AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in 1973. They were founded by brothers Malcolm Young on rhythm guitar and Angus Young on lead guitar. Their current lineup comprises Angus, bassist Cliff Williams, drummer Phil Rudd, lead vocalist Brian Johnson, and rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, nephew of Angus and Malcolm. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and heavy metal, but the band calls it simply “rock and roll”. They are cited as a formative influence on the new wave of Britlsh heavy metal bands, such as Def Leppard and Saxon. AC/DC were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in2003.
AC/DC underwent several line-up changes before releasing their debut album, High Voltage (1975), which was released exclusively in Australia. Membership subsequently stabilised after the release of Let There Be Rock(1977), with the Young brothers, Rudd, Williams, and Bon Scott on lead vocals. Seven months after the release of Highway to Hell (1979), Scott died of alcohol poisoning, and the other members considered disbanding. However, at the request of Scott’s parents, they continued together and recruited English singer Johnson as their new front man. Their first album with Johnson, Back in Black (1980), was dedicated to Scott’s memory. It became the second-bestselling album of all time.
The band’s eighth studio album, For Those About to Rock (1981), was their first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200. Prior to the release of Flick of the Switch (1983), Rudd left AC/DC and was replaced by Simon Wright, who was himself replaced by Chris Slade six years later. AC/DC experienced a commercial resurgence in the early 1990s with the release of 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 2OO8 and their biggest chart hit since For Those About to Rock, eventually reaching number one worldwide.