the albums from that period, including ''Powerage'' and ''Back in Black''. In a comparison of AC/DC's vocalists,
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
said Scott exhibited a "blokelike croak" and "charm", often singing about sexual aggression under the guise of fun: "Like Ian Hunter or Roger Chapman though without their panache, he has fun being a dirty young man". Johnson, in his opinion, possessed "three times the range and wattage" of a vocalist while projecting the character of a " bloke as fantasy-fiction demigod". By the time Johnson had fully acclimated himself to 1981's ''For Those About to Rock We Salute You'', Christgau said he defined "an anthemic grandiosity more suitable to he band'sprecious-metal status than cotts old-fashioned raunch", albeit in a less intelligent manner.


Influences

AC/DC's influences include the Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, Billy Thorpe, the Easybeats and Vanda & Young. The impact of Australian pub rock on AC/DC was documented on ABC's '' Long Way to the Top'' (2001). Angus reflected on his playing style: "A lot of it was nerves at first. It was George that told me if you get on stage and play guitar you want to let people know you are doing something. When I started in the band I was shy and had to push myself forward. .. atronswould be throwing beer cans and I thought 'just keep moving' and that's how it all started." George had taught both Malcolm and Angus "how to play guitar, and playing them classic rock and roll and blues records until that music was like blood in their veins." According to ''Long Way to the Top''s writers, " e hardships of the Australian road would complete AC/DC's training. cottrevelled in the lifestyle. Somehow he rose above all the substance abuse to become the ultimate rock and roll front man."


Genres

AC/DC's music has been variously described as
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...
,
blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre, genre and form of rock music, rock and blues music that relies on the chords/scales and instrumental improvisation of blues. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electri ...
, and heavy metal, but they have referred to themselves as "a
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
band, nothing more, nothing less". Malcolm recalled honing their craft. "We'd been playing up to four gigs a day. That really shaped the band... It was a mix of screw you, Jack, and having a good time and all being pretty tough guys... The training ground was Melbourne." In the opinion of
Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, they are "one of the defining acts of '70s hard rock" and reactionary to the period's
art rock Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an ar ...
and
arena rock Arena rock (also known as stadium rock, pomp rock or corporate rock) is a style of rock music that became mainstream in the 1970s. It typically involves radio-friendly rock music that was designed to be played for large audiences. As hard rock ...
excesses. "AC/DC's rock was minimalist – no matter how huge and bludgeoning their guitar chords were, there was a clear sense of space and restraint." According to
Alexis Petridis Alexis Petridis (born 13 September 1971) is an English journalist. He is the head Rock music, rock and pop music critic for ''The Guardian'', and a regular contributor for ''GQ''. In addition to his music journalism for the paper, he has written ...
, their music is "hard-edged, wilfully basic blues-rock," featuring humorous sexual innuendo and lyrics about rock and roll. Music academic Robert McParland described the band's sound as being defined by the heavy rock guitar of the Young brothers, layered
power chord A power chord , also called a fifth chord, is a colloquial name for a chord on guitar, especially on electric guitar, that consists of the root note and the fifth, as well as possibly octaves of those notes. Power chords are commonly pla ...
s and forceful vocals. "For some, AC/DC are the ultimate heavy metal act," Tim Jonze wrote in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', "but for others, AC/DC aren't a heavy metal act at all, they're a classic rock band – and calling them heavy metal is an act of treachery." On the controversy of categorising their music, McParland wrote: With the recording of ''Back in Black'' in 1980, rock journalist Joe S. Harrington believed the band had departed further from the blues-oriented rock of their previous albums and toward a more dynamic attack that adopted punk rock's "high-energy implications" and transmuted their hard rock/heavy metal songs into "more pop-oriented blasts". The band would remain faithful to this "impeccably ham-handed" musical style for the remainder of their career: "the guitars were compacted into a singular statement of rhythmic efficiency, the rhythm section provided the thunderhorse overdrive and vocalist Johnson bellowed and brayed like the most unhinged practitioner of bluesy top-man dynamics since vintage
Robert Plant Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin from its founding in 1968 until their breakup in 1980. Since then, he has had a successful solo ca ...
."


