Brothers Malcolm (rhythm guitar) and Angus Young, born in Scotland, founded the Australian rock group AC/DC in Sydney in 1973. (lead guitar). Although the band prefers the term “rock & roll,” their music has been variously categorized as hard rock, blues rock, and heavy metal. With 75 million albums sold in the US alone, AC/DC is the ninth-highest-selling artist in the country and the 16th-best-selling act overall with more than 200 million records sold globally. Back in Black is the highest-selling album by a band and the second-best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 50 million units sold globally. The album is the fourth best-selling album of all time in the US with 25 million sales sold there. In 2003, AC/DC received induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
They came in at number four on VH1’s list of the “100 Greatest Hard Rock Artists,” and MTV listed them as the seventh greatest heavy metal band ever. On Rolling Stone’s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” in 2004, they were ranked number 72. The band was referred to as the “greatest rock and roll band of all time” by American record producer Rick Rubin in an essay he wrote about them for Rolling Stone. On its list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” in 2010, VH1 placed them at No. 23.
