AC/DC is an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young, who have remained the sole constant members (though Malcolm left prior to the recording of 2015’s Rock or Bust due to medical issues and has since died). Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal and are sometimes classified as such, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply “rock and roll”. To date, they are one of the highest grossing bands of all time.

But when their vocalist, Bon Scott died after a night out in London, the group wanted to disband. That didn’t happen. Instead, Scott was replaced with Brian Johnson. Their only statement to Scott’s Death was that he had “drunken himself to Death.”

Malcolm and Angus Young came up with the band name after their sister saw “AC/DC” on the side of an electric sewing machine, and ended up asking, “Why not AC/DC?”

As of 2010, AC/DC had sold more than 200 million albums worldwide, including 71 million albums in the United States alone. 1980’s Back in Black, the first album with singer Brian Johnson, has sold an estimated 49 million units worldwide, making it the third highest-selling album by any artist, and the second highest-selling album by any band, behind Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon and Michael Jackson’s Thriller. The album has sold 22 million units in the U.S. alone, where it is the fifth-highest-selling album of all-time. AC/DC ranked fourth on VH1’s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock” and was named the seventh “Greatest Heavy Metal Band of All Time” by MTV. In 2004, AC/DC was ranked number 72 in the Rolling Stone list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”. In 2010, AC/DC were ranked number 23 on the VH1 list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”.

Members:
-Angus Young – lead guitar (1973–present)
- Cliff Williams – bass guitar, backing vocals (1977–2016[retired following the Rock or Bust Tour])
- Stevie Young – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1988 [touring member], 2014–present)
- Chris Slade – drums (1989–1994, 2015–present)
- Brian Johnson – lead and backing vocals (1980–2016 [Indefinite Hiatus])
- Axl Rose – lead vocals (2016 [touring member])

Former members
- Malcolm Young – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1973–2014)
- Dave Evans – lead vocals (1973–1974)
- Bon Scott – lead vocals (1974–1980)
- Mark Evans – bass guitar (1975–1977)
- Phil Rudd – drums (1975–1983, 1994–2015)
- Simon Wright – drums (1983–1989)

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