Legacy

Several musicians have credited AC/DC for reasserting hard rock's popularity after it had ceded mainstream attention to other musical genres in the late 1970s.
Tom Morello Thomas Baptist Morello (born May 30, 1964) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He is known for his tenure with the rock bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. Between 2016 and 2019, Morello was a membe ...
of
Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to Rage) was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1991. It consisted of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim ...
and
Audioslave Audioslave was an American Rock music, rock supergroup (music), supergroup formed in Glendale, California, in 2001. The four-piece band consisted of Soundgarden's lead singer and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell with Rage Against the Machine memb ...
noted of ''Back in Black''s release: "Disco was huge and punk and new wave were ascendant, and along came this AC/DC record which just destroyed everybody. It put hard rock music back on the throne, where it belongs!" AC/DC's music was a formative influence on the
new wave of British heavy metal The new wave of British heavy metal (often abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that began in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Editor Alan Lewis (music journalist), Alan Lew ...
bands that emerged in the late 1970s, such as
Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...
and
Def Leppard Def Leppard are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage (bass, backing vocals), Joe Elliott (lead vocals), Rick Allen (drummer), Rick Allen (drums), Phil Collen (guitar, ...
, in part as a reaction to the decline of traditional early 1970s hard rock bands. In 2007, critics noted that AC/DC, along with
Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. The band initially consisted of bass guitarist, lead vocalist and principal songwriter Phil Lynott, drummer Brian Downey, guitarist Eric Bell and organist Eric Wrixon although Wr ...
, UFO,
Scorpions Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...
and
Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Judas Priest have also been referred to as one of the p ...
, were among "the second generation of rising stars ready to step into the breach as the old guard waned." Over the years, many prominent rock musicians have cited AC/DC as an influence, including
Dave Mustaine David Scott Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is best known as the co-founder, frontman, primary songwriter and sole consistent member of the thrash metal band Megadeth and for his time as the lead guitarist of Met ...
of Megadeth, Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss,
Dave Grohl David Eric Grohl (; born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He founded the rock band Foo Fighters, of which he is the lead singer, guitarist, principal songwriter, and only consistent member. From 1990 to 1994, he was the drummer of th ...
of Nirvana and Foo Fighters,
Scott Ian Scott Ian (born Scott Ian Rosenfeld, December 31, 1963) is an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist, lyricist and co-founder of the thrash metal band Anthrax (American band), Anthrax, of which he is the sole continuous member. Ia ...
of Anthrax,
Eric Peterson Eric Neal Peterson (born October 2, 1946) is a Canadian stage, television, and film actor, known for his roles in three major Canadian television series – '' Street Legal'' (1987–1994), '' Corner Gas'' (live-action 2004–2009 and fi ...
of Testament, Dexter Holland of the Offspring; Brian Baker of Bad Religion, Minor Threat, Dag Nasty and Junkyard, and bands such as Airbourne, n.b. Band name is known as "Airborne".
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
,
Slayer Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...
, Exodus,
the Cult The Cult are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Bradford in 1983. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band had performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead vocalist Ian Astbury ...
, and
the Living End The Living End is an Australian punk rock band from Melbourne, formed in 1994. Since 2002, the line-up consists of Chris Cheney (vocals, guitar), Scott Owen (double bass, vocals), and Andy Strachan (drums). The band rose to fame in 1997 after ...
. Australian acts formed in AC/DC's footsteps are Rose Tattoo and the Angels. Chrissy Amphlett of Australian rockers
Divinyls Divinyls () were an Australian rock band that were formed in Sydney in 1980. The band primarily consisted of vocalist Chrissy Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee. Amphlett garnered widespread attention for performing on stage in a school un ...
acknowledged Angus' schoolboy outfit as the inspiration for her performing in a schoolgirl's uniform.
Gene Simmons Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz; ; born August 25, 1949) also known by his stage persona "The Demon", is an Israeli-born American musician. He was the bassist and co-lead singer of the hard rock band Kiss (band), Kiss, which he co-founded wit ...
of hard rock contemporaries Kiss remarked, "a lot of people look the same and act the same and do the same thing. Every once in a while you see a band like AC/DC. Nobody's like them. We'd like to think we're unique in that way too."
Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash th ...
of Guns N' Roses called them "with the exception of the ollingStones, the greatest rock 'n' roll band ever." "I always liked them," said Australian compatriot and singer-songwriter
Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...
. "We had this TV show called ''Countdown'' and they were often on and they were always a riot and absolutely unique. They were a heavy rock band, but Bon Scott would go on ''Countdown'' dressed as a schoolgirl and stuff like that. They were always very anarchic and never took the thing too seriously." AC/DC and other artists (see Filthy Fifteen) ran afoul of the Satanic panic of the 1980s. This general fear of modern hard rock and heavy metal was greatly increased in the band's case when serial killer
Richard Ramirez Ricardo Leyva Muñoz Ramirez (; February 29, 1960 – June 7, 2013), better known as Richard Ramirez, was an American serial killer and sex offender whose killing spree occurred in Greater Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area in the ...
was arrested. Ramirez, nicknamed the "Night Stalker" by the press, told police that " Night Prowler" from ''Highway to Hell'' had driven him to commit murder. Police also claimed that Ramirez was wearing an AC/DC shirt and left an AC/DC hat at one of the crime scenes. Accusations that AC/DC were devil worshippers were made, the lyrics of "Night Prowler" were analysed and some newspapers attempted to link Ramirez's Satanism with AC/DC's name, concluding that AC/DC stood for Anti-Christ/Devil's Child or Devil's Children.


