AC/DC, an Australian heavy metal band whose dramatic, high-energy shows made them one of the most popular stadium performers in the 1980s. Angus Young (b. March 31, 1955, Glasgow, Scotland), Malcolm Young (b. January 6, 1953, Glasgow—d. November 18, 2017, Sydney, Australia), Bon Scott (original name Ronald Belford Scott; b. July 9, 1946, Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland—d. February 21, 1980, London, England), Brian Johnson (b. October 5, 1947, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England), Phil Rudd (original name Phillip Rudzevecuis; b. May 19, 1954, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), and
In 1973, the Young brothers established AC/DC in Sydney, Australia, with Angus (known for his schoolboy shorts attire) on lead guitar and Malcolm on rhythm guitar. When the Youngs relocated to Melbourne, the remainder of the band’s lineup changed, and by the mid-1970s, AC/DC’s blues-based songs and live performances had made them popular in Australia. The band moved to London in 1976 and achieved success in the UK with Let There Be Rock (1977). After forming their lineup (with Scott as vocalist, Rudd on drums, Williams on bass, and the Youngs), the band released Highway to Hell (1979), which catapulted them to international recognition. AC/DC’s growth was impeded by Scott’s alcohol-related death in February 1980, but successor Johnson’s falsetto fitted nicely with the group’s tight, pure metal.
By the 1990s, AC/DC had established itself as one of heavy metal’s senior statesmen. The Razor’s Edge (1990) contained the successful singles “Thunderstruck” and “Moneytalks,” with the latter reaching number 23 on the Billboard chart, becoming the group’s only Top 40 record. Following The Razor’s Edge, the band established a pattern of two studio albums every decade, with Ballbreaker (1995), produced by Rick Rubin, and Stiff Upper Lip (2000), an album that aimed to recreate the stadium-filling sound of the Back in Black era. After over 30 years of creating some of the roughest and loudest head-banging songs in heavy metal history, AC/DC achieved their first Billboard number one album with Black Ice (2008). The band achieved another milestone.
