AC/DC -

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AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. A hard rock/blues rock band,

they have also been considered a heavy metal band, although they have always dubbed their music simply “rock and roll”.

AC/DC underwent several line-up changes before releasing their first album, High Voltage, in 1975; Malcolm and Angus were the only original members left in the band. Membership subsequently stabilised until bassist Mark Evans was replaced by Cliff Williams in 1977 for the album Powerage. Within months of recording the album Highway to Hell, lead singer and co-songwriter Bon Scott died on 19 February 1980 after a night of heavy alcohol consumption. The group considered disbanding, but buoyed by support from Scott’s parents, decided to continue and set about finding a new vocalist. Ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson was auditioned and selected to replace Scott. Later that year, the band released the new album, Back in Black, which was made as a tribute to Bon Scott. The album launched them to new heights of success and became their all-time best-seller.

The band’s next album, For Those About to Rock We Salute You, was their first album to reach number one in the United States. Drummer Phil Rudd was fired in 1983 and replaced by ex-A II Z drummer Simon Wright, who left to join Dio in 1989. The band experienced a resurgence in the early 1990s with the release of The Razors Edge. Phil Rudd returned in 1994 after Chris Slade, who was with the band from 1989 to 1994, was asked to leave in favour of him, and contributed to the band’s 1995 album Ballbreaker. Stiff Upper Lip, released in 2000, was well received by critics. The band’s studio album, Black Ice, released in 2008, was the second-highest-selling album of that year, and their biggest chart hit since For Those About to Rock, eventually reaching No.1 on all charts worldwide.The band’s line-up remained the same until 2014 with Malcolm Young’s retirement and Rudd’s legal troubles. In 2016, Johnson was advised to stop touring on account of worsening hearing loss and Guns N’ Roses front man Axl Rose stepped in as the band’s vocalist for the remainder of that year’s dates. Long-term bass player Cliff Williams subsequently indicated that he would retire from the band on the completion of their current world tour.

AC/DC have sold more than 200 million records worldwide, including 71.5 million albums in the United States alone, adding them to the list of highest-certified music artists in the United States and the list of best-selling music artists.Back in Black has sold an estimated 50 million units worldwide, making it the second-highest-selling album by any artist – and the highest-selling album by any band. The album has sold 22 million units in the US alone, where it is the sixth-highest-selling album of all time. AC/DC ranked fourth on VH1’s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock”^[ and were named the seventh “Greatest Heavy Metal Band of All Time” by MTV. In 2004, AC/DC ranked No. 72 on the Rolling Stone list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”.Producer Rick Rubin, who wrote an essay on the band for the Rolling Stone list, referred to AC/DC as “the greatest rock and roll band of all time.” In 2010, AC/DC were ranked number 23 in the VH1 list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”.