Lyrics assessment

Throughout the band's career, their songs have been criticised as simplistic, monotonous, deliberately lowbrow and sexist. David Marchese from ''Vulture'' wrote that "regardless of the lyricist, whether it was Scott (who was capable of real wit and colour), Johnson, or the Young brothers, there's a deep strain of
misogyny Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against Woman, women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than Man, men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been wide ...
in the band's output that veers from feeling terribly dated to straight-up reprehensible." According to Christgau in 1988, "the brutal truth is that sexism has never kept a great rock-and-roller down—from Muddy to Lemmy, lots of dynamite music has objectified women in objectionable ways. But rotely is not among those ways", in regards to AC/DC. Fans of the band have defended their music by highlighting its "bawdy humour", while members of the group have generally been dismissive of claims that their songs are sexist, arguing that they are meant to be in jest. In an interview with Sylvie Simmons for '' Mojo'', Angus called the band "pranksters more than anything else," while Malcolm said, "We're not like some macho band. We take the music far more seriously than we take the lyrics, which are just throwaway lines." Marchese regarded the musical aspect of the Youngs' songs as "strong enough to render the words a functional afterthought" as well as "deceptively plain, devastatingly effective, and extremely lucrative." For the book ''Under My Thumb: Songs That Hate Women and the Women Who Love Them'', ''The Guardian'' arts critic Fiona Sturges contributed an essay evaluating her love for AC/DC. While acknowledging she is a feminist and that the band's music is problematic for her, she believed it would be "daft as opposed to damaging" for female listeners if they could understand the band to be "a bunch of archly sex-obsessed idiots with sharp tunes and some seriously killer riffs". Despite the "unpleasant sneering quality" of "Carry Me Home"s claims about a woman who "ain't no lady", the "rape fantasy" of "Let Me Put My Love into You" and the generally one-dimensional portrayals of women, Sturges said songs such as "Whole Lotta Rosie" and "You Shook Me All Night Long" demonstrated that the female characters "are also having a good time and are, more often than not, in the driving seat in sexual terms. .. 's the men who come over as passive and hopeless, awestruck in the presence of sexual partners more experienced and adept than them."


