The band was formed in 1973 on the initiative of Malcolm Young, who co-opted his younger brother Angus, who was 14 years old at the time, into the band: this is why Angus' first performances on stage took place in a school uniform, which soon became a trademark. The band began to settle into its first line-up when singer Bon Scott arrived to replace the resigning Dave Evans. It is his voice that can be heard on the band's first two albums, HIGH VOLTAGE and TNT, which attracted the attention of a major record company like Atlantic to the Australian rock band. Even better is the next album LET THERE BE ROCK, which allows them to establish themselves in the UK thanks to the power of a single like 'Whole lotta Rosie'. The album HIGHWAY TO HELL, released in 1979, enshrined the rock star status the band had now achieved.
Produced by Mutt Lange, the album also turned out to be the last with Bon Scott, who died of an alcohol overdose on 19 February 1980. The replacement arrived in the person of Brian Johnson, who led the climb to number one in the charts with the album BACK IN BLACK, containing true classics such as the title track, "You shook me all night long" and "Rock 'n' roll ain't noise pollution". In 1981, FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK was released, which reached the top of the charts and saw the band perform with great success at the Donington Festival. After FLICK OF THE SWITCH, released in 1983, drummer Phil Rudd left the band and, after ups and downs, was replaced by Chris Slade. It was with him on drums that 1990 saw the release of THE RAZOR'S EDGE, one of the band's most successful albums, driven into the charts by the sound of the single 'Thunderstruck'. In 1992, the band released a live album, with which they immortalised their hard rock formula that superbly mixed Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. In 1995, the last studio album, BALLBREAKER, showed some signs of fatigue. In 1997, the band assembled an impressive box set containing previously unreleased material with Bon Scott. The new millennium marked the return of George Young to production, who had already produced records such as POWERAGE, IF YOU WANT BLOOD, HIGH VOLTAGE. The blues is definitely the key component of STIFF UPPER LIP.
In 2002, AC/DC signed a contract with Sony in which they agreed to a remastering of all their albums, each of which contained a photo section with previously unreleased images and rarities about the band. The following year, the Recording Industry Association of America proclaimed the group as the fifth best-selling band in US history after the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and the Eagles. In addition, BACK IN BLACK is certified double diamond for having sold twenty million copies in the US market alone, making it the sixth best-selling album ever. All this resulted in the group being inducted into the prestigious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2003. In October 2004, a central Melbourne street - Corporation Lane - was renamed in the band's honour; the street is located near Swaston Street where AC/DC shot - atop a truck - the video for "It's a long way to the top (If you wanna rock'n'roll)" in 1975.
In January 2006, AC/DC started working on their new album, which was released in 2008: BLACK ICE was followed by a world tour, which brought them to Italy in spring 2009 and lasted for over a year, confirming the forecasts: success and million-dollar sales at every latitude. But it is the album that surprises: hailed as the band's best recording since BACK IN BLACK, BLACK ICE breaks through from the start in the charts worldwide, selling millions of copies in one of the darkest years of discography and repositioning AC/DC in the rock empyrean, gaining them new fans among the younger generations who had missed their initial exploits.
In 2010, while they are still on tour, they sign the soundtrack to IRON MAN 2, sequel to the blockbuster based on the legendary Marvel comics, starring Robert Downey Jr. In 2012, the band releases the album LIVE AT RIVER PLATE recorded in Buenos Aires, twenty years after their last live work, accompanied by a spectacular DVD also screened in Italian cinemas. While rumours about a possible new album by the quartet are circulating, dramatic news arrives in April 2014: serious health reasons, possibly a stroke, prevent Malcolm Young from performing. The band issued an official statement: 'After forty years dedicated to AC/DC, guitarist and founding member Malcolm Young will be taking a break from the group for health reasons'. The guitarist's departure from the group is confirmed upon the announcement of ROCK OR BUST, the first studio album in six years, due on 1 December 2014. Shortly afterwards, it is also confirmed that Malcolm Young's exit is permanent, as the guitarist suffers from dementia and is in a nursing home. Phil Rudd also leaves the band, accused of being the instigator of a murder - a charge for which he goes on trial in New Zealand. The band announces a tour for 2015 without, however, untangling the knot of a new drummer - who later turns out to be Chris Slade, already with the band from 1989-1994. In 2016, Brian Johnson is forced to stop due to a hearing problem, which threatens to make him deaf. The band continues with the already planned concerts, choosing Axl Rose as the new singer, who has meanwhile reformed Guns 'n' Roses with Slash. Also in 2016, bassist Cliff Williams announced that he would retire at the end of the tour. In 2017, Malcolm Young, who had already retired from the band in 2014 due to early signs of dementia, passed away.
In summer 2018, Stevie Young and Phil Rudd were spotted together in Vancouver. It will be the beginning of a series of clues, duly reported by press rumours, destined to hint at a comeback for the legendary Australian line-up. It will be the band's long-time collaborator Mike Fraser who will confirm in spring 2019 that AC/DC are indeed at work on a new album. In the months that followed, rumours of a studio reunion - and a possible accompanying tour - of Angus Young, Brian Johnson, Cliff Williams and Phil Rudd continued to run rampant until, in October 2020, the band broke the silence with a new single, the track 'Shot in the dark', the first anticipation of 'Power up', the band's 17th album, finally announced for November. The album features producer Brendan O'Brien.