AC/DC underwent several line-up changes before their first album, High Voltage, in 1975. Membership remained stable until bassist Cliff Williams replaced Mark Evans in 1977. In 1979, the band recorded their highly successful album Highway to Hell. Lead singer Bon Scott died on February *****after a night of alcohol consumption. The group considered disbanding, but soon ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson was selected as Scott's replacement. Later they brought their most sold album Back in Black

Angus and Malcolm Young developed the idea for the band's name after seeing the acronym "AC/DC" on the back of a sewing machine owned by their sister, Margaret Young. "AC/DC" is an abbreviation for "alternating current/direct current", which indicates that an electrical device can use either type of power. The brothers felt that this name symbolised the band's raw energy and power-driven performances, and love for music so the name stuck.

Angus, Malcolm, and George Young were born in Glasgow, Scotland, and moved to Sydney, Australia with most of their family in 1963. George was the first to learn to play the guitar. He became a member of The Easybeats, Australia's most successful band of the 1960s. In 1966, they became the first local rock act to have an international hit, with the song "Friday On My Mind". Malcolm followed in George's footsteps by playing with a Newcastle, New South Wales band called The Velvet Underground.

AC/DC have sold more than 200 million albums worldwide,including 69 million albums in the US. Back in Black has sold an estimated 42 million units worldwide and 22 million in the US alone, making it the fifth highest-selling album ever in the US. AC/DC ranked fourth on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" and the seventh "Greatest Heavy Metal Band Of All Time" by MTV.

The band's next album, For Those About to Rock (We Salute You), was also highly successful and was their first album to reach number one in the United States. AC/DC declined in popularity soon after the departure of drummer Phil Rudd in 1983. Poor record sales continued until the release of The Razors Edge in 1990. Phil Rudd returned in 1994 and contributed to the band's 1995 album Ballbreaker. Stiff Upper Lip was released in 2000 and was well received by critics.