Awards and achievements

The band's first ever nomination at an award show was from the American Music Awards of 1982 for Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group. In 1988, AC/DC were inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. The municipality of Leganés, near
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
, named a street in honour of the band "Calle de AC/DC" (English: "AC/DC Street") on 22 March 2000. Malcolm and Angus attended the inauguration with many fans. The plaque had since been stolen numerous times, forcing the municipality of Leganés to begin selling replicas of the official street plaque. On 1 October 2004, a central Melbourne thoroughfare, Corporation Lane, was renamed ACDC Lane in honour of the band. The
City of Melbourne The City of Melbourne is a Local government in Australia, local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the Melbourne central business district, central city area of Melbourne. In 2021, the city has an area of and had a populati ...
forbade the use of the
slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash th ...
character in street names, so the four letters were combined. The lane is near
Swanston Street Swanston Street is a major thoroughfare in the Melbourne central business district, Victoria, Australia. It was laid out in 1837 as part of the original Hoddle Grid. The street vertically bisects Melbourne's city centre and is famous as the wor ...
, where, on the back of a truck, the band recorded their video for "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)". AC/DC were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 10 March 2003. During the ceremony, the band performed " Highway to Hell" and "You Shook Me All Night Long", with guest vocals provided by host
Steven Tyler Steven Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948), known professionally as Steven Tyler, is an American singer and songwriter. Tyler is best known as the lead singer of the Boston-based rock band Aerosmith, in which he also plays the keyboards, h ...
of Aerosmith. He described the band's power chords as "the thunder from down under that gives you the second most powerful surge that can flow through your body." During the acceptance speech, Johnson quoted their 1977 song "Let There Be Rock". In May 2003, the Young brothers accepted a Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Service to Australian Music at the APRA Music Awards of 2003, during which Malcolm paid special tribute to Scott, who was also a recipient of the award. In 2003, ''Rolling Stone''s
500 Greatest Albums of All Time 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. Humans, and many other animals, have 5 digits on their limbs. Mathematics 5 is a Fermat pri ...
list included ''Back in Black'' at number 73, and ''Highway to Hell'' at number 199. They also ranked number 72 on the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, as American record producer
Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (, ; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is a co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popularize hip hop by produci ...
wrote an essay calling them the "greatest rock & roll band of all time." In 2004, on their
500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring song ranking compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2 ...
list, ''Rolling Stone'' included "Back in Black" at number 187 and "Highway to Hell" at number 254. They ranked number four on ''
VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...
''s list of the 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock, and number seven on
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
's Greatest Heavy Metal Band of All Time. They ranked number 23 on ''VH1''s list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time in 2010. On 20 November 2015, the band were inducted into the
Music Victoria Awards The Music Victoria Awards (previously known as The Age EG Awards and The Age Music Victoria Awards) are an annual awards night celebrating music from the Australian state of Victoria. They commenced in 2006 and are awarded in Melbourne Music W ...
10th Anniversary Hall of Fame. Angus offered a statement, in which he declared it was "an absolute honour" to be recognised in the tenth year of the Hall of Fame. They sold over 1.3 million CDs in the US during 2007. In 50 years of the band's career, they have sold over 200 million albums worldwide, and 84 million in the US, according to the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA), which AC/DC the fourth best-selling band in US history and the eighth best-selling artist, selling more albums than
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...
and
Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...
. The RIAA also certified ''Back in Black'' as 27× Platinum, for 27 million in US sales, which made it the fourth best-selling album of all time in the US.


Band members


Current

*
Angus Young Angus McKinnon Young (born 31 March 1955) is an Australian musician, best known as the co-founder, lead guitarist, songwriter, and the only continuous member of the hard rock band AC/DC. He is known for his energetic performances, schoolboy-u ...
– lead guitar, occasional backing vocals (1973–present) * Phil Rudd – drums (1975–1983, 1994–2015, 2018–present; ) * Cliff Williams – bass guitar, backing vocals (1977–2016, 2018–present; ) * Brian Johnson – lead vocals (1980–2016, 2018–present) * Stevie Young – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2014–present; ) ;Current touring musicians * Matt Laug – drums (2023–present) * Chris Chaney – bass guitar, backing vocals (2024–present)


Former

*
Malcolm Young Malcolm Mitchell Young (6 January 1953 – 18 November 2017) was an Australian musician who was the rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist and a founding member of the hard rock band AC/DC. Except for a brief absence in 1988, he was a member of AC ...
– rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1973–2014; ) * Colin Burgess – drums (1973–1974; ) * Larry Van Kriedt – bass guitar (1973–1974, 1975) * Dave Evans – lead vocals (1973–1974) * Neil Smith – bass guitar (1974; ) * Ron Carpenter – drums (1974) * Russell Coleman – drums (1974) * Noel Taylor – drums (1974) * Rob Bailey – bass (1974–1975) * Peter Clack – drums (1974–1975) *
Bon Scott Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott (9 July 1946 – 19 February 1980) was an Australian singer who was the second lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980. In the July 2004 issue of ''Classic Rock (m ...
– lead vocals (1974–1980; ) * Paul Matters – bass guitar (1975; ) * Mark Evans – bass guitar (1975–1977) * Simon Wright – drums (1983–1989) *
Chris Slade Chris Slade (born Christopher Slade Rees; 30 October 1946) is a Welsh drummer, who is perhaps best known for playing for Manfred Mann's Earth Band from its inception in 1971 to 1978 on eight albums, and AC/DC, for which he drummed from 1989 to ...
– drums (1989–1994, 2015–2016) ;Former touring musicians * George Young – bass guitar, rhythm guitar, drums, backing vocals (1974–1975; ) * Denis Loughlin – lead vocals (1974; ) * Bruce Howe – bass guitar (1975) * Paul Greg – bass guitar (1991) *
Axl Rose W. Axl Rose ( ; born William Bruce Rose Jr., February 6, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, and has been the band's sole constant member since its inception in ...
– lead vocals (2016)


