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AC/DC music biography continued...

as the band had two very distinctive lead singers, Bon Scott from 1974 to 1980 and Brian Johnson from 1980 to the present.

The band was formed by guitarist Malcolm Young in 1973 subsequent to the split of his previous group The Velvet Underground (no affiliation to American New York band Velvet Underground). Malcolm was to play the rhythm guitar and his brother Angus, the lead guitar. Colin Burgess was recruited as the drummer, Larry Van Kriedt as bassist and Dave Evans on lead vocals. The band began playing in bars around Sidney, eventually moving to Melbourne the following year. The young Angus began to perform in his school uniform which would become his trademark outfit. Along with the change of location, came the numerous line-up changes. Burgess was fired from the band after passing out on stage in 1974 and Dave Evans was also kicked out as he refused to perform on one occasion. Vocals were taken on by Bon Scott (born Ronald Belford Scott), the band's chauffeur with an impressive musical past of fronting bands The Spektors, The Valentines, and Fraternity.

In 1975 the band welcomed Mark Evans on bass and Phil Rudd on drums and began recording High Voltage, an album only released in their home country. They became well-known in Australia appearing regularly on the TV show Countdown and generating several hit songs such as "It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll) which was featured on their second album TNT (only released in Australia and New Zealand). After signing an international deal with Atlantic Records, AC/DC toured all over the UK and Europe in order to establish themselves out of Australia. The international version of High Voltage was released in 1976 as well as Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap however the latter was only released in the US in 1981. Let There Be Rock was issued in 1977 and marked the replacement of Evans with Cliff Williams. The band also released Powerage in 1978, however their major breakthrough was with Highway To Hell the following year earning them a reputation in the US.

The year 1980 began with the sudden tragic death of Bon Scott on February 19 when he was discovered unconscious in a friend's car after a night of heavy drinking. Although the band thought of splitting following the event, they believed that Scott would have encouraged them to continue without him. In March, he was replaced by Brian Johnson, the former lead singer of Geordie and began recording their next album. Back In Black proved to be their best selling album and included the band's tribute to the late Scott "You Shook Me All Night Long". For Those About To Rock We Salute You was also received with great commendation in 1981 signifying AC/DC's established popularity.

Flick of the Switch, which they self-produced, was released in 1983. Soon after, Rudd left the band due to personal indifferences with Malcolm, however circulating rumours revealed that the reason for his departure was alcoholism. Rudd was replaced by Simon Wright, former drummer of Tytan and released the less successful Fly On The Wall in 1985. The band made a comeback a year later with the release of Who Made Who, receiving much attention for its title track featured on the Stephen King film Maximum Overdrive. Their next major hit was with "Thunderstruck" on the 1990 album The Razor's Edge which also included "Moneytalks". The album was certified multiplatinum and placed in the Top Ten in several countries.

Rudd eventually returned for the recording of the 1995 album, Ballbreaker, which entered the US charts at number four and proceeded to sell a million copies in the first six months. Stiff Upper Lip was released a few years later in 2000. In March 2003 AC/DC was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Also during that year, the RIAA upgraded the group's US sales figures increasing them from 46.5 million to 63 million making them the fifth best selling band in US history (following the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and the Eagles). They were also certified double diamond for the Back In Black album which sold 20 million copies qualifying them as the six best selling album in the US, yet in 2005 the album reached 21 million sold bumping them up to fifth place. AC/DC are currently working on a supposed double disc album, there are no dates confirming the release as of yet.