Musician Spotlight: AC/DC

AC/DC was an Australian heavy metal band that was well known for their impressive stadium shows which placed them securely on a pedestal during the 1980s. Big and brash and non-apologetic, AC/DC took the best of the heavy metal genre and ran with it. The band consisted of lead guitarist Angus Young (born 31st March 1955), rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young (born 6th January 1953), vocalist Bon Scott 9th July 1946 – 21st February 1980), vocalist Brian Johnson who replaced Bon Scott after his death (born 5th October 1947), drummer Phil Rudd (born 19th May 1954), and bass player Cliff Williams (born 14th December 1949).

AC/DC came about in Sydney 1973 when brothers Angus and Malcolm Young decided that they had what it takes to become superstars. This confidence and the way they were determined to stand out from the crowd (Angus choosing to wear a schoolboy’s uniform on stage, for example) meant that they were interesting right from the start, and when the brothers moved to Melbourne they took on more band members. With their mix of putting out great records and performing live in an unforgettable fashion, they were all round favorites by the mid-70s.

In 1976, sensing that London was the place to be, AC/DC moved there and released Let There Be Rock the next year, cementing their fame and success and proving that the move had been the right one. However, it wasn’t until 1979 when Highway to Hell came out that they achieved the international fame that they had always been looking for. Unfortunately, Bon Scott passed away in 1980, and his unique voice was certainly going to be missed by the fans. There was a moment at this point when AC/DC could have disbanded, but instead they regrouped, took in Brian Johnson, and strode forward, making waves as they went. Johnson’s voice was not an identical match for Scott’s, and that was a good thing; it meant that the group could have a distinct ‘before and after’ period, and it enabled them to change direction.

Check out this live performance of their hit “highway to hell”:

Back in Black was the next album, released in 1980 as a tribute to Scott and featuring his drumming work on two of the tracks. There was a more somber, dark tone to this record than anything from the past, drawing a line between then and now, showing that there was plenty of versatility in AC/DC’s repertoire. Back in Black was universally applauded, selling 10 million copies in the US. This was quickly followed by For Those About To Rock (1981), and the band’s live performances went from strength to strength, showing that they were consummate performers and gaining them more fans than ever before. Despite this adoration and fame, though, it wasn’t until 1990 that AC/DC finally had a single in the top 40 – it was ‘Moneytalks’ which reached number 23 on the Billboard chart. In 2008, the band would go on to score its first number one album which was entitled Black Ice. In 2010, AC/DC won a Grammy (its first) for best hard rock performance for the single ‘War Machine’.