AC/DC BIOGRAPHY

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AC/DC

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AC/DC Biography

Formed in Sydney, Australia in December 1973, '''ACDC''' is an indigenous music band. Traditionally, they are hailed as pioneers of hard rock and heavy metal music. Their albums have made record sales of around 100 million copies worldwide, according to a recent estimate. ACDC is classified into "Bon Scott era (1974-80)" and "Brian Johnson era (1980-present)". Some fans prefer one to other but some shower the appreciation on both, alike.

ACDC was formed by guitarist Malcolm Young after his band, the Velvet Underground, disintegrated. With his younger brother Angus, who was only 15-years-old, as lead guitarist, the band performed around Sydney. Angus� sister suggested to the guys to appear on stage in their school uniforms. They did so and it became the band's visual trademark. The original lineup also featured singer Dave Evans. With him in their fold, they cut a single called "Can I Sit Next to You�, while they were still in Sydney. It was produced by ex-Easybeats Harry Vanda and George Young (Malcolm and Angus' older brother).

In the ensuing year, ACDC shifted to Melbourne. There the drummer Phil Rudd who formerly belonged to the Coloured Balls, and Mark Evans joined the band. When Dave Evans disagreed to go on-stage, Bon Scott, the band's chauffeur, rose as their lead vocalist. Scot also had the previous experience as vocalist with the Australian prog rock bands Fraternity and the Valentines.
ACDC appeared to be socially maladjusted and they opted for frenetic imagery and crude double entendres, all spiced with a puckish sense of fun. To a great extend Scot was the man responsible for the band�s image as brutes. He had a past history of minor criminal offences, and had been disqualified by the Australian Army for being socially maladjusted.

In 1974 and 1975, ACDC released two albums titled High Voltage and TNT in Australia. The 1976 release-High Voltage in the U.S. and U.K. had the contents of the previous two albums. The group also toured these countries. The next yearend saw Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. In the beginning of 1977, Evans left the band to be replaced by Cliff Williams. In 1977, ACDC brought out Let There Be Rock, and it was their first album to chart in the U.S.

The release of Powerage during the spring of 1978 had an appeal to wider mass, thanks to their dynamic live show. If You Want Blood, You've Got was captured live on 1978. The real break for the band was the following year's Highway to Hell. ACDC�s first million-seller, it came number 17 in the U.S. and number 8 in the U.K.

The demise of Bon Scott on February 20, 1980 was a great blow to the band. In March, Brian Johnson took his place. The next month, the band recorded Back in Black, which proved to be ACDC�s biggest album. In the U.S. alone, over ten million copies were sold. The next few years, ACDC was one of the top-rated rock bands in the world, and by then For Those About to Rock We Salute You, had topped charts in the U.S. Rudd left the band in 1982 and Simon Wright was the replacement.

Following the 1983's Flick of the Switch, the band's commercial reputation became bleak but they were able to reverse their fortune with their 1990's The Razor's Edge, which gave the hit "Thunderstruck." The '90s saw them turning out to be a commercial powerhouse, unlike what they were in the late 70s and early '80s. In the beginning of 1995, their 16th album, Ballbreaker, came out. Produced by Rick Rubin, the album received raves and came No. 4 in the American charts. It also sold more than a million copies in its first six months of release. Stiff Upper Lip was what that followed in early 2000.

In 2002, ''Q'' magazine rated ACDC as one of the "50 Bands To See Before You Die". In March 2003 at New York's historic Waldorf Astoria hotel, ACDC performed Highway. This was in connection with their induction to the American Rock'n'Roll Hall Of Fame. On July 30, 2003, the band gave an awe-inspiring performance at Sarsfest in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, with The Rolling Stones for mobilizing fund for SARS victims. The venture could draw a crowd of 500,000 spectators. In 2003 the Recording Industry Association of America certified their classic ''Back in Black'' album for making Double Diamond (20,000,000) sales in the US.