Australian rock band AC/DC have been one of the most influential bands of the last 30 years. AC/DC was formed by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young in 1973. Music Commentators compare AC/DC to other heavy metal luminaries such as Led Zepplin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.

The period between 1973 and 1975 saw many line up changes before AC/DC were able to release their first album- High Voltage. In 1977, bassist Cliff Williams left the band and was replaced by Mark Evans. 2 years later, in 1979, they recorded and released the highly acclaimed Highway to Hell- which included the smash hit song of the same name. In 2003, Highway to Hell was ranked number 197 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

The band hit its lowest not on February 19^th 1980 when lead vocalist and song writer died, choking on his own vomit after a night of heavy binge drinking. It was thought that the band would break up, but they vowed to go on. They took on ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson as Scott’s replacement and the band went on to release their most successful album, Back in Black, later that year. Back in Black included the hits Hells Bells, Shoot to Thrill, You Shook Me All Night Long and Rock ’n’ Roll ain’t Noise Pollution. At the time of it’s release, Angus Young said the black cover of this album was a sign of mourning and respect for the departed singer Scott. The album Back in Black was in 2003 ranked number 73 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. . Back in Black has been sold 42 million times and it is estimated that half of these albums were sold in the US alone. This makes Back in Black the 5^th highest selling album of all time in the US.

The success of Back in Black was quickly followed up upon with the release of their next album, For Those About To Rock We Salute You. For Those About To Rock We Salute You became the first hard rock album to reach number 1 on the US charts, as well as AC/DC’s first album to reach number 1 on the US charts.

From 1983 onwards, AC/DC went through a period of declining popularity after drummer Phil Rudd left the band. They were plagued by poor record sales throughout the late 80’s but this all turned around with the release of The Razor’s Edge in 1990. Rudd returned in 1994 and helped record the 1995 album Ballbreaker. They released another album in 2000, Stiff Upper Lip, which achieved critical acclaim. It is believed that they will also be releasing another album sometime next year.

Over their career, AC/DC have sold nearly 150 million albums.