AC/DC (from alternating current/direct current) is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney, Australia in November 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Along with such bands as Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, AC/DC is often considered the pioneers of hard rock and heavy metal. The musicians themselves classified their music as rock and roll, since its basis is rhythm and blues with highly distorted sound of rhythm and solo guitars.
The band went through several lineup changes before the band’s first album, High Voltage, was released in 1975. The lineup remained unchanged until bassist Mark Evansne was replaced by Cliff Williams in 1977. On February 19, 1980, Bon Scott, the singer and songwriter, died, choking on his own vomit as a result of extreme alcohol intoxication. The band had all chances to break up, but soon a replacement for Scott was found in former Geordie vocalist Brian Johnson. A year later the band released their biggest selling album Back in Black.
The band has sold over 150 million albums worldwide, including 68 million in the United States. The most successful album, “Back in Black”, sold over 22 million copies in the United States and over 42 million outside of the US. Overall, AC/DC is the most successful and well known rock band from Australia. AC/DC is ranked fourth on VH1’s list of 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock and seventh on MTV’s “Greatest Heavy Metal Band Of All Time”.
Title
Malcolm and Angus Young came up with a name for their band after seeing the acronym “AC/DC” on the back of their sister Margaret’s duster. “AC/DC” is an acronym for “AC/DC current,” which indicates that the device is capable of using said types of energy. The brothers felt the name symbolized the raw energy of the band and the energy of live performances, thus the name stuck.
In some cultures, “AC/DC” is slang for bisexual; the musicians claimed they were unaware of this meaning until it was brought to their attention early in their career by a cab driver.Some religious scholars argue that the band name should be understood as “Antichrist/Devil Child” “Antichrist/Death of Christ” or “After Christ/Devil Comes”.
“AC/DC” is spelled, but the band is also known as “Acca Dacca” in Australia. The name has prompted the emergence of tribute bands using consonant names: BC/DC from the province of British Columbia, Canada; AC/DShe, an all-female band from San Francisco; and several others.