Scottish born brothers Angus and Malcolm Young formed AC/DC in Sydney, Australia in 1973, choosing the band's moniker because they felt that it symbolised the band's raw energy and power-driven performances, and love for music. AC/DC have been ranked fourth on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock", and seventh in MTV's "Greatest Heavy Metal Band Of All Time".

Several line up changes preceded AC/DC's debut release, "High Voltage", in 1975, however membership remained stable until bassist Cliff Williams replaced Mark Evans in 1977. 1979 saw the band recording their highly successful album "Highway to Hell", however just a year later lead singer and co-songwriter Bon Scott died after a night of heavy alcohol consumption. The group briefly considered disbanding, but eventually ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson was selected as Scott's replacement, a move that encouraged the band to put out their best selling album "Back in Black" later that year (an album which has shifted around 42 million copies).

Their first album to reach number 1 in the US, "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" was released soon after, but their popularity began to wane in 1983 after the departure of drummer Phil Rudd. Poor record sales continued until the release of "The Razors Edge" in 1990. Rudd returned in 1994, contributing to the band's 1995 album "Ballbreaker". The critically acclaimed "Stiff Upper Lip" was released in 2000, and is their latest release, although a new album was announced in 2004.

200 million albums worldwide, including 68 million albums in the US underlines AC/DC's massive appeal. Of "Back in Black"'s 40+ million worldwide sales, 22 million have been in the US alone, making it the fifth highest-selling album ever in the US.