AC/DC

AC/DC stands among the most pivotal and enduring acts in hard rock history, propelled by an inexhaustible stock of gritty guitar riffs, rasping vocals, and choruses that remain irresistibly hook-laden across decades. Scottish-born siblings Malcolm and Angus Young launched the Australian outfit in the early 1970s, and the ensemble catapulted to worldwide attention in 1979 through its sixth album, the multi-platinum Highway to Hell. Though the 1980 death of magnetic frontman Bon Scott appeared to imperil the band’s future, AC/DC pressed ahead by bringing in Geordie singer Brian Johnson and issuing Back in Black, now recognized as the second best-selling album ever. Across the 1980s, 1990s, and beyond, the group shaped the core sound of hard rock and metal, generating legions of imitators while sustaining consistent commercial dominance. They also emerged as quintessential arena rock performers, filling vast venues year after year and sustaining their raw power on later studio efforts including 1990’s pop-tinged The Razor’s Edge and 2020’s Power Up, both of which climbed to high positions on multiple charts.

The Young brothers formed AC/DC in Australia in 1973 after Malcolm’s earlier band, the Velvet Underground, dissolved, bearing no connection to the American group of the same name. Angus took the lead-guitar role, and the two began performing around Sydney; at just eighteen, Angus adopted his school uniform as stage attire at his sister’s suggestion, establishing the outfit’s signature visual identity. In Sydney the original lineup with vocalist Dave Evans recorded the single “Can I Sit Next to You,” produced by former Easybeats members Harry Vanda and George Young, Malcolm and Angus’s older brother. The following year the band relocated to Melbourne, adding drummer Phil Rudd, formerly of the Coloured Balls, and bassist Mark Evans. When Dave Evans declined to perform, the group’s chauffeur Bon Scott stepped forward as lead vocalist; Scott had previously sung with Australian prog-rock acts Fraternity and the Valentines and brought a hardened edge to the band’s image through his minor criminal convictions and rejection by the Australian Army on grounds of being “socially maladjusted.” Throughout their career AC/DC leaned into crude double entendres and violent imagery delivered with a playful undercurrent.

Two albums, High Voltage and T.N.T., appeared in Australia in 1974 and 1975, and material from both formed the basis of the 1976 U.S. and U.K. release also titled High Voltage, which accompanied tours in those territories. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap arrived at year’s end, followed in fall 1977 by Let There Be Rock, the band’s first album to register on U.S. charts. Mark Evans departed soon afterward, replaced by Cliff Williams. Spring 1978’s Powerage further broadened their reach, aided by the high-energy concerts documented on the live album If You Want Blood You’ve Got It. The decisive breakthrough arrived with 1979’s Highway to Hell, which reached number 17 in the U.S. and number eight in the U.K. while becoming the group’s first million-selling record.

Bon Scott’s death on February 19, 1980, brought the band to a halt; the coroner’s report attributed it to acute alcohol poisoning. Brian Johnson joined in March, and the following month the group recorded Back in Black, ultimately selling more than ten million copies in the U.S. alone and establishing AC/DC among the world’s biggest rock acts; For Those About to Rock We Salute You later topped the American charts. Phil Rudd exited after 1983’s Flick of the Switch, succeeded by Simon Wright. Commercial momentum waned until 1990’s The Razor’s Edge revived fortunes with the hit “Thunderstruck.” Although no longer the sales juggernaut of their late-1970s and early-1980s peak, AC/DC remained a premier international concert attraction through the 1990s. Ballbreaker, their sixteenth album, emerged in fall 1995 under Rick Rubin’s production, earning strong reviews, debuting at number four on U.S. charts, and moving over a million copies within six months. Stiff Upper Lip followed in early 2000 with comparable success. A multi-album Sony deal signed in 2001 yielded numerous reissues and DVDs, while 2008’s Black Ice topped charts in Australia, the U.S., and the U.K. and launched the band’s first world tour since 2001. Two years later AC/DC tracks featured prominently in the film Iron Man 2, paired with a companion compilation of the same name.

In 2014, as work began with producer Brendan O’Brien on a new album, the band disclosed that Malcolm Young was battling dementia and had stepped away; nephew Stevie Young filled the guitar chair for sessions and the ensuing 40th-anniversary tour before joining permanently. Shortly before the December release of Rock or Bust, Phil Rudd faced arrest on charges including attempted procurement of murder, threats to kill, and possession of cannabis and methamphetamine; the murder-related counts were later dropped, yet the remaining charges left his status uncertain. AC/DC nevertheless proceeded with Rock or Bust and 2015 touring plans. Malcolm Young passed away in November 2017 at age 64. After a two-year pause, the band reunited with Brendan O’Brien for their seventeenth studio album, Power Up, which became their third consecutive Australian number-one release and their third U.S. chart-topper.