AC/DC is an Australian rock band. It was founded in 1973 in Sydney, Australia. The founding members were lead vocalist Dave Evans (born in 1953 in Carmarthen, Wales, United Kingdom), lead guitarist Angus Young (1955, Glasgow, Scotland, UK), rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young (1953, Glasgow, Scotland, UK; he’s also Angus’s brother), bassist Larry Van Kriedt (1954, San Francisco, California, United States), and drummer Colin Burgess (1946, Sydney, Australia). Despite being a band based in Australia, only one of the 5 founders was actually born in the continent-nation.
The 5 original members formed the new rock band in November 1973. They booked their very first AC/DC concert date on New Year’s Eve that year, at the Chequers nightclub in Sydney. Guitarist Angus Young wore his signature schoolboy outfit on stage from the get-go, a habit that he keeps to this day. The band name comes from the abbreviation of the words “alternating current/direct current”, describing the two types of electric currents. The Young brothers’ sister saw the four letters inscribed on her sewing machine.
Throughout 1974, the band started gaining steam with constant live AC/DC concert shows across Australia, even opening for the popular American rock star Lou Reed while he was touring “down under”. As a result, AC/DC got to work with a better connected manager. However, there was one condition: their original lead singer, Evans, had to be replaced. The new manager felt his performances weren’t up to par with the rest of the band. Thus, a new vocalist, Bon Scott, was brought in to complete the line-up.
In February 1975, AC/DC released their debut album through the biggest independent label in Australia, Albert Productions. Keeping with the theme of electricity, they named the album “High Voltage”. It became a moderate success, peaking at the #14 spot on the local charts in Australia. After the record’s release, however, the band’s popularity kept growing, eventually becoming one of the most popular musical acts in their country.
This led to them signing an international contract with the British label Atlantic Records in 1976. Atlantic released a new AC/DC album in April 1976, with the same title as their first one, “High Voltage”. However, they made the record available for sale worldwide. As a result, it got on the famous Billboard 200 list on the #176 spot in the US.
In 1980, lead singer Bon Scott passed away due to alcohol poisoning. After contemplating full-on dismantlement, the band decided to bring on English singer Brian Johnson to fill his void. This move ended up working out just fine, as the rock stars’ popularity only grew worldwide after that.
Overall, AC/DC has released a total of 18 studio albums during their long career. The best selling one among them is “Back in Black” released in July 1980. It is also the second best selling album of all time with over 30 million copies sold, only behind Michael Jackson’s "Thriller" from 1982. Meanwhile, the latest new AC/DC album is titled “Power Up”, which came out in November 2020.
The legendary Aussie rock band’s biggest hits to date are “Highway to Hell” (1979), “Back in Black” (1980), “You Shook Me All Night Long” (also 1980), and “Thunderstruck” (1990). Lead guitarist Angus Young is the sole founding member who is still part of the band. The rest of AC/DC’s line-up is made up of lead singer Johnson, drummer Phil Rudd, bassist Cliff Williams, and rhythm guitarist Stevie Young.
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AC/DC Tour Map 2024
Follow AC/DC around the world with this interactive Tour Map. Explore the places where you can catch AC/DC on tour.
25 Upcoming concerts, touring in the following countries:
AT,
BE,
CA,
CH,
DE,
ES,
FR,
GB,
IE,
IT,
NL,
SK,
etc.
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