AC/DC are legends of rock music. Formed in 1973, AC/DC were icons of their era and are consistently counted amongst the most successful rock bands of all time. Most rock bands eventually lose their relevance over the decades, however AC/DC have managed to carry their sound in full-force to the next generation of heavy metal maniacs. Their 2009 “Live at River Plate” performance of their hit single, Highway to Hell was filmed for their Black Ice World Tour DVD, and proves the addiction of their music with every stellar shot of the band’s stadium full of fans.
AC/DC faced many line-up changes in their early days. But after the release of their hit 1980 album, Back In Black, the band’s line-up has remained pretty much intact. For their 2009 world tour, AC/DC’s band members included vocalist, Brian Johnson (now 76 years old); lead guitarist, Angus Young (68); rhythm guitarist, Malcolm Young (died at 64 in 2017); bassist Cliff Williams (74) and drummer, Phil Rudd (69). Angus and Malcolm Young were brothers, but after Malcolm was diagnosed with dementia and took a step back from the band in 2014, his nephew, Stevie Young (67) replaced him as AC/DC’s rhythm guitarist.
This band is undoubtedly one of Australia’s greatest musical exports. While some of AC/DC’s members were born in the UK, including the Young family, its members wound up in Australia just at the right time to join the band and stamp their names in music history.
AC/DC’s list of accolades is near endless, These rock legends have received an astounding 10 Grammy Award nominations since 1989 and won the 2010 Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance with their song War Machine, which appeared on their 2008 record, Black Ice. Black Ice hit #1 on the album charts of 23 countries, from Australia to Greece and from Portugal to Poland, and even swiped the top spot on the US Billboard charts. For this same album, the band swept up two ARIA Music Awards in 2009, and an extra one for luck in 2011 for their live DVD, AC/DC: Live at River Plate, which won the Best Music DVD award.
And that’s just the band’s more recent successes. AC/DC’s 20th century era captivated the rock world completely. Their sound soon became synonymous with 80s hard rock and heavy metal and the band’s members became household names for those within the rock scene. Their influence has sprawled throughout rock music, inspiring 21st century rock bands such as The Darkness, Airbourne and Wolfmother.
With 10+million YouTube subscribers, 4.8m Instagram followers, nearly 1m TikTok followers and 1.4 billion views on their most popular music video, Thunderstruck, AC/DC prove their place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame wasn’t just a gesture to a long-lived band, but a well-deserved spot in the throne room of rock.