Discography

Studio albums * ''
High Voltage High voltage electricity refers to electrical potential large enough to cause injury or damage. In certain industries, ''high voltage'' refers to voltage above a certain threshold. Equipment and conductors that carry high voltage warrant sp ...
'' (1975) (
Australasia Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...
only) * '' T.N.T.'' (1975) (Australasia only) * ''
High Voltage High voltage electricity refers to electrical potential large enough to cause injury or damage. In certain industries, ''high voltage'' refers to voltage above a certain threshold. Equipment and conductors that carry high voltage warrant sp ...
'' (1976) (international version) * '' Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap'' (1976) * '' Let There Be Rock'' (1977) * '' Powerage'' (1978) * '' Highway to Hell'' (1979) * '' Back in Black'' (1980) * ''
For Those About to Rock We Salute You ''For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)'' (shortened to ''For Those About to Rock'' on its cover) is the eighth studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It was released on 20 November 1981 in the United States and on 27 November 1981 ...
'' (1981) * '' Flick of the Switch'' (1983) * '' Fly on the Wall'' (1985) * ''
Blow Up Your Video ''Blow Up Your Video'' is the eleventh studio album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC, released on 1 February 1988. The album was re-released in 2003 as part of the ''AC/DC Remasters'' series. Recording Writing sessions for ''Blow Up Your Vi ...
'' (1988) * '' The Razors Edge'' (1990) * '' Ballbreaker'' (1995) * '' Stiff Upper Lip'' (2000) * '' Black Ice'' (2008) * '' Rock or Bust'' (2014) * '' Power Up'' (2020)


Concert tours

* T.N.T./Lock Up Your Daughters Summer Vacation Tour (1975–1976) * Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap/Giant Dose of Rock 'n' Roll Tour (1976–1977) * Let There Be Rock Tour (1977) * Powerage Tour (1978) * If You Want Blood Tour (1978–1979) * Highway to Hell Tour (1979–1980) * Back in Black Tour (1980–1981) * For Those About to Rock Tour (1981–1982) * Flick of the Switch Tour (1983–1985) * Fly on the Wall Tour (1985–1986) * Who Made Who Tour (1986) * Blow Up Your Video World Tour (1988) * Razors Edge World Tour (1990–1991) *
Ballbreaker World Tour The Ballbreaker World Tour was a concert tour played by the Australian hard rock band AC/DC, in support of their thirteenth studio album '' Ballbreaker'', which was released on 26 September 1995. This tour had 5 legs around the world lasting ...
(1996) * Stiff Upper Lip World Tour (2000–2001) * Black Ice World Tour (2008–2010) * Rock or Bust World Tour (2015–2016) * Power Up Tour (2024–2025)


See also

*
List of best-selling music artists The following list of best-selling music artists includes musical artists from the 20th century to the present with claims of 75 million or more record sales worldwide. The sales figures are calculated based on the formula detailed below. The ...
* List of blues rock musicians * List of hard rock bands (A–M) *
List of heavy metal bands A list is a Set (mathematics), set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of t ...


Notes


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * n.b. The Kent Report chart was licensed by
Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...
(ARIA) from mid-1983 until 19 June 1988. * * * * * * * * *


Further reading

* * * * * * * * *


External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ac Dc 1973 establishments in Australia Albert Productions artists APRA Award winners ARIA Award winners ARIA Hall of Fame inductees Atco Records artists Atlantic Records artists Australian blues rock groups Australian hard rock musical groups Australian heavy metal musical groups Australian musical quintets Columbia Records artists Culture of Australia East West Records artists Echo (music award) winners Elektra Records artists Epic Records artists Grammy Award winners Musical groups established in 1973 Musical groups from Sydney Sibling